Built during the gold rush of the mid-1800s, and expanded during a second wave of gold fever from 1890 to 1910, Baker City has been called the Queen of the Mines because of the rich gold mining that took place in the area. For those who want a glimpse of a real, fist-sized gold nugget, there is a fabulous one on display under glass in the US Bank branch across from the Geiser Grand Hotel. This nugget weighs more than five pounds—80.4 ounces to be exact—and it was found by George Armstrong and Dick Stewart in June 1913. It has been on display at the bank (under various bank ownerships) since before the Great Depression. It is one of the few very large gold nuggets in existence today and is probably worth more than its weight in gold as a collector's item. Riches came to Baker City citizens from other industries too. Leo Adler was an enterprising 9 year old who walked the neighborhoods delivering the Saturday Evening Post and Ladies Home Journal. Unlike most paperboys, however, he built his little business into a major magazine
The remains of several homesteads can be explored in the ghost town of Whitney.
Center. This huge museum, set high on a hill overlooking vast open land, tells the story of the mass migration of pioneers on the Oregon Trail between the 1840s and 1880s. This was a nearly 2,200-mile trek from Missouri to Oregon. From a few to as many as 120 covered wagons traveled together, as each settler sought new futures and free farmland out West. Perhaps the most poignant aspect of this museum is the individual tales and quotes from diaries displayed on the walls. What a shock it was to learn that, at times, travelers could see a line of covered wagons from their own to the horizon both ahead and behind them. I had no idea the trail was that packed. And how surprising to discover that groups were generally led by someone who had done it before, and that they often stopped along the way for a rest day so the women could clean the family's clothes and the men could hunt for dinner. What a scene that must have been, both at the campfires and in the hunting groups. Outside the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, we found actual ruts in the dirt that are remnants of the Oregon Trail. We felt shivers as we stood in the middle of the trail and imagined what it must have felt like to be in this part of Oregon with the earliest American settlers. The area is vast and open now, but looking toward the horizon, we knew there were towns and cities and Walmarts and civilization just out of view. Not so in those early days, when the
The town of Baker City offers paved biking and walking paths and features the annual City Cycling Classic.
distribution empire that made him an extremely wealthy man. His home is open for tours, but equally special is the paved biking and walking path through the backside of town that was created from funds he left to his beloved community. A leisurely bike ride on the few miles of this bike path is a great way to see Baker City from a local's perspective. But for those who love cycling at a faster clip, the Baker City Cycling Classic is a Tour de France-style four-day- long bicycle stage race that takes place at the end of June. We were thrilled to join the locals at the outdoor eateries and bars in historic downtown Baker City and watch the exciting final stage of the bike race as it circled around us on the downtown streets one afternoon. From little kids to grannies, everyone got into the spirit as the 150 bikes flew by us in tight packs at more than 30 mph. Leaving Baker City behind, we continued northeast, making a stop at the impressive Oregon Trail Interpretive
12 COAST TO COAST SUMMER 2016
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