• Gaining a perspective on the cultures of this region is a great way to start the tour. The Four Rivers Cultural Center Museum focuses on the five unique cultures that settled what became known as the Treasure Valley. Featured are the first settlers, the Northern Paiute, who were followed by the Hispanic, Basque, Euro-American and Japanese-American cultures. Drawn to this abundant area for different reasons, each culture survived by building on the dream of a better life. From past to present, the museum describes the struggles and accomplishments of this collection of cultures. Four Rivers Cultural Center & Museum. Contact the museum at 1-888-211-1222 or (541) 889-8191, or visit the museum’s website at www.4rcc.com
Strawberry Lakes, Photo by David Jensen
• Railroad buffs will enjoy the recently restored Union Pacific Railroad Depot located in downtown Ontario on Depot Lane. After heading west on Hwy. 20/26, the next stop is the city of Vale. The geothermal hot springs made this a popular layover stop for early pioneers on the historic Oregon Trail. Beginning in 1872, travelers used what is now the Stone House Museum as a wayside inn and pony express station. The town of Vale celebrates its heritage with close to 30 Historic Oregon Trail Murals, depicting the western expansion odyssey. Wilcox Horse & Buggy provides step-on guide service for a horse-drawn narrated tour. Nearby interpretive displays further highlight the experience of the pioneer at the Malheur River Crossing, Keeney Pass, and Alkali Springs.
* Helpful supportive brochures & books: Transforming the West—The Oregon Trail brochure; The Wild Wild East—Auto Tour Brochure; Oregon Trail Itinerary Planner
Did someone order a house?
1900s SEARS ROEBUCK HOME BED & BREAKFAST
This is a kit home ordered from the Sears & Roebuck Catalog in 1911. Such ready-to-assemble houses came with all of the pre-cut lumber and hardware. Step back into history and enjoy the spacious early twentieth-century rooms and comfortable décor and a good ol’ western-style breakfast (541) 473-9636.
• Before proceeding northwest on Hwy. 26 toward Unity, try a bit of fishing, boating, or playing in the water at Bully Creek Dam & Reservoir, west of Vale.
• Agriculture is the major industry of this area. In fact, Malheur County is the state’s largest producer of cattle, onions, potatoes, and certain flower seeds. Basque sheepherders once tended huge bands of sheep on the range and many Japanese-Americans settled in the Treasure Valley after World War II. Their meticulous farms set a standard for the region. Look for real cowboys, dressed in the traditional style of the southwestern buckaroo. Oregon’s open range laws are in effect throughout most of Eastern Oregon, so remember, cows can roam free, and the road really does belong to them! Along with the cows, watch for a wide variety of wildlife. Pronghorn antelope, mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, rock chucks, waterfowl, chukars, and birds of prey abound along this route.
* Helpful supportive brochures & books: Stokes or Peterson’s—Birds of North America
Sheep Rock, Photo by Jeffrey L. Torretta
• Unity is a good place to stop for lunch and chat with the locals about everything from history to the price of cattle. At Austin Junction, Hwy. 7 joins Hwy. 26, and depending on available time, a side trip to the Sumpter Dredge State Park & Sumpter Valley Railroad is worth the trip. (See the NE Itinerary for more details.) Traveling on to Prairie City, the road passes through forest, then drops into the John Day Valley. Green meadows, split-rail fences, willow-shaded streams and Strawberry Mountain as a backdrop make this one of the prettiest valleys anywhere. At Prairie City, stop in, as train travelers did years ago, at the DeWitt Depot Museum. This was the western entry to the Sumpter Valley Railroad line, where passengers joined with loads of logs, gold, and cattle to make the journey to Baker City. The historic buildings along main street transport visitors back to the late 1800’s. The plateau basalt rim rock that tops the rhyolite hills above John Day testifies to the complex geological history of the region. A copy of Roadside Geology of Oregon makes a great companion when traveling around the state.
• In John Day, visit the Grant County Chamber of Commerce, located on Main Street in the 1890s church rectory, for complete information on the many fine attractions in the area (www.grantcounty.cc). Before settling in for the night, take a short drive to Canyon City, where gold was discovered in 1862. The history of mining and the ranching of the area is well documented at the Grant County Historical Museum (541-575-0362).
Like No Other Place... the Kam Wah Chung Museum
Imagine a Chinese herbal doctor’s home, office, and general store just as it was in the early- to mid-1900s—tiny, dimly lit rooms, creaking board floors, and shelves filled with traditional Chinese remedies and early American products. The Kam Wah Chung Museum is truly unique in all of America, preserved as if Doc Ing Hay had just stepped out briefly for a cup of tea with a neighbor. Tours are available May through October. Contact Oregon State Parks at: www.oregonstateparks.org for more information or Grant County Chamber at 541-575-0547.
