File:Oregon Trail - Keeney Historic Site.jpg

English: Covered kiosk, interpretive signs, and trailhead at Keeney Historic Site, July 31, 2018, by Greg Shine, BLM.

At Keeney Historic Site, a one-third mile walk to the overlook of the Keeney Pass footpath provides an excellent panorama of one day's journey for the Oregon Trail emigrants.

Their day typically began at Fort Boise on the Snake River and ended fifteen miles north at the Malheur River. Fort Boise, built in 1834 and initially supervised by the Hudson's Bay Company as a trading post, served to provide the emigrants with a few supplies and a place to make wagon repairs. It was there that the wagons forded the Snake River.

Upon crossing the river, the emigrants took their first steps in a frontier which later became the State of Oregon in 1859. Many rested and camped at Fort Boise before traveling on to the next source of water, the Malheur River and its hot springs at present day Vale, Oregon.

The emigrants' journey from the Snake River to the Malheur Crossing was not an extremely difficult day's passage as compared to other legs of the journey. The pass was gentle, but there was no water along the way and the trail was hot and dusty. The words of John T. Kerns in 1852 reflect the thoughts of those who passed this way:

"Had an unusual allowance of dust to the mile today, but got the most of it off before night...The girls have as dirty faces as any body...Thanks be to the rewarder of troubles, 460 more miles will get us dirty-faced boys and girls out of this dirty faced kingdom.”

Through these tired words one can still sense the optimism which lies behind them. The majority of their trip was over, but the end was not yet in sight. To the emigrants, it was just another day and they were that much closer to their final destination.

The hot springs at the Malheur Crossing provided the opportunity to bathe and wash clothes at the end of the long day's travel. There was also suitable water for the cattle and oxen. Some might stay for an extra day to better rest themselves and their livestock, yet, the need to move on was still critical. Still ahead of them lay one of the most torturous portions of their journey...the Blue Mountains.

The threat of an early snowfall and the need to build a winter's shelter at journey's end pushed the emigrants on to their destination and the beginning of a new life in western Oregon.

Remnants of the original grass and shrub communities encountered by the Oregon Trail emigrants at Keeney Pass can still be seen. In the bottom of the draw, the tall giant wildrye grass and basin big sagebrush occupies deep soils. Today, annual species such as cheatgrass and tumblemustard have replaced many of these native plants.

Rising out of the drainage to the east, across Lytle Boulevard, a native upland plant community consists of Wyoming big sagebrush, numerous grasses, and herbaceous forbs. Scattered shrubs of bitterbrush, rabbitbrush, spiny hopsage, and purple sage also dot this area. In May, flowers of red Indian paintbrush, yellow Oregon sunshine, and blue sand penstemon brighten the landscape.

As you walk up the footpath, note the crested wheatgrass on the hillslope to your left. A native of Russia, it was seeded here in the 1960's to restore vegetative cover and help prevent erosion. It is favored as a nutritional feed by cattle and certain wildlife species.

The Oregon Trail pioneers saw less wildlife here, in contrast to what they observed during their travels through forests and wetlands along their way. A welcome sight may have been mule deer or antelope in small scattered groups. Black-tailed jackrabbits, badgers, and coyotes were the main species commonly encountered by the weary travelers. The non-native chukar partridge and pheasant seen here today were not introduced until the twentieth century.

The site is named for Jonathan Keeney. In 1831, at the age of 19, Keeney left Missouri to explore the Rocky Mountains with a company of men. Shortly after, he joined Jim Bridger of the American Fur Company and traveled throughout the west trapping and trading.

In 1846, after returning to Missouri, Keeney took his family and headed across the plains, serving as a guide to the wagons which accompanied them. In the following years, he traveled several different places, practicing such professions as gold panning and cattle driving. Keeney came to eastern Oregon, and in 1863, established a ferry along the Snake River just above the site where Fort Boise stood.

In fall of the same year, he acquired some land and built a wayside inn at the site of present day Vale. Although no rooms were rented, the log cabin provided a place for travelers to rest. The inn was later sold to Louis B. Rinehart.

In 1872, Rinehart replaced the log structure with a stone house which became known as the Vale Inn and was a gathering place for social activities. The stone house still stands today, and can be visited in the town of Vale.

Today, the site is part of the Oregon National Historic Trail and is protected as the Oregon Trail - Keeney Pass Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The area is also designated a Historic District and registered in the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.

More information:

The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center 22267 Oregon Hwy 86 Baker City, OR 97814 541-523-1843 BLM_OR_NH_Mail@blm.gov

www.blm.gov/visit/nhotic