Clackamas Heritage Partners are excited to present several reoccurring monthly lectures. Tickets are available in the visitors center or online below. General Admission always includes events held in the theatre on the day of your visit. Daytime lecture only tickets are available for $5
The Wagon Crawl: Tales from The End of The Trail
Every Third Friday of the Month at 5:30pm
It wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows on the Oregon Trail, we’re going to talk about the dysentery and ugliness. Historian John Jarvie leads a tour through the darker history (and comedy) of the iconic journey at the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive & Visitor Center. Tickets are $30/person and include two drinks, either alcoholic or nonalcoholic. Participants must be 21 years or older and purchase tickets online before the event. *Mature Content*
After Arrival: Establishing New Lives at the End of the Oregon Trail
Every First Sunday of the Month at 2:30pm
Gaining Knowledge of Oregon Country
This series examines how some folks back east of the Mississippi River slowly began to gain limited knowledge of resources and conditions that existed in the Pacifc Northwest. This smattering of information over the years was a result of decades of coastal exploration, some key overland explorations, the dedicated work of a few impressive naturalists, the endeavors of those in the fur trade or missionary work, and the efforts of American diplomats to secure claim over the area.
- January 2026 – The Indigenous Populations of the Pacific Northwest before the Oregon Trail Influx
- February 2026 Explorers’ Descriptions of the Pacific Northwest
- March 2026 – Early Naturalists in the Pacific Northwest
- April 2026 – Fur Traders’ Endeavors in the Pacific Northwest
- May 2026 – The Missionary Endeavor in the Pacific Northwest
- June 2026 – Settlements Prior to the Oregon Trail
- July 2026 – The Formation of the Oregon Trail
- August 2026 – Rival Claims to Oregon Country: Spain, Russia, Great Britain, the United States
Before Departure
Heading out into the Far West over some 2,000 miles on a journey that might take six months or so was a bold undertaking. This series considers the motivations that fueled such an undertaking, the expectations that the emigrants had about what their journey would be like, and how they organized and prepared for the endeavor.
- September 2026 – Reasons for Heading West
- October 2026 – Hopes and Fears on the Oregon Trail
- November 2026 – Law and Order in a Wagon Train
- December 2026 – Getting Ready for the Trail: Provisioning in the Jumping-Off Towns
On the Trail
These lectures examine some of the key concerns of people on the westward trails: finding and purifying water, preserving and preparing food, keeping themselves and their animals healthy, dealing with various dangers and obstacles, and providing or receiving assistance or services along the way.
- January 2027 – Water on the Trail
- February 2027 – Food on the Trail
- March 2027 – The Animals They Brought Along
- April 2027 – Disease and Doctoring on the Trail
- May 2027 – Pregnancy and Childbirth on the Trail
- June 2027 – Interaction with Indigenous People on the Trail
- July 2027 – Hardships and Mishaps on the Trail
- August 2027 – Traveling on the Oregon Trail
- September 2027 – The Federal Government and the Oregon Trail
- October 2027 – Profiting from the Oregon Trail
- November 2027 – Confronting the Cascades – The Gorge and the Barlow Road
- December 2027 – Confronting the Cascades – The Less-Traveled Routes
After Arrival
Join CHP’s Resident Historian, John Jarvie for a deep dive into the new beginnings at the End of the Trail. Lectures in this series delve into topics including land claims; dispossessing indigenous people of their land; establishing towns, trade, mail service, transportation, race-based restrictions; relationships: courting/arrangements, marriage, divorce; and more.
- January 2028 – Claiming Land
- February 2028 – Resolving the Oregon Question
- March 2028 – Town Development Along the Lower Willamette
- April 2028 – Settler-Era Politics
- May 2028 – The Pacific Northwest during the Civil War
- June 2028 – Dispossessing Indigenous Peoples
- July 2028 – Race and Race-based Restrictions in Oregon Country
- August 2028 – Relationships: Courtship, Marriage, Divorce
- September 2028 – Chasing Profit in the Early PNW: Agriculture and Industry in the mid-19th Century
- October 2028 – Chasing Profit in the PNW: Gold in the mid-19th Century
- November 2028 – Connecting the PNW: Transportation, 1830s-1860s
- December 2028 – Connecting the PNW: Settler-Era Communications