Woodland in Cowlitz County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

Oregon Trail

1844

Photographed by Chuck Hornbuckle

1. Oregon Trail 1844 Marker

Inscription.
Marked by the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution in the State of Washington 1916

Waukomah Trail Chapter 1963

Erected 1916 by Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.

Location. 45° 54.322′ N, 122° 44.615′ W. Marker is in Woodland, Washington, in Cowlitz County. It is at the intersection of Goerig Street and Pacific Avenue on Goerig Street. The marker is in the triangle shaped green belt island of Goerig Street, Lewis River Road and Pacific Avenue. It is across from the address of 961 Goerig Street Woodland, Cowlitz County, WA and is near the I.O.O.F. Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Woodland WA 98674, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Washington State.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

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in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Woodland Community Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Caples House Museum 1870 (approx. 3.3 miles away in Oregon); Dr. Charles Caples (approx. 3.3 miles away in Oregon); Caples House Museum (approx. 3.3 miles away in Oregon); The Finn Hall (approx. 3.6 miles away); Warrior Rock Fog Bell (approx. 3.9 miles away in Oregon); down the trodden path... (approx. 3.9 miles away in Oregon); Lewis & Clark Discovery Trail (approx. 3.9 miles away in Oregon). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Woodland.

Another marker is no longer nearby. A Memorial to Indian Zack (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been confirmed missing).

More about this marker. The Waukomah Trail Chapter NSDAR reworked the marker in 1963 after it was damaged in highway construction and added a second plaque.

Unlike other markers in the series, this one does not have the DAR and SAR insignias. It is thought that the original marker was identical to the other markers

Photographed by Chuck Hornbuckle, circa 2016

2. Oregon Trail 1844 Marker

in the DAR/SAR Oregon Trail series. After the marker received damage in highway construction, the Waukomah Trail Chapter NSDAR apparently reworked the marker in native stone and added a plaque with their name and the year. The Waukomah Trail Chapter NSDAR was organized in 1954 and disbanded in 1983. DAR and SAR completed a centennial restoration of this marker and all 11 markers in the series in 2016.

Regarding Oregon Trail. In 1916 and 1917 the State of Washington State Societies of the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution placed a series of 11 markers honoring the Oregon Trail pioneers and documenting their journey, from their entry into present day Washington State at the Columbia River by Vancouver up to Tumwater in Puget Sound. It was a big historic preservation project, the biggest that the groups had undertaken to date, finalized with much fanfare. It was a time in which the Oregon Trail pioneers were getting old and passing away. There was a sense of urgency to document their great adventure and honor them before it was too late. Kind of like we feel now with the WWII veterans…

Oregon Trail Pioneer Ezra Meeker

Summer scene at the Woodland OT marker. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, July 11, 2015

3. Summer scene at the Woodland OT marker.

retraced the trail by covered wagon, for public education and with much publicity, from 1906–1908, seeking to inspire the preservation of the trail and to inspire the building of monuments in communities along the way. His trek reached New York, and in Washington, D.C. he was greeted by President Teddy Roosevelt.

He later retraced the trail several times more, by various conveyances - from oxcart to airplane! He worked, for the rest of his life promoting the Oregon Trail and, in 1913, teamed up with the Sacajawea DAR Chapter in Olympia to mark what they determined as the end of the Oregon Trail. The Sacajawea DAR Chapter donated a native granite boulder installed with a bronze plaque. The goal of Ezra and the DAR was to:

1) honor the Oregon Trail pioneers who reached Puget Sound;
2) document and preserve the Oregon Trail;
3) promote the formation of a national highway across the country; and
4) attempt to influence the legislature to rename the road that originally took travelers from the Columbia River to Puget Sound from ‘Pacific Highway’ to ‘Pioneer Way’.

The marker series was first conceived at that time and, over several

1916 dedication program image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Shirley A Stirling, April 27, 2017

4. 1916 dedication program

years, pursued by the WA State Society of the Daughters (WSSDAR) together with the WA State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (WASSAR).
Below is an excerpt from page 302 of the

Daughters of the American Revolution magazine (XLIX No. 5), issued November, 1916:

The DAR/SAR Oregon Trail markers series are listed in this book by county. When installed, they were dedicated, over several months, starting in the north and working south. Below we have listed them from south to north, as the wagon trail rolled, under the modern terms for their locations:

Clark County - Vancouver
Cowlitz County - Woodland, Kalama, Kelso
Lewis County - Toledo, Matilda Jackson State
Park, Borst Park in Centralia
Thurston County - Grand Mound, Tenino, Bush Prairie, Tumwater

In 2016, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the placements of this marker series, Shirley Stirling, Regent of Sacajawea Chapter, NSDAR, and Diane Smith enlisted help to restore the markers that had suffered the ravages of time and weather and had become quite hard to read. They obtained the assistance of Mick Hersey, a specialist in restoration technique and SAR member,

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to teach interested DAR members from various chapters how to perform archival restoration. Cindy Johnson-Sakuma, WSSDAR State Historic Preservation Chairman encouraged the team and assisted. Happily, the project was completed well before the end of 2016.

The City of Toledo showed a great enthusiasm, with even the mayor assisting on the work day. Afterward, a community group landscaped the area around the marker. They topped it all off with a community rededication and celebration, assisted by DAR and local community groups.

History and Register 1924, Washington State Society Daughters of the American Revolution, p 36-40.

Additional keywords. Oregon Trail NSDAR

Credits. This page was last revised on November 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2024, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. This page has been viewed 500 times since then and 108 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 6, 2024, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. 3, 4. submitted on November 24, 2025, by Shirley A Stirling of Lacey, Washington. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.