The Nansene Grange Hall is located between Dufur and Tygh Valley, on the eastern side of Mount Hood along the old Barlow Road portion of the Oregon Trail. Though Nansene is no longer – the post office was closed in either 1894 or 1909, depending on who you talk to – this historic grange hall stands as the sole reminder of this little town that was an important stage coach stop between central Oregon and the Willamette Valley. It was in 1909 that a railroad would connect this area east of Mount Hood to the Columbia Gorge at The Dalles, and travel over the wagon road declined rapidly. The grange hall continues to stand the test of time, surviving the 2018 rangeland fire that swept the area. This photograph is embellished a bit, as there is a paved road and a modern barbed wire fence in front of the structure. I do not normally heavily-edit my pictures, but in this case I tried to capture more of the historical nature of the scene, and felt that it was appropriate. The grange hall is easy to find, using either Google or Apple maps.
Category: Oregon
These are posts and images from Oregon
-
Paulina Lake
Crater Lake is one of several lakes in Oregon that reside inside volcanic calderas. The Newberry Volcano erupted some 75,000 years ago and subsequently collapsed, forming a five-mile diameter caldera. Newberry is much older than the 7,500-year-old Mount Mazama Caldera, containing Crater Lake. The Newberry Caldera is located 20-miles south of Bend, Oregon, and contains Paulina Lake and East Lake. Paulina Lake is the larger of the two, encompassing 1,530 acres and a depth of 250-feet. Like Crater Lake, Paulina and East Lake rely on snowmelt and rain, and Paulina Lake also has hot springs that feed it. Newberry remains active and its most recent eruption formed Big Obsidian Flow, a 1,300-year-old lava flow, the youngest in the state. This photograph is from the top of Big Obsidian Flow, with Paulina Lake in the distance.
-
Multnomah Falls
With a total drop of 620-feet, Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon (documented waterfall, that is. There is a 700+ foot waterfall, based on aerial data, on a tributary of the west fork of the Wallowa River in remote northeast Oregon). Its close proximity to Portland, a 30-minute drive, means the falls are also one of the most visited waterfalls north of Yosemite, with some 2.5 million visitors per year, according to the Multnomah Falls Lodge. Yosemite Park receives 3.8 million visitors each year and interestingly its major year-round waterfall, Bridalveil Fall, is also 620-feet tall. Any photographer in the Pacific Northwest worth their salt, even an amateur like myself, has to photograph Multnomah Falls. And it is a bear to photograph! The light is muted and dark below the bridge, but bright (on a decent day) at the top, from the sky. This was my effort today, January 15th, 2025, and for my skill-level I am happy with it. I plan to return when the Gorge gets some snow, because the only thing better than a photograph of the falls is a snowy, icy photograph of the falls. Also of note, the Multnomah Falls Lodge is celebrating their 100th anniversary. Construction of the lodge was completed in 1925. The bridge bisecting the two tiers is even older, having been completed in 1914.
-
Trillium Lake
Trillium Lake is a man-made lake at the base of Mount Hood, in Oregon. This shot is from the south end of the lake, drive past the campground towards the day use area.
-
Summit Meadows
Summit Meadows on Mount Hood, in Oregon. The last stop on the Oregon Trail for immigrants who chose the Barlow Road over Mount Hood. Perry Vickers was the toll gate keeper here, and provided food for the immigrants and their livestock. He is buried in a small cemetery at the northwest corner of Summit Meadows.
-
Summit Meadows Pioneer Cemetery
An infant boy known only as Baby Barclay, buried at Summit Meadows on Mount Hood in Oregon.