Tag: Oregon Trail

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.

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.

An infant boy known only as Baby Barclay, buried at Summit Meadows on Mount Hood in Oregon.