Three dollars a gallon is cheap!

These pictures and video clip are from the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, a Federal project along the original Oregon Trail path just across I-84 from Baker City. It is done extremely well, and we spent a few hours here.

We were there on Labor Day, and they were holding a reenactment of a wagon train encampment with cooking of historical meals in Dutch ovens and performance of period music (video clip). In actuality, it was a much more festive atmosphere than was probably the case in 1840. A statistic that one can get a hand on is that, on average, one person died every 80 yards along the Oregon Trail, many not far from their goal, unable to survive the weather, disease, accidents, starvation and deaths by Indians or disgruntled travelers out of patience after 6 months of incredibly difficult travel.

In the desert, damage to the landscape takes centuries to be erased. As Barbara and I stood in the original 150 year-old ruts from the wagon trains, I tried to imagine myself crossing this arid landscape, exhausted from almost 6 months travel through forest and deserts, across wide rivers, and up mountains. I could almost hear the oxen and horses and the creaking of the wagons.

It seems that these travelers had to spend most waking hours in punishing physical effort and discomfort just to survive. It makes $3/gallon gasoline seem like a great bargain.