BAKER CITY, Ore. - The Bureau of Land Management’s National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center is connecting visitors to public lands and America’s natural and cultural heritage with a variety of programs in September.
Beginning Saturday, Sept. 2, the center will extend its daily closing time from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Take a step back in time at the Labor Day weekend Wagon Encampment from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 1 and 2.
Sept. 14-15 programs will feature genealogy, including methods for researching local historical records and internet resources for researching Oregon Trail pioneers. Also hear one interpreter’s experience identifying her ancestors who took part in the Great Migration, and how it inspired her living history portrayal of Elisabeth Trulinger.
Candle lanterns were common sources of light along the Oregon Trail and visitors are invited to make paper versions at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 7, and again at noon Friday, Sept. 14, to be used for decorating the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree later this year.
Saturday, Sept. 22, is National Public Lands Day and a fee-free day for all visitors to the center. Volunteers are invited to help clean up the site
Nature walks later in the month will highlight the flora and fauna pioneers would have encountered as they traversed Flagstaff Hill where the center is located. Live demonstrations throughout the month offer visitors a first-hand look at pioneer skills and the opportunity to try some for themselves, including cooking, candle dipping, rag doll-making, and whittling.
Other programs include evening chats and campfire conversations about life on the trail, domesticated wild horses, and interpretive presentations of women’s experiences on the trail.
“The Wild is Calling" art exhibit will continue through September 16 and includes several pieces from the “Wilderness and Sublimity" series highlighting the conservation of Hells Canyon and the Snake River.
For a complete schedule of September events and programs, dates and times, visit https://www.blm.gov/learn/interpretive-centers/national-historic-oregon-trail-interpretive-center/events-and-programs
The Bureau of Land Management National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center is located five miles east of Baker City, Ore., on Highway 86. Take Exit 302 from I-84. Admission for adults is $8 and $4.50 for seniors; children 15 and under are admitted for free. Federal passes are also accepted. Call (541) 523-1843 for updates on programs and events or visit blm.gov/nhotic.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
