National Historical Oregon Trail Interpretive Center reopens after three years
By Joe Hathaway on Tuesday, May 28th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY – Three years after shutting its doors for major renovations, one of the top visitor destinations in Eastern Oregon reopened its doors.
The National Historical Oregon Trail Interpretive Center is now reopen to the public, after closing first due to the pandemic and then for a $6.5 million renovation that upgraded the center’s energy efficiency.
The center first opened in 1992 and is located about five miles east of Baker on Flagstaff Hill, where pioneers on the Oregon Trail first saw the Baker and Powder River valleys and the Elkhorn Mountains.
A grand reopening ceremony was held on Friday, May 24, attended by officials and dignitaries representing the Bureau of Land Management, which operates the center, as well as from Congress, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Department of the Interior, the State of Oregon, the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association and Crossroads Carnegie Art Center in Baker City.
Following speeches held at the amphitheater at the Center, which faces the Elkhorn Mountains, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held featuring Dave Hunsaker, the original director of the Center, Barry Bushue, State Director of the BLM, Joan Mooney from the Department of the Interior and Sarah Sherman of the BLM who led the renovation project.
“We’re excited to be opening our doors to the community and to visitors from around the world,” said Sherman. It’s going to be a fantastic and busy summer, we’re very excited about having an energy efficient building that’ll get us through for another 30 years.”
After the ribbon cutting ceremony, renowned Western artist Gary Ernest Smith, who grew up in Baker County, was on hand to unveil a new painting he created just for the center. named “Pioneers Pass through Baker Valley”. It depicts pioneers and their families traveling with wagons and animals.
The reopening of the Center and unveiling of the painting coincides with a new exhibit of Smith’s work at Crossroads Carnegie Art Center in Baker City. He says his work is a representation of Eastern Oregon lifestyle, from cowboys to industry to landscapes.
Summer hours of operation at the Center will be 10:00am to 5:00pm daily, including holidays.
Admission is $8 for ages 16 and up, $6 for seniors. The center also accepts America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes.
