Sisters County Historical Society

When you read about the history of Donner Pass and its original settlers, you are going to see lots of information about the Donner Party. That’s the group of people that went to great lengths to travel to that spot in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California during the mid 19th century. It’s really interesting reading about different towns and cities all over the US and how they were founded, don’t you think? In this instance, it was all about a wagon train from Oregon and their journey to California.

It was a treacherous trek, and it is their story that ends up highlighting the foundation of the settlement known as Donner Pass. You can read all about the family and their encounter with the Great Salt Lake. Oh yes, they went to Utah for sure, and they encountered much more than just the Great Salt Lake. Now, it’s one thing to take a trek across the entire country, but these brave people did it in rough terrain and during the 1800’s.

That is quite a lot to ask, and it was dangerous. It was dangerous to the point that there was talk in written documents about people wanting to eat other people. That is the supposed cannibalistic folklore of it all, but it is suggested as a possibility in writings from the people in that party of travelers or settlers. People highlight the travesty of starvation and possible cannibalism. Let’s highlight the starvation, as it cannot be overstated how bad the conditions were then. Think about Oregon, Utah and northern California, and read about their travels. It is an interesting story for sure. It is part of the history of that town, and as part of learning its history, maybe you will want to visit Donner Pass. We recently had a group of visitors from Minnesota who work for a roofing company there (here’s their website), and they had just come through Donner Pass. They had just learned the story, and it was refreshing to hear them recite the tale of those early settlers, and the hardship they endured. I think that should be my next post.

The history of settlers in Oregon is diverse and amazing, filled with stories of personal triumph, sorrow, heartbreak, and fortunes being made. Today the Cascades range is one of the most history filled places in some of the most beautiful land the USA has to offer.

The entire range was settled from a few key areas, meaning that the history of every person in the area relates back to these places. With most people coming due to the gold rush, construction of the railroad, or to claim land, the stories may seem to blend together if you are only looking on the surface. However, diving deeper shows a rich tapestry of diversity and varied migration patterns.

Due to the gold rush, the area was filled with settlers from many different countries, and workers added to those numbers as well. This is why the area often has cultural practices more commonly seen in South America, Asia, and other continents. In fact, it might be one of the most diverse places in the USA, with families going back hundreds of years together. We met a family from Minnesota that owns a deck building company (www.cartercustomconstruction.com) and they were visiting because they were one of the original families that survived the first Donner Pass trek. Awesome!

Today the stories of early migrants continue to shape the region, giving reference points for those that will come after as well.

Many people live in the Cascades area of Oregon without truly knowing the history, or understanding the sacrifice that the original settlers made. While the area is relatively tame today, at one point it represented some of the harshest challenges in the world. From disease to earthquakes, people in this area were forced to contend with the full fury of nature, coming out on top to create a vibrant and completely unique world within the Cascades range.

Many of the settlers came in wagons or on feed, others crossed the sea, hoping to find freedom in a new land of hope and gold. While few struck it rich on gold, many found that the plentiful farm land and optimal growing conditions made it easy for families to settle down, preparing an impressive inheritance for their descendants.

Among these immigrants were a number of record keepers who ensured that the history of the region was well preserved. It is through them, and the amazing genealogical societies and libraries that we know the stories of the first settlers. Through their careful hand written records, we can understand the triumphs and failings of generations filled with hope and need.

While many people came to Oregon hoping to find their fortunes, a huge number also didn’t survive along the way. This made the migration tragic, but full of interesting stories of triumph as well. The people who did make it quickly found that life in the mountains needed a special kind of person, spurring them onward towards their hopes and dreams. This has resulted in an extremely rugged and charismatic group of individuals inhabiting the region.

People who have ancestors int he area will often have impeccable records, telling you who survived and who didn’t, honoring their sacrifices with their continued existence. These record show us more than just migration patterns, they also show us the un-killable spirit of everyone in the area.

I was visiting Sisters County and met a gentleman from Minnesota, who owns a Minneapolis porch windows company, called Sunspace Twin Cities. We started talking about settlers coming out for the gold rush of the mid-1800’s. Today many people think of the area based upon the gold rush, and may not understand that Oregon was a land full of golden promises. Migrants from the days of old have passed down farms and businesses that dot the state, a testament to their will to survive. Now their descendants hold onto these living pieces of history with pride, showing the same rugged spirit that their ancestors had as well.

While there are a lot of secrets in Oregon, the patterns of migration from across the rest of the world to this region, are something we can accurately trace. The records left behind show a rather colorful story, that explains the rich culture in the region. I sat down and spent some time looking, and found that the area had been settled by a huge variety of people.

Of course, most people came in during the gold rush years, inspiring stories that I loved as a girl, and that gave us a glimpse at the history. The Oregon trail video game also chronicles this time.

However, there were a number of overseas immigrants as well, coming in to help with mining camps or to help with railroads. This helped to create the diverse culture of the area, with small China towns popping up around the area. Many of these are still around today, with families able to trace their history back to these first migrations.

Other migrations came in as more territory was explored, and as the mountains were conquered. Today the migrations of the past have helped shape the culture of today, with a rich patchwork of culture interacting on a daily basis.

Hello! My name is Anna and I’ve always been fascinated by the setting of Oregon. Part of my college history course is to blog about a historical event that impacted the growth of the United States. So I figured that this would be a good fit since I get credit for the class and get to learn more at the same time! 🙂

It has been great learning about this topic, and here’s just a quick summary of the history of Oregon Cascade settlers.

Lewis And Clark were sent by President Thomas Jefferson to navigate and map out the land west of the Mississippi River. By 1840’s the area was a popular place for settlers of European descent to make a claim to the land. They had made it to Willamette along the Rickreall and Salt Creeks. By 1848 they were pouring into Willamette Valley into the Umpqua Valley as well.

The next areas we found settled were the Umpqua River and even the southern coast where Port Orford sits. They were a rugged bunch who were brazen enough to venture onto Neahkahnie Mountain in Tillamook Bay.

By 1850, the census counted 11,873 settlers, with nearly 60% male and the rest female. It had two main sources of people: large, extended families and single men from Europe or the Northeast.

The California Gold Rush created an opportunity that many Oregon settlers could not resist. They set their families up while they went on the search for gold. They did return with booty the follow fall.

The great population draw into the new state of California during the heyday of the gold rush created great opportunities for the established farmers in Oregon.

The Cascade Mountain area of Oregon was first seen on a large scale when Lewis and Clark came through the area during their great expedition in 1805. They were the first white people of any size to see the great mountain ranges and the magnificent forests in the region.

Many settlers followed as word of the beauty and the possible great farm and forest lands giving sustenance enough for settlement. Fort Vancouver being established in the 1820’s caused excitement in regard to western settlement as the Hudson Bay Company trappers and established trails among areas from Mt. Shasta all the way up to Puget Sound.

Real settlement of the area did not really begin to take place until the early 1840s when the Oregon Trail became the best path through the west on out into Oregon.

Once enough settlers made their way west on the Oregon trail, the railroads soon began to follow, which brought thousands of settlers out to the Cascades and Oregon country.

People found that the soil was generally good for farming, as the centuries of volcanoes have enriched the soil with potassium, ideal for growing crops. The areas were well watered by the rivers and glaciers, which added to the excitement of moving west to live.