S eptember 15, 1993 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age B2
End Of The Oregon Trail With The Buffalo Soldiers
Official Wagon Train Rears Oregon City During Its Last Week Of Travel
“This Is the best and most beautiful place we have seen on the whole road, or In fact In our lives. "-John T. Kerns, 1 8 5 2
T h e W a g o n T ra in , a fte r
c o m p le tin g its h is to r ic 7 3 - d a y
tr e k a c r o s s th e W e s t, r e a c h e d
th e e n d o f th e O re g o n T r a il o n
S a tu r d a y , S e p te m b e r 4 th , w h e n
it r o lle d in to C la c k a m e tte P a r k
in O re g o n C ity . T h e O f f ic ia l
O re g o n T r a il S e s q u ic e n te n n ia l
W a g o n T r a in b e g a n its 1 ,0 0 0 -
m ile jo u r n e y in B o r d e r , W y o ­
m in g o n J u n e 2 6 .
T h e h is to r y o f th e O re g o n
T ra il is th e h is to ry o f th e A m e ri­
c a n W e st. T h e W a g o n T r a in
c o m m e m o ra te s th e 3 0 0 ,0 0 0 p io ­
n e e rs w h o r is k e d th e ir liv e s to
c o m e W e s t a n d s e ttle th e g r e a t
N o r th w e s t. T h e h is to r ic a l r e c ­
r e a tio n is a n im p o r ta n t s to ry .
It r e s e m b le d a n e n c h a n te d
v a lle y a s w e w o u n d a r o u n d th e
h ill b e f o r e d e s c e n d in g in to i t . ” -
-L u c ia L o r a in W illia m s , 1 8 5 1 .
A f t e r 7 3 d a y s —a n d 150
y e a r s —th e w a g o n s ro lle d in to
O re g o n C ity . T h e C la c k a m a s
C o u n ty
O re g o n
T ra il
C e le b r a tio n ’s p la n s fo r T r a i l ’s
E n d F in a le , th e th r e e - d a y L a ­
b o r D a y W e e k e n d f e s tiv a l w e l­
c o m e d th e O ff ic ia l O re g o n T ra il
S e s q u ic e n te n n ia l W a g o n T r a in ,
in c lu d e d a p u b lic W a lk In W ith
T h e W a g o n s on S a tu r d a y , S e p ­
te m b e r 4 th th a t k ic k e d - o f f th e
e v e n t. T r a i l ’s E n d F in a le w a s
th e la s t m a jo r O re g o n T r a il
C e le b r a tio n ’93 e v e n t t h a t to o k
ta k e p la c e in O re g o n a n d s e rv e d
a s th e “ g r a n d f in a le ” o f a ll th e
Buffalo Soldiers Escorted
Official Wagon Train Into Oregon City
“ They served as beacons to show the route at which we advanced our journey.”- John C. Fremont, 1843
play on the history of the Buffalo
Soldiers. Historian Norman Monroe
delivered a lecture on the topic.
Although it is not widely known,
the Buffalo Soldiers were instrum en­
tal in settling the West. In the late
1800s. the Ninth and Tenth Calvary,
and the 25th and 26th Infantry pro­
vided security for the wagon trains
bound Westward from Independence,
Missouri, where the Oregon Trail
originated
The name Buffalo Soldiers itself
comes from the Native Americans
Betw een 15 an d 20 A frican
A m ericans playing the role of Buffalo
Soldiers escorted the Official Oregon
T rail Sesquicentennial Wagon Train
when it rolled into Oregon City on
Labor Day W eekend for the finale
celebration
T h e r id e rs w ere sp o n so re d
through Hyalite. Inc . a non-profit
group that honors diversity through
cultural events Four of the riders
were actors from the movie “Glory.”
O nce the wagon train arrived at Trai I's
End Finale, they performed a short
z /
< ' <
who battled the soldiers and honored
them for their bravery , likening them
to the sacred buffalo Their curly hair
and dark skin reinforced this impres­
sion, as did the fact that the men often
wore buffalo skins to beat the cold
In addition tothc roles they played
on the settler trails, the Buffalo Sol­
diers also helped to restore order to
the once wild ways of the Old West
“The Black soldiers were in the
background doing what the Texas
Rangers were supposed to do,” said
Mark Little of Hy alite Inc Their ac­
• a • • • • • * « ♦ ? * < # * * * ♦ *
£
tivities entailed fighting bandits, out­
laws and sometimes even corrupt
rangers, as well as racist townsmen
who saw the Black troopers as a threat.
The 150th Anniversary of the
Oregon Trail celebrations have in­
cluded and recognized those who have
received little recognition in the past
for their crucial roles in assisting the
pioneers Westward. The inclusion of
the Bulfalo Soldiers highlights the
important role African Americans
played during the Westward em igra­
tion on the Oregon Trail
d a ily p io n e e r lif e ) , a N a tiv e
A m e ric a n e n c a m p m e n t, a P io ­
n e e r V illa g e w h e re e v e n t- g o e r s
file d a la n d c la im , th e c ir c le o f
O f f ic ia l O re g o n T r a il S e s q u i­
c e n te n n ia l W a g o n T r a in w a g ­
o n s , a g e n e a lo g ic a l te n t, q u i l t ­
in g
d e m o n s tra tio n s ,
a h is to r ic a l s ta g e a n d a m u s ic
s ta g e .
s e s q u ic e n te n n ia l c e le b r a tio n a c ­
tiv itie s .
T r a i l ’s E n d F in a le w a s th e
l a r g e s t e v e n t e v e r h e l d in
C la c k a m a s C o u n ty . E a c h d a y ,
T r a i l ’s E n d F in a le o f f e r e d a
v a r ie ty o f a c tiv itie s in c lu d in g a
c h ild r e n ’s liv in g p io n e e r e x p e ­
r ie n c e a r e a ( h a n d s -o n a c t i v i ­
tie s f o r k id s to te a c h th e m a b o u t
Oregon Trail License
Plate Available Soon
In the final day s ofthe legislative
session, the Oregon legislature ap­
proved a bill creating an Oregon Trail
commemorative license plate Gov
Barbara Roberts is expected to sign
the bill into law. “During the 150th
anniversary of the Oregon Trail, we
have a chance to increase interest
around the nation,” said Rep Michael
Payne, D-Baker City, the original
sponsor of the Oregon Trail licence
plate bill.
Senate Bill 98 allows the Depar,-
ment of Motor Vehicles to issue a
license plate com m em orating the
Oregon Trail The new license plates
will cost drivers an extra $5 per set
Funds generated by drivers request­
a • • • a *
•
V
ing the plates will go to the Oregon
Trail Coordinating Council for pro­
motion. marketing, and further de­
velopment of interpretive facilities
along the Oregon Trail. The plates
will be issued through the end of
1995. The design of the plates will be
made by the DMV in consultation
with the Oregon Trail Coordinating
Council
“This is a marvelous way to com-
nemoratc the pioneers who defined
ihe borders of the nation,” said Jill
Thorne, executive director o f the
OTCC. “I am pleased and moved that
the legislative supports the concept of
an O regon Trail com m em orative
p la te ”