Lone Tree of the Oregon Trail, The

THE LONE TREE OF THE OREGON TRAIL OREGON TRAVEL INFORMATION COUNCIL Early Oregon Trail emigrants crested the south flank of Flagstaff Hill and, with the Blue Mountains looming to the west, saw a solitary tree in the valley below. Called l'arbre seul (the lone tree) by French-Canadian fur trappers, this large tree, possibly ponderosa pine or Douglas-fir, towered majestically above the floor of Baker Valley about three miles northwest of this marker. For many years--perhaps centuries--the Lone Tree served as a landmark for Indians, trappers, missionaries, and Oregon Trail emigrants, until felled in 1843 by what explorer John Fremont called, "some inconsiderate emigrant axe." BAKER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY