Baker City
Baker City was established in 1870 along the Oregon Trail and soon became the premiere social center along the trail, even laying claim to being the largest city in the state. Baker City supported a number of smaller gold mining towns in the area, and was a wild place at times. These days, it’s a sleepy little town, but the locals have worked hard to preserve their historic heritage (most of the original downtown is a National Historic District) and draw in tourists.
The centerpiece of downtown seems to be the Geiser Grand Hotel, built in 1889 by the Geiser family during the gold mining boom. It was hailed as the finest hotel between Salt Lake City and Seattle. Designed by Czechoslovakian John Benes, the hotel is in the Italinate Renaissance Revival style. The Geiser family spared no expense, so the hotel included a crystal chandelier in every room, and the third elevator west of the Mississippi. It was also one of the first hotels in Oregon with electricity. A seven-million-dollar restoration project was completed in 1998.
I decided to have supper at the Geiser Hotel. The dining area was in an atrium with ornately carved mahogany millwork, and a lovely stained glass skylight, which unfortunately I didn’t photograph because I left my camera in the car. Typical.
After supper, I wandered around town some more. This great antique Ford pickup truck came rattling down the street and parked briefly while the driver ran into one of the local stores. “I love it.” I said to the woman sitting in the passenger seat. “Oh, do ya?” She replied, as though she was surprised anyone would.
Someone in Baker City seems to be quite an artist, or perhaps there are several people. In the downtown area, nearly every storefront was decorated with a comical Old West scene, with a common theme relating to an upcoming local festival. Other more permanent murals were scattered elsewhere in town.
Hells Canyon