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 washing. An outhouse is located nearby.
- Availability: Summit Guard Station is available for rent May 15 through November 20.
- Price and Capacity: $45 per night per group, with a maximum of four occupants. Fees are used directly for the maintenance and preservation of the guard station.
- Reservations: The maximum-length stay is fourteen consecutive nights. Phone 1-877-444-6777 or visit www.recreation.gov
History
This site was originally established some time before 1908 as the Summit Ranger Station as part of the former Wenaha National Forest. The original cabin was replaced by a 2-story residence, plus a garage, a gas house, and a barn that were all constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935. The site is a good example of a CCC era Forest Service field station. Summit Cabin was constructed in 1938 as a guard station; the cabin was also used as a cookhouse for fire crew tent camps in the 1970s.
