NEW BLOG SITE!

http://oregontrailtenders.weebly.com/

ATTENTION BLOG FOLLOWERS!!!

Welcome to the new year of 2014! With a new year comes new changes for us. We have created a new blog site that we will be using in lieu of this blog site. We hope that our new site is more user friendly and visually appealing to our followers. With our new blog site we will be posting a blog WEEKLY. We will continue to keep everyone up to date on current and upcoming events. We will also continue to provide more in-depth educational information that will include pictures, slide shows and videos. Also, a new thing we are going to begin with our new blog site will be instructional "How-To's" and "DIY" (do it yourself) blog postings.

Our new blog site has a feature to directly post a link to our Facebook page every time we post a new blog. Also on our new site, we have direct links to our Facebook, Twitter, Flckr, Pinterest, Trail Tender Site and YouTube. This will give you as a user easier access to everything that we have to offer. If you are not already following us on those other websites, here's your chance to easily look us up and do so.

Thank you for your support and interest! We will continually do our best to offer everything you are looking for. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to use the "Contact Us" section on our new site and send us a direct email.

ENJOY!

RH

Journals of Lewis and Clark
White Bear Island


Supposing that Drouilliard and R. Fields might possibly be still higher up Medicine River, I dispatched J. Fields up the river with orders to proceed about four miles and then return, whether he found them or not, and join Shannon at this camp. I set out early and walked down the southwest side of the river, and sent Shannon down the opposite side, to bring the canoe over to me and put me across the Missouri. Having landed on the larboard side of the Missouri, I sent Shannon back with the canoe to meet J. Fields and bring the dried meat at that place to the camp at Whitebear Island, which he accomplished, and arrived with Fields this morning.
The party also arrived this evening with two canoes from the lower camp. They were wet and fatigued. Gave them a dram. R. Fields came with them and gave me an account of his and Droullliard's hunt, and informed me that Drouillard was still at their camp with the meat they had dried. The iron frame of my boat is 36 feet long, 41/2 feet in the beam, and 26 inches in the hold.
Captain Lewis, 24 June 1805
This morning early I sent the party back to the lower camp; dispatched Frazer down with the canoe for Drouilliard and the meat he had collected, and Joseph Fields up the Missouri to hunt elk. At eight o'clock, sent Gass and Shields over to the large island for bark and timber.
About noon Fields returned and informed me that he had seen two white bear near the river a few miles above and, in attempting to get a shot at them, had stumbled upon a third, which immediately made at him, being only a few steps distant; that in running in order to escape from the bear he had leaped down a steep bank of the river on a stony bar, where he fell, cut his hand, bruised his knees and bent his gun; that fortunately for him the bank hid him from the bear when he fell; and that by that means he had escaped. This man has been truly unfortunate with these bear. This is the second time that he has narrowly escaped from them….
Captain Lewis, 25 June 1805

…The white bear have become so troublesome to us that I do not think it prudent to send one man alone on an errand of any kind, particularly where he has to pass through the brush. We have seen two of them on the large island opposite to us today, but are so much engaged that we could not spare the time to hunt them, but will make a frolic of it when the party returns, and drive them from these islands. They come close around our camp every night but have never yet ventured to attack us, and our dog gives us timely notice of their visits. He keeps constantly patrolling all night. I have made the men sleep with their arms by them as usual, for fear of accidents.

Captain Lewis, 28 June 1805

Was this a different breed of Grizzly bear? Or were these just very blonde Grizzly bears? Or were these white Black bears?

What do you think?

bcspiritbear.com/

spirit-bear-legends/

Oregon Trail Diary quote
August 23rd, 1853

"Struck the Blue Mountains this morning and have traveled on them most of the day, reached Grand Round Valley after descending a very preciptous and long mountain at about 4 oclock, traveled in the valley 5 miles and encamped to the left of the road near a small Spring, have excellent feed for the cattle. Stella is much more unwell than she was yesterday has simptoms of fever."

Charlotte Stearns Pengra 1853


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Did you know?

Our Mt. Ireland in the Elkhorn section of the Blue Mountain Range, which is part of the Wallowa Whitman Forest, had a different name up until 1975. The original name was Mount Baldy but due to the efforts of local citizens and the U.S.F.S. it was changed to Ireland Mountain. It was renamed to honor Henry Ireland who was a Forest Supervisor for many years and who died in 1916. The name later became known as Mt. Ireland. At the summit of Mt. Ireland is the Mt. Ireland fire lookout with a view of Baldy Lake and the North Fork of the John Day Wilderness.


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"Junior Explorer" Activity Books

It's here and hot off the press!! Our new Junior Explorer Activity Book!! We now have three of our very own Activity Books. Check out more ..rsn
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/res/Education_in_BLM/Learning_Landscapes/For_Kids/junior_explorer.html

The Lone Pine Tree

"The place called Lone Tree is a beautiful valley in the region of Powder river, in the centre of which is a solitary tree quite large, by the side of which travelers usually stop and refresh themselves."
---Narcissa Whitman (August 26th, 1836)


"This noble tree stood in the center of a most lovely valley about ten miles from any other timber. It could be seen at the distance of many miles, rearing its majestic form above the surrounding plain, and constituted a beautiful landmark for the guidance of the traveler. Many teams had passed on before me, and at intervals, as I drove along, I looked up as usual, the tree was gone........That brave old pine, which had withstood the storms and snows of centuries, had fallen at last by the vandel hands of man"
---Peter H. Burnett (September 27th 1843)

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Grey-crowned Rosy Finch

Our Grey-crowned Rosy Finches are BACK!! If you are a bird lover and watcher, or just want to come up to The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, Oregon to see them, they are showing up at approx. 3:00 P.M. every day. What a delight to watch them eat the varied dry seeds that we have and clean their beaks on the railings.