Cabbage Hill and Deadman's Pass

This week the Trucker travels alone.  So does his Passenger.  There are times both will wish they were where the other is, for various reasons, not the least of which is so they could be together.

But the Trucker sent me some photos of his travels yesterday.  Going down Cabbage Hill in Oregon.  "I can see for miles and miles," he said.

Route 84 in Oregon (otherwise known as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway), between the towns of La Grande and Pendleton, is known as Cabbage Hill.   It travels through an area known as Deadman Pass.  This route closely follows that of the Oregon Trail.

As the Trucker follows the route northwest, he has a climb of over 2,000 feet, which is full of hairpin turns and steep grades.  From the top, as you can see above, the view defies description.

Heading down the western slope, Cabbage Hill closely follows the Oregon Trail route.  The descent drops 2,000 feet in the six miles between mile markers 227 and 217, with many double hairpin curves.  A weigh station that includes a brake check area is located at mile marker 227.  Runaway truck ramps are located at mileposts 221 and 220.

Winter conditions often make the pass treacherous, even for experienced drivers.  A large percentage of accidents on this stretch involve out of state drivers.  The Trucker has never had a problem; Lord willing, that grace extended to him will continue.  

Why is the area known as Cabbage Hill?  In the 1870's a farmer by the name of Crawford lived on the mountain, and raised sheep and cabbages for market.  The farmer, farm, sheep, and the cabbages are gone, but the name remains.

Why Deadman's Pass?  In 1876, there were hostilites between travelers on the Oregon Trail and the local Bannock Indians of the Snake Valley in Idaho.  There were fears as the Indians moved north into the Umatilla Valley of Oregon, they would travel over the Cabbage Hill pass and further threaten the pioneers.  Indeed, on July 12, 1876, four freight haulers were attacked and killed near what is present day Meacham.  It was never determined exactly who was responsible for the attack, though it is thought to be Bannock warriors.  Thus, the name Deadman's Pass.

It is nothing short of amazing that the pioneers on the Oregon Trail managed to negotiate this pass with their wagons and families.  Even today the pass is a serious challenge, with a paved asphalt road.

A view borrowed from the internet:

The runaway truck ramp going up the center of the photo.