The Oregon Trail’s still-living history

“For lovers of American history, a visit to Oregon is a way to follow in the footsteps of the pioneers,” said Terri Colby in the Chicago Tribune. This year, the state marks the 175th anniversary of the first organized wagon train, which left Independence, Mo., for the Oregon Territory in May 1843. Some 400,000 pioneers would eventually embark on the 2,170-mile journey, and one in every 10 died along the way. In Baker City, it’s striking just how recent that history seems. Some locals are only a few generations removed from their pioneering forebears, whose rugged spirit remains part of the town’s culture. Outside the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, a kid-friendly museum atop Flagstaff Hill, you can see actual ruts left by the wagon trains. The vista from the hill is the same one those intrepid Americans saw: “A tan-and-green valley covers the foreground, and the majestic forested Blue Mountains dominate the sky.”