The Meek Cutoff Tour was wonderful. I have missed
several trips this year, and it was great to be with a large group of
OCTAns again. There is a marvelous energy in a group of such great and
varied talent.
We had authors, re-enactors, trail markers, and high
level historians. I am continually awed at the depth of historical
research in this group. Mile after mile as we traveled someone would tell stories
about the area. One way or another we heard from just about everyone on
the trip.
On Saturday Gail and Muriel Carbiener recreated pioneer characters in the High Desert Museum. I missed that day, but I have seen
them work before and they are marvelous interpreters, really getting
into character. At the High Desert Museum
Gail is now doing Data entry of artifacts. He
subs in the gift store (used to work there weekly.) He also worked on the
newsletter and did some computer work for the Curator of Native American
Heritage. Once in awhule he is Hugo Williams, but not very much anymore.
Muriel is Hannah Perkins on Sundays during the tourist season. She has been working in the
Collection/Exhibits Dept. for almost 5 years. She works with artifacts -
cataloging, condition reporting and storing. She assists with exhibit installations and take
downs, and also teaches children's history classes: Pioneer Lives, Native Peoples, Use of Tools, Sensory Awareness.
She spends 2-3 days a week at the Museum.
On Saturday night at dinner, Lowell Tiller talked about the next day's
tour, which was the lower half of the route from bend to Sherar's
Bridge. He also signed copies of the book he co-authored with Keith
Clark. Terrible
Trail. He answered many questions, and when asked about the Blue Bucket
Mine, he swore there never was anything like it. It was all made up.
I arrived on Sunday morning and met with Lowell and also
Jack and Pat Fletcher, authors of Cherokee Trail Diaries.
More high level talent. John Bristow showed up with pictures of
the recent trailmarking, which I have posted int the appropriate place.
Thank you, John. Then came Chuck and Suzanne Hornbuckle with more
stories of trailmarking and memories of the recent Whitman 1836 Route
tour.
Eventually we had 22 people in 11 cars and we took off
for the Crooked River Scenic Wayside, where Jim Renner caught up to us.
This is not a trail site, but it is very dramatic. The Meeks did cross
the Crooked River, but upstream and east of Smith Rock.
Lowell had been asked by the Oregon Historic Cemetery
Association to get pictures of a small cemetery near Bakeoven, through
which the Meek party traveled. Michael Ballard told the story of an
enterprising trader who took a pack train of flour to the mines in
Canyon City in 1862. He camped here after crossing the Deschutes River
and Indians stole his animals in the night. Not to be daunted, he built
a clay bakeoven and sold loaves of bread to the miners.
We
had lunch at Maupin, where building murals told of the railroad race
down the shores of the Deschutes. The west side won, and we drove down
the east abandoned railroad grade, entertained by the many white-water
rafters.
At Sherar's bridge we gazed in disbelief at the descent
and ascent that had to be made by the Meek party. In this same area was
a cutoff to the Barlow Road. But the routes were different and actually
crossed somewhere up this hill.
At
the Deschutes River Carol Buss and Joyce Bolerjack presented Lowell
Tiller with an award for his work on the tour. They claimed they had
actually found the Blue Bucket Mine, despite what Lowell had to say
about it. And that was another display of talent and creativity, and a
wonderful sense of humor that everyone appreciated.
The
end of the tour was at the grave of Catherine Bonnet Butts, which was
fenced and signed by OCTA in 1987. Pictures and a write up are in OCTA's
publication Graves and Markers of the Oregon Trail.
One of our group was Margaret Heater, a descendent (Meeks) of James Officer & Christopher Cooley - both
were part of the Solomon Tetherow Train that left from St. Joe.Nancy Officer Cooley and Christopher Cooley had 6 children with them (two
were twins; one died at the Dalles at age 0ne year.) There were 2 other
Cooley brothers in the group.James Officer & Eveline Cooley Officer started with 8 children. # 9 was
born at Ash Hollow. So the Cooleys & Officers were brothers & sisters-in-laws.
Margaret was visibly moved during our visit to this historic gravesite.
Once again I want to express my deep satisfaction at
being a part of OCTA. I have made hundreds of new friends all across the
country, and there are so many activities that I must necessarily miss
some of them. That's why I really appreciate the many people who send
reports and pictures of tours, for all of us to share here on the
website. Keep'em coming.
Participants in the tour were: Lowell Tiller, Joyce Bolerjack, Carol Buss, Sarah and Les Hampton, Chuck and Suzanne
Hornbuckle, Marion Cosner, Jean Bennett, Russ and Lois Smith, James and Patty McGill from Napa, Idaho, Michael Ballard and wife, Jack and Pat Fletcher, Nadine Long and Margaret Heater. These people were on the tour and to the dinner.
Tour only: John Bristow, Tom Laidlaw and Jim Renner.
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