sheep, Elizabeth fed them and other visiting travelers at her farmhouse dinner table, often hosting multiple meals in shifts all day long. A quote from this feisty, hard-working—and exasperated— woman adorns one wall: "When I meet St. Peter at the pearly gates, I will be holding my dish towel!" Traveling along the highway to the town of Sumpter in our big, powerful diesel truck towing our comfy fifth- wheel trailer that boasts all the modern amenities, it’s hard to imagine the rugged life of our forebears in this harsh land not so long ago. As we passed the ghost town of Whitney, a few crumbling buildings were faint reminders of a once bustling railroad town that was built to ship out an immense stand of yellow pine. Neither the trees nor the inhabitants nor most of the houses that once stood here remain. A little further east in Sumpter, however, the old railroad line has been rejuvenated, and a group of dedicated
Take the train between Sumpter and McEwen to travel into another era.
volunteers keeps the trains running, to the delight of tourists of all ages. The train travels a short distance between Sumpter and nearby McEwen, but the train ride is a trip into another era. From the shrill whistle to the rhythmic turning of the wheels to the apprenticeship program that the volunteers undergo to rise through the ranks from conductor to brakeman to engineer, the Sumpter Valley Railway excursion is a fun way to experience a taste of America's railroad past. From the Sumpter Railroad, it’s a short distance to the wonderful Victorian town of Baker City. Still housing the same 10,000-person population that it had in 1940, this jewel of a small town is filled with charming architecture and a friendly spirit. The beautiful Geiser Grand Hotel dominates the downtown historic district, and the 1929 Art Deco-styled Baker City Tower is still the tallest building in Oregon east of the Cascade Mountain Range.
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