A PLACE WITH A PAST

The values of hard work and family continue to be embraced by
today's descendants of early immigrants

Lured by the promise of fertile soil and rich natural resources, immigrants left friends,
family and the comforts of civilization and endured severe hardships of the 2000-mile
Oregon Trail to reach the "Promised Land." As the largest peacetime immigration in
recorded history (1840 - 1860), the trek remains an important chapter of American
heritage. Nearly 1,700 miles and six months from the trailhead, the grassy meadows,
forested mountains and abundant wildlife of the Baker Valley gave weary travelers a
reason to hope for a new life.

In 1861, Henry Griffin found gold near the Powder River, and the rush was on.
Boomtowns like Sumpter, Bourne, and Auburn sprouted overnight. Within twenty
years Baker City developed into the commerce and cultural hub of the region. By
1900, elegant hotels, an opera house, trolleys, electricity and telephone service
had transformed Baker City into the largest town between Salt Lake City and Portland.

Access to the vast natural resources, made possible by construction of the narrow
gauge Sumpter Valley Railroad in 1896 and the Transatlantic Railway in 1897, helped
the mining and budding timber industry flourish through the 1930s. Agriculture, primarily
cattle ranching, also became increasingly important during this period. Over the next 50
years, the key industries of mining, timber and agriculture have remained largely
unchanged as foundations of the economy.