Eastern Santiam Wagon Road Tour – Redmond to Fish Lake

Eastern Santiam Wagon Road Tour

Redmond to Fish Lake

Map courtesy of Forest Service (https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/willamette/recreation/?cid=fseprd579308)

What: Tour of eastern sections of Santiam Wagon Road

When: Saturday, September 14, 2024 from 8 AM to 5 PM.

Participant limit: 15 persons

Trip Leaders: Leslie Olson and Steve Lent

                       For questions please contact Leslie Olson at leslieols@gmail.com.

Background

The Santiam Wagon Road holds an interesting and unique place in Oregon’s history. Unlike other wagon roads that were built to bring settlers to the Willamette Valley, this road was designed to lead settlers and their livestock eastward from the Willamette Valley to the rich pasture lands of Central Oregon and to markets throughout eastern Oregon and Idaho.

The road system covered a distance of almost 400 miles and served as the primary means of transportation across the central Cascade Mountains for most of the 74 years (1865-1939) it was in use. The route served as a livestock, freight and stage route facilitating trade, commerce, and communication, which significantly contributed to the economic enhancement and settlement of both regions. 

ASCO Trip Itinerary

8:00 AM: Meet in the Southwest Corner of the Redmond Home Depot of parking lot.  Voluntary ride sharing can be arranged then.

We will be driving to several sites of the Santiam Wagon Road as it made its way east of the Cascades into Central Oregon. We will look at sites near Redmond, through Sisters and up toward Fish lake, with visits at Santiam Lodge and Fish Lake Depot (if available).