Hiking Oregon's History

by William L. Sullivan

Recounted in a fresh style that's fun for armchair travelers and hikers alike, this guidebook tells the stories behind 56 of Oregon's most scenic historic sites. Come follow Lewis and Clark's trail across Tillamook Head. Ride with Chief Joseph on his tragic retrat through Hells Canyon. Discover paths to fire lookouts, lighthouses, and abandoned gold mines. Relive legends, discoveries, scandals, and triumphs that rocked the West. Come hike Oregon's history!

Genres: History, Travel, Nonfiction, Reference

319 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

About the author

Sullivan completed his B.A. in English at Cornell University, studied linguistics at Germany's Heidelberg University, and earned an M.A. in German at the University of Oregon.
In 1985 he backpacked 1000 miles across Oregon's wilderness. His journal of that adventure, "Listening for Coyote", topped the New York Times' year-end review of travel books and was chosen one of the 100 most significant books in Oregon history.
Since then he has written many novels, hiking guidebooks, and historical works. His memoir, "Cabin Fever", describes the 25 summers he and his wife Janell spent building a log cabin by hand along a roadless river in the wilds of Oregon's Coast Range. Each summer he still lives and writes at the cabin.
Sullivan reads in seven languages, plays the pipe organ, undertakes backcountry ski expeditions, and volunteers to support libraries.

Reviews

[JG (Introverted Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

William L. Sullivan, well-known for his numerous hiking books centered around Oregon, presents several hikes and the history surrounding them.

I know this book won’t have much appeal to a broad audience but it was so engaging, I wanted to review it.

When my husband and I first arrived in Oregon in April of 2020 for his work assignment at a hospital outside Portland, my aunt put me in touch with one of her friends who owns a summer home on the Oregon coast. That friend provided invaluable recommendations for things to do and see but she also mentioned that I should try to find hiking books written by William L. Sullivan. I didn’t want to pay for a physical copy since we were only going to be in the area for three months (three turned into six because the state is beautiful), so I looked at the digital library. This was the only one of his books available for digital download.

I expected to simply use this as a guidebook for hikes we might not have discovered otherwise but it was so interesting that I read it straight through, cover to cover. I don’t know that I actively planned any hikes using this book but I would constantly spout the history of the surrounding areas to my husband while we were out hiking on whatever trail we found. I don’t think I’ve ever come across another book quite like this before but it added a depth to our hikes that I enjoyed. I wish there were books like it for every state.

The author organizes the book by topic, not by area, which works best if you’re reading it as I did. If you’re using it more as a guidebook, you’ll have to rely heavily on the index. My favorite section was about Native American legends but there were a lot of amazing stories included throughout. Other topics included early European explorers, the settlers, World War II, current conservation efforts, and a lot of history in between.

I’m trying hard not to buy books while we’re traveling (we live in our RV while we’re on location, so space is at a premium), but I wish I’d had a physical copy to flip through and keep in the car on our journeys. The pictures from the e-book on my Kindle Paperwhite were hard to see. I also find it easier to flip through a reference book like this than to search through a digital file.

If you live in or plan to visit Oregon (one day when COVID restrictions are behind us), I highly recommend picking up a physical copy of this book. It will enhance your appreciation of that beautiful, geographically-diverse state.

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me forever to read the whole thing but pretty excellent. May actually buy a copy for future reference.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We always take a photocopy of the pages for the hike we're on with us when we hike from this book -- when we get to our final destination, it's so fun to read all the history that happened in the place where you are. I wish he'd write a series just of this book!!

[Sara Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark read this aloud to me bit by bit over the last 6 months. What a wonderful experience! We learned so much about Oregon along the way and we have a list of places we hope to see in person. Several parts made us laugh, a few parts had us saying "What???" and Sullivan's description of the Nez Perce fleeing their homeland broke our hearts into shattered pieces. Highly - and I mean HIGHLY - recommend this book for anyone who lives in or just loves Oregon.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was entertaining and fun to read, albeit very sad to read about the treatment of Native Americans and non-white settlers during Oregon’s settlement and gold rush era.

I particularly enjoyed the Native American and fire lookout stories. Highly recommend to anyone hiking in Oregon.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me – a person with essentially no knowledge of Oregon's history and an increasingly urgent need to be Not Inside My Own House – this book was very useful.

[Crindalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oregon was settled by walkers – following the Oregon Trail by walking or hiking beside their covered wagons toward the dream they called Oregon. Today the best way to discover Oregon's grandest museum is through the outdoors.
Recounted in a fresh style that's fun for armchair travelers and hikers alike, "Hiking Oregon's History" by William L. Sullivan tells the stories behind 56 of the state's most scenic historic sites. Offered in guidebook form, this book follows such trails as the Lewis and Clark trail across Tillamook Head. Readers can ride along with Chief Joseph on his tragic retreat through Hell's Canyon, and discover paths to fire lookouts, lighthouses
and abandoned gold mines.
Each trail description is companioned with how-to sections, notes on the difficulty of each hike, tips on nearby museums and roadside attractions, and a hiker's checklist. The author has chosen the featured trails, not only for their merit, but also for their beauty and accessibility. "Nowhere is Oregon's natural scenery better preserved than along these paths, where the footprints of pioneers and settlers still rest gently on the land," says Sullivan.
"Hiking Oregon's History" weighs heavily on the historical side, which is almost as important as describing the trails. Given the detailed background, readers will become intrigued to start your exploration of Oregon's past.
So, lace up your hiking boots and hit the trail – this is your admission ticket to the museum.
Excerpt from the book:
Tillamook Head
"The farthest point reached by the Lewis and Clark expedition was not the mouth of the Columbia River, but rather 20 miles south at Tillamook Head, where they went hiking in search of whale blubber. The 1,000-foot cliff of Tillamook Head rises like a wall from Seaside's beach. Today, an 8-mile section of the Oregon Coast Trail follows the explorers' route across this formidable cape to Cannon Beach. Along the way, the path passes viewpoints that made even Capt. Clark exclaim in wonder."
Published 10/28/1999 by Crindalyn Stevens (Lyster), Editor of Coast Weekend

[John Orman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a historical tour of Oregon's outdoors. 56 of the state's sites are described, including lighthouses and gold mines. With many legends, wild stories, and scandals thrown into the mix!
I especially enjoyed the description of Crater Lake, which I finally got to visit in 2011. The Klamath tribe's legend of its formation is given a good telling. Quite a lot of info about Wizard Island that rises out of the lake, and makes an interesting boat trip destination.
The history of Timberline Lodge, which I have visited, is also quite a tale.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are fascinating. It is much more interesting reading about the places where I've actually been than about places with which I'm unfamiliar. And it might have made a little more sense to have had the excerpts in order by location rather than jumping around the state. But the history is intriguing and often tragic. A good read, but probably even better to have on hand if you're actually on vacation, on site.

[Jasmine]

this book rocks....in recent years i've become a histoty buff, it just so happens i now live in the area of "final frontier" NW and this book is way to awesome to NOT have on my bookshelf. I'd love to document video of this places for OPB, if it hasn't been done already.

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book. It was required reading in my PNW history class, now I keep it in my car for road trip references.

[Abha Gosavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a treasure for every Oregonian!