Travel
Oregon

By Cathy Orr
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Portland
Visitors Association: (877) 678-5263; www.travelportland.com

The stage is the feature at the Wells Fargo History Exhibit at the Wells Fargo Center tower in Portland. Specifically, the Cal-Oregon Stageline. But there’s more to the Wells Fargo story, including its role in moving gold on the Columbia River and in banking and express for Oregon’s communities. (503) 886-1102; www.wellsfargohistory.com. Living history presentations, artifacts, and heirlooms from the trail and pioneer living activities enliven the experience of travel on the Oregon Trail at the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

You also can see the trailer for its new digital theatrical presentation Bound for Oregon, bringing to the screen the voices of four pioneers who traveled the Oregon Trail. (503) 657-9336; www.endoftheoregontrail.org. If you’re around Yamhill, Ore., just west of Portland, Sept. 17 and 18, join the Flying M Ranch for the Forest Hills Black Powder Awards Banquet, Campout, and Dutch Oven Cookoff. It’s open to the public, and puts you in the past a bit, re-experiencing the valley as it was once crossed by stagecoach lines and train tracks. More than 125 years ago, travelers rested at Travelers Home, a hotel along the Trask Mountain Stagecoach route. (503) 662-3222; www.flying-m-ranch.com.

Salem
Chamber of Commerce: (503) 581-1466; www.salemchamber.org
Nestled in the Willamette River Valley, Salem was founded by missionaries in the early 19th century. In the 1840s, pilgrims on the Oregon Trail came to settle here, and after such a long journey, it’s not surprising to find that Salem was originally referred to as Chemeketa, a Calapooia Indian name meaning “place of rest.”

You might want to start your visit with a cruise aboard the Willamette Queen Riverboat, an authentic 87-foot, 86-ton paddlewheeler operated by Sternwheeler Excursions. Sternwheelers once were the main transportation mode on the river, so experience this bit of Western history unique to Oregon. (503) 371-1103; www.willamettequeen.com

Riverview Park in Monmouth/Independence, just southwest of Salem, is the site for Western Days, in July each year. Music, food, fireworks, a carnival, booths, and parade are all on tap for a day of family fun with community flavor. (503) 838-4268.

Corvallis
Tourism: (800) 334-8118; www.visitcorvallis.com
The Northwest Professional Rodeo serves Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Northern California, and there are a couple NPRA rodeos in the area you won’t want to miss. Held July 7 to 10, 2006, the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo is “big-time entertainment in a small-town setting” and has been for the past 52 years. The frolic also includes barbecues, parades, craft and food booths, dances, and a Kids Korner. www.philomathrodeo.org.

Not far from Corvallis, Fort Hoskins Historic Park preserved what was once the valley home of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya Indians. In 1856, the U.S. Army established Fort Hoskins here on the crossroads of two major trails to monitor traffic in and out of the newly established Coast (Siletz) Indian Reservation to the west, and still later the area was home to settlers and the center of operations for the Valley and Siletz railroad. What remains of these communities warrants a stop to read interpretive displays or take a self-guided tour. (541) 766-6871.

Eugene
Chamber of Commerce: (541) 484-5307; www.eugenechamber.com
The Dorris Ranch Living History Filbert (Hazelnut) Farm is far more than just a 19th century farm. All kinds of living history goes on here, from Oregon Trail pioneers to mountain men. You’ll want to plan for the Dorris Ranch Living History Festival Sept. 24 to 25 for a cultural experience of the lives of Kalapuya Indians, Oregon Trail pioneers, miners, and loggers. Live entertainment, Crafter’s Row, gold panning, and more, including barbecue, are on the menu for this event. (541) 736-4544; www.willamalane.org.

Eugene lies in Lane County, a county that served as a destination point for Oregon Trail emigrants in the mid 1800s. The Lane County Historical Museum offers a look at their lives through tours, historic craft demonstrations, slide presentations, and outreach programs. Ongoing exhibits include an Oregon Trail Exhibition, Historic Vehicles, Period Rooms, Children’s Exhibits, and historic photographs of Lane County. (541) 682-4242; www.lchmuseum.org.

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