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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Baker City in Baker County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
 

The Lone Tree of the Oregon Trail

 
 
The Lone Tree of the Oregon Trail Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, June 28, 2017
1. The Lone Tree of the Oregon Trail Marker
Map of the Oregon Trail, with features, between Farewell Bend and Pendleton is in the backdrop. Click image to enlarge.
Inscription. Early Oregon Trail emigrants crested the south flank of Flagstaff Hill and, with the Blue Mountains looming to the west, saw a solitary tree in the valley below. Called l’arbre seul (the lone tree) by French-Canadian fur trappers, this large tree, possibly ponderosa pine or Douglas-fir, towered majestically above the floor of Baker Valley about three miles northwest of this marker.
For many years - perhaps centuries - the Lone Tree served as a landmark for Indians, trappers, missionaries, and Oregon Trail emigrants, until felled in 1843 by what explorer John Fremont called, “some inconsiderate emigrant axe.”

The place called Lone Tree is a beautiful valley in the region of the Powder River, in the centre of which is a solitary tree quite large, by the side of which travelers usually stop & refresh themselves. -- Narcissi Whitman, August 26, 1836

...as I drove along, I would raise my head and look at that beautiful green pine. At last, on looking up as usual, there tree was gone. ... That brave old pine, which had withstood the storms and snows of centuries, had fallen at last by the vandal hands of man. Some of our inconsiderate people had cut it down for fuel, but it was to green to burn. ...Had I been there in time I should have begged those woodmen to 'spare that tree.'
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-- Peter Hardeman Burnett, September 27, 1843
 
Erected by Baker County Historical Society.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: LandmarksRoads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Historic Trees, the Oregon Beaver Boards, and the Oregon Trail series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1843.
 
Location. 44° 48.721′ N, 117° 45.255′ W. Marker is near Baker City, Oregon, in Baker County. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Baker City OR 97814, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Oregon Trail Memorial (approx. half a mile away); The Lure of Gold (approx. 1.1 miles away); Ruts of the Oregon Trail (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Wagon Encampment (approx. 1.2 miles away); Baker City Chinese History (approx. 3.3 miles away); Chinese Shrine (approx. 3.3 miles away); Baker (approx. 3˝ miles away); The Oregon Trail (approx. 3˝ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baker City.
 
The Lone Tree of the Oregon Trail Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, June 28, 2017
2. The Lone Tree of the Oregon Trail Marker
The Lone Tree of the Oregon Trail was located in the valley beyond.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 11, 2018. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,021 times since then and 68 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on September 9, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.

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Mar. 28, 2024