Land of Opportunity
Oregon continues to open doors for those on a quest to fulfill dreams in the West.
By Ann Terry Hill

It is a place whose name reached early, eastern Americans like an echo of a faraway splendor. Oregon.

The Oregon Country was that place that people only heard about, a place known only to fur trappers and mountain men, themselves almost mythical figures in their own day.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) to the Oregon Country brought fact to the legend and carried news of the land’s settlement potential to those living in the East and in other parts. It launched a Westward migration.

By 1845, most of the 6,000 American residents in the Oregon Country lived in the Willamette Valley. They already had organized a provisional government and proclaimed the region the "Oregon Territory." By 1848 Congress agreed, and between 1849 and 1850, more than 50,000 emigrants traveled the Oregon Trail bound for California or Oregon. The rolling wagon wheels of tens of thousands who made the toilsome journey left ruts that are still visible in some areas along the trail.

Oregon was admitted to the Union as the 33rd state in 1859. The railroad brought even more people to Oregon, to its lush valleys and open spaces. Even thought it’s home to roughly 3 million people today, parts of the state are nearly as pristine as they were in the 1800s.

Oregon can be divided into unique regions: coastal, Willamette Valley, Central, and Eastern Oregon. The eastern part of the state features desert, vast rolling grain fields, verdant meadows, and mountains that rival the Swiss Alps in grandeur. Legend has it that the infamous horse thief Hank Vaughan often hid his ill-gotten herds in the Blue Mountains near the Minam River in northeastern Oregon, where a box canyon surrounded by mountains and thick stands of pine afforded a natural hideout. For years the Minam Lodge has operated in this spot, serving up to 25 guests with comfortable facilities and grand meals. Fishing, hunting, horseback riding, and hiking are the favorite activities, not surprising since the lodge is eight miles off the main road and only accessible only by foot, horseback, or airplane.

While exploring northeastern Oregon, be sure to take in the Wallowa Mountains and the town of Joseph, set in what was the homeland of famed Indian Chief Joseph. The rustic Wallowa Lake Lodge at the tip of the lake makes a perfect starting point for exploring some unparalleled scenery.

Southeastern Oregon is vast cattle country with plenty of room to roam. The Ponderosa Guest Ranch runs 4,000 head on its 120,000 acres, and guests can work right along with the buckaroos. A week here and they’re walking the walk—a little bowlegged perhaps— talking the talk, and ready to take their place as valued cowhands. When guests are not out wrangling, the action is in the main lodge. The generous family style meals are known as "Cowboy Gourmet."  I once observed the cook slipping into the bar for a cup of wine to complete a sauce for his steaks.

Several original drawings of John Wayne, given to Ponderosa’s owner by Wayne’s widow, Pilar Wayne, decorate the walls of the bar. The massive front door is solid wood and strikingly adorned with a chain saw-carved scene of running horses. The guest cabins are spare but comfortable—certainly no phones, radios, or TVs—but there’s a bootjack outside each door.

Further south, you’ll encounter the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. It’s neighbor, the Dimon Hotel, a spacious seven-bedroom hotel. The place is literally at the end of a paved road with one lone parking meter comically marking one parking space in front. Spend some time here, and you’ll have occasion to explore thousands of acres on the Refuge.

Many modern day explorers come as birdwatchers and some come to observe the elusive bands of Kiger mustangs given sanctuary to roam here. These majestic equines are thought to be descendants of horses brought to this country by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500s.

This also is Pete French cattle country and the traditions of this cattle baron of a century ago still linger. The Frenchglen Hotel, built in 1910 to accommodate the overflow of guests from French’s ranch, has floors that might slope and creak a bit, but the ambience, garnished by the home-baked bread served at mealtimes, makes up for any discomforts.

This is a great jumping off place for Steens Mountain and the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. Don’t bother bringing your cell phone—it won’t work in this boundless expanse. And when you’re ready for a little gastronomical divertissement, sample the ice cream cones in the small country store in Fields—reported to be the best in the state—about 50 miles away. That’s "just down the road’ in these parts.

Central Oregon is noted for its high desert. Many fine horse farms dot this land of sagebrush and pine. If you only have a day or two, make sure you visit the nationally acclaimed High Desert Museum just south of Bend. This museum features many exhibits covering the culture, history, art, and wildlife of the Columbia River Plateau.

Sisters, about 30 miles north, is a major recreational area, with practically every stop affording sweeping views of the snowcapped Cascade Range. The original hotel in this old pioneer town is still standing and now serves as a saloon and restaurant.

Jacksonville, in southern Oregon, was the place where gold was discovered in the Pacific Northwest, and the town of

1900 still resembles its gold fever heyday. About 80 of the original buildings bear historical markers, and a visitor wandering these well-preserved streets and buildings can almost hear the exuberant cries of gold miners over their finds.

On the southern coast the little town ...

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