Summit Gs Bunkhouse Cr

In 1836, missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman of upper New York State traveled 3,000 miles to establish a Protestant mission among the Cayuse Indians near present day Walla Walla, WA. But when they came up against the Blue Mountains, they hit the most rugged and treacherous part of their journey. Their guide, John McLeod, a fur trader from the Hudson’s Bay Company, chose the most direct route, but it was too steep and rugged for wagons, and only suitable for horse and foot travel. Though tough, their journey into the Oregon Country was the first completed by an Anglo family, proving that women and families could make it across, and pioneered the way for others to follow.The Whitman Mission served both the local Indians and new emigrants along the Oregon Trail for eleven years. After a Black Measles epidemic broke out and almost 200 Cayuse Indians, mostly children, died, the Cayuse took revenge against the mission. The Whitmans, eleven others and the mission itself, met a violent end in the Whitman Massacre of November 29, 1847.Over the years, the original trail used by the Whitmans was lost as a new wagon route was found and frequented. In the early 1960s, U.S. Forest Service Ranger Gerald Tucker used Narcissa’s travel journal to locate the Whitman’s crossing of the Blue Mountains. Today, the Whitman Route Overlook, a short drive from the Summit Guard Station, offers a spectacular view of Meacham Canyon and the Hell Hole Roadless Area, as well as a look back into the history of the area.Summit Guard Station is located on high ridge nested in an open stand of large Ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. The view to the south from this ridge-top setting is exceptional.The rustic bunkhouse, with one multi-use room for cooking, sleeping and relaxing, is furnished with a table and four chairs and four bed frames with mattresses. It is equipped with propane lights, a propane heater and range. There is no water on site, so visitors must bring plenty for drinking, cooking and