Hidden Scars of the Oregon Trail: Eastern Oregon

The Oregon Trail changed America, but many of its stories remain hidden across the landscape of Eastern Oregon. In this video, we follow the trail's final route across Eastern Oregon, visiting the Blue Mountains, Pilot Rock, Well Spring, Willow Creek, the Deschutes River crossing, and the historic fork where emigrants chose between The Dalles and the Barlow Road. By the time pioneers reached Oregon, they had already traveled nearly 2,000 miles. Food was running low, supplies were worn out, and winter was closing in. Yet some of the most dangerous miles of the journey still lay ahead. Along the way, we'll explore the landmarks emigrants relied upon, the hardships they endured, and the traces of the Oregon Trail that can still be found more than 170 years later. Locations featured: • Blue Mountains • Columbia Plateau • Pilot Rock • Well Spring • Willow Creek • John Day River Crossing • Deschutes River Crossings • The Dalles • Barlow Road Cutoff If you enjoy Oregon history, pioneer stories, and the history of the American West, consider subscribing for more videos. Question for viewers: Which Oregon Trail landmark in Eastern Oregon would you most like to visit? Filming note: Well Spring is located within a restricted area where drone flights are not permitted. All footage from that site was captured using ground-based and handheld camera equipment. Note: The term "emigrant" is used throughout this video because it is the term most commonly found in Oregon Trail diaries, historical markers, and National Park Service materials. Whether someone is described as an emigrant or an immigrant depends on perspective. An emigrant is a person leaving one place, while an immigrant is a person arriving in another. Oregon Trail travelers were both: emigrants from the eastern United States and immigrants to the Oregon Country. Credits: Cylinder Five by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... #OregonHistory #OregonTrail #AmericanWest #PioneerHistory #EasternOregon #WesternHistory