Baby Morgan’s grave – A Lost Child on the Oregon Trail
Tucked in the peaceful meadow near Government Camp, Oregon, lies a quiet grave that tells a heartbreaking story. Baby Morgan’s grave is marked by a small bronze plaque mounted on a random boulder named Chimney Rock by immigrants on the Barlow Trail in Summit Meadow. It honors the memory of an infant girl who died during her family’s perilous journey on the Oregon Trail in 1847.
The Morgan Family’s Journey West
Daniel Morgan and Rachel Woodside were among the brave pioneers who crossed the plains in search of a new life in Oregon. Married in 1841 in Cuba, Illinois, the couple traveled west in 1847 with their children: Seth, Thomas, and Anne. They joined what became known as the “Woodsides Train,” a caravan of families heading for the Oregon Territory.
By June, the party reached Independence Rock in Wyoming. There, tragedy struck. Several members fell ill after eating food contaminated by brass cooking vessels. Rachel, just 25 years old and pregnant, died shortly after giving birth to a baby girl.
The Road to Oregon—and More Loss
Relatives stepped in to care for the motherless children, including the newborn. The wagon train pushed on, crossing Idaho and eventually descending into Oregon along the Barlow Trail.
As they neared Mt. Hood in late October, the baby grew weak. According to family history, the infant was injured during a wagon jolt. Jacob Caplinger, a family member, carried her on horseback, hoping to ease her pain. Sadly, she died not long after, on October 24, 1847.
A Burial Beside Chimney Rock
The family buried the baby at Summit Meadow, near a rock described as looking like a “house and chimney.” That landmark later helped descendants locate the gravesite a century later.
In 1957, family members from the Morgan, Caplinger, and Woodside lines placed a plaque on the rock to honor her memory. Since then, they’ve gathered annually at Summit Meadow to remember her and the sacrifices of all Oregon Trail pioneers.
More Stories from Summit Meadow
The Baby Morgan grave isn’t the only historic site at Summit Meadow. The meadow also served as a key rest stop for emigrants crossing the final, treacherous stretch of the Oregon Trail. It offered fresh grass, water, and views of Mt. Hood before travelers descended into the Willamette Valley.
Nearby, the Summit Meadow Pioneer Cemetery holds other historic markers. One marks the grave of the murdered Perry Vickers, Mt. Hood’s first climbing guide and the builder of the Summit House, the first roadhouse on Mount Hood that offered assistance to the immigrants who were passing through. One belongs to Baby Barclay, while a third, unmarked gravestone stands next to them.
Legacy of a Littlest Pioneer
Today, Baby Morgan’s grave is a quiet but powerful reminder of the hardships faced by early pioneers. It sits just off the historic Barlow Road, drawing visitors who stop to reflect on the fragility of life during westward expansion.
If you’re traveling near Government Camp, take a moment to visit Summit Meadow. It’s a beautiful spot with a deep history—one that speaks softly through the stones and stories left behind.
Near Government Camp, Oregon, within view of Mount Hood, at the Summit Meadow Pioneer Cemetery, a small white picket fence encloses three pioneer graves. These simple markers remind visitors of the dangers faced by emigrants traveling the Barlow Road, the final and most treacherous stretch of the Oregon Trail. Though many call it a cemetery, it is not an official burial ground. Instead, it holds historic gravesites, marking the final resting places of some of Mount Hood’s earliest travelers.
A Resting Place Along the Barlow Road
In 1846, Samuel Kimbrough Barlow carved out an overland route around the Columbia River Gorge. This trail became known as the Barlow Road, an alternative to the dangerous river route. However, the journey remained treacherous.
As they crossed over the south shoulder of Mount Hood, pioneers used Summit Meadow as a final place to rest and recover while crossing before the final stretch to the Willamette Valley. Unfortunately, some never left. As a result, families buried those who perished in the meadow’s soft ground.
The Graves at Summit Meadow Pioneer Cemetery
Inside the white picket fence, are three stones marking three graves. One belongs to Baby Barclay, the infant son of W.L. Barclay and his wife, immigrants who were camped at Summit Meadow in September 1882. The child had been born on the trail in July that year and was ill. He died at Summit Meadow. Another marks the grave of local legend Perry Vickers. According to local stories, Perry Vickers helped bury the Barclay child, even building a small wooden box for the burial. A third, unmarked gravestone stands next to them. It is believed to be the grave of a girl named Hannah Bond who was buried by her father there in 1853.
Baby Morgan Memorial
Just outside the fenced area, another stone plaque honors Baby Morgan. In October of 1847, an infant known only as Baby Morgan died while traveling the Oregon Trail with her family near Mount Hood. The daughter of Daniel and Rachel Morgan, she was born shortly after her mother died from illness on the trail in Wyoming. As the wagon train neared Oregon, the baby was injured during travel and passed away near what is now Summit Meadow. She was buried beside a distinctive rock said to resemble “house and chimney”. A landmark later used by descendants to locate her grave.
Today, a bronze plaque marks the site, honoring her as one of the Oregon Trail’s youngest pioneers. This grave is significant due to its connection with the early Barlow Trail established just a year before.
Although these are the only visible graves, they represent countless unnamed pioneers who never reached Oregon’s fertile valleys who lie in unmarked graves along the way.
Perry Vickers: A Mount Hood Legend
Among the graves rests Perry A. Vickers (1845–1883), an early settler, mountaineer, and innkeeper. He arrived in Oregon in 1865 and built Summit House, a way station for weary travelers along the Barlow Road. His lodge offered food, supplies, and shelter to those crossing the mountains.
In addition to running the lodge, Vickers became Mount Hood’s first known climbing guide. In 1870, he lit bonfires near Illumination Rock, hoping people in Portland could see them. Because of this, he helped promote Mount Hood as a climbing destination.
Tragically, his life ended in 1883. While serving on a posse, he was shot and killed. To honor his legacy, his final resting place became his beloved home at Summit Meadow, where he had spent much of his life helping others.
The White Picket Fence
A white white picket fence surrounds these graves, there is no entrance. The lack of a gate or walkway reinforces that this was never a formal cemetery. Instead, it serves as a memorial, preserving the history of a few Barlow Trail pioneers.
A Reminder of Oregon’s Pioneer Past
The gravesites at Summit Meadow Pioneer Cemetery offer a glimpse into Oregon’s pioneer era. More importantly, they remind visitors of the sacrifices, struggles, and stories of those who made the journey west.
Even though the markers are few, their significance remains powerful. Ultimately, they tell the story of hope, hardship, death and survival in Oregon’s early days
When people think of Mount Hood, crime usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Especially not murder. Yet, one story from Mount Hood’s past should be told—the mountain’s first recorded murder. This is the story of the first Murder on Mount Hood.
The Oregon Trail and the Barlow Road
For about 40 years, the Oregon Trail carried settlers west, and became the main route into the Willamette Valley. Samuel Barlow and Joel Palmer blazed the trail over the south shoulder of Mount Hood. Soon after Barlow made the trail a toll road. Tollgates were placed along the route to collect fees from travelers. One tollgate keeper, Perry Vickers, became an integral figure in the history of Mount Hood.
The Barlow Trail at Marmot Oregon
Perry Vickers: A Mount Hood Pioneer
Perry Vickers was among the first residents on the south side of Mount Hood, an area that today includes the small ski town of Government Camp. He was well liked by everyone, especially those passing over the Barlow Road in their wagons.
He secured squatter’s rights at Summit Meadow, a natural clearing at the top of the pass, in 1865. Here, the road began its descent down the west slope of Mount Hood, leading settlers on the final stretch toward the Willamette Valley. Vickers built the first accommodations in the area, including a lodge, store, barns, and a corralled field for livestock.
Mount Hood’s First Tourists
During his time on Mount Hood, Portland grew rapidly with the influx of new settlers. Many of these settlers returned to the mountain, over the road that had once challenged their or their parent’s journey, seeking recreation and adventure.
Vickers became Mount Hood’s first climbing guide. Hiking and climbing the peak became increasingly popular at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He enthusiastically promoted visitation and recreation. Vickers even created a tradition of lighting the mountain by carrying fuel for a large fire near what is now known as Illumination Rock. He is credited with being the first person to spend a night atop Mount Hood.
In August 1873, Vickers survived a night on the summit by building a crude rock shelter. Later, he recalled, “I dared not sleep, lest the cold take me. At dawn, I beheld a glory of light such as mortal eyes rarely see.”
Perry Vickers
Perry Vickers’ Early Troubles
Vickers was known as a dreamer and a poet. Newspapers later referred to him as “the mountain’s first true romantic.” The Oregon Historical Society preserves some of his verses about sunrises over the Cascade peaks and sunsets glowing across the summit.
However, his start in Oregon wasn’t on solid footing.
In 1865, Vickers arrived in Vancouver, Washington. While looking for work, he fell in with three other young strangers. Unfortunately, they were soon arrested at Fort Vancouver for horse theft, a serious crime at the time.
They were held for about two months awaiting trial. Each prisoner wore an “Oregon Boot,” a seven-pound iron clevis attached to the ankle to prevent escape. Public sympathy grew for Vickers, who consistently protested his innocence.
Fort Vancouver Washington
Escape Across the Columbia River
Worried that guilt by association would seal his fate, Vickers planned an escape. Their wooden cell allowed them to pry loose several 2″x4″ window bars, and the group fled into the night.
Once free, Vickers separated from his companions. Pursuers closed in as he reached the Columbia River. His ankle was chafed and bleeding from the iron shackle. In desperation, he plunged into the mile-wide, fast-moving river.
Miraculously, he swam across with the seven-pound clevis still attached to his ankle.
On the far bank, Vickers found a farm where he pried off the iron using a wagon wheel wrench and a bolt. The next morning, woodcutters gave him food and directed him to Powell Valley, where his brother lived. His brother provided clothes and supplies and urged him to head east along the Barlow Road to find work until the danger passed.
Meeting Stephen Coalman
Traveling east, Vickers met Stephen Coalman, the overseer of the old Barlow Road. Coalman offered him work clearing storm damage from the road, and Vickers accepted. The two men formed a lifelong friendship.
Stephen and his son Elijah “Lige” Coalman would later become legendary for their adventures on Mount Hood. Over time, Coalman became convinced of Vickers’ innocence.
In June, Vickers set up camp at Summit Meadow and explored the area up to the timberline. He swore he would one day reach the mountain’s summit.
Rhododendron Tollgate on the Barlow Trail
Establishing Life at Summit Meadow
At first, Vickers worked as the eastern gatekeeper on the Barlow Road. In time, Coalman convinced him to return to the west side of Mount Hood, promising to help him with legal services if needed.
No charges were ever brought against him.
Vickers loved the Summit Meadow area. He filed a squatter’s claim and started building between his work on the road. In 1866, construction of the Summit House began. The building measured 20x20x32 feet, featuring a huge fireplace, upstairs sleeping quarters, and a large kitchen. Vickers built all the furniture by hand from local materials.
By the spring of 1868, as soon as the snow melted, the Summit House opened for travelers. Vickers provided food and shelter for people and livestock. He often refused payment from settlers who had little to give, earning a reputation for generosity.
Perry Vickers Trading Post at Summit Meadow
A Tragedy at Summit Meadow
In 1882, a tragedy struck Summit Meadow. A baby boy from a wagon party, the Barclay family, became ill and died at the meadow. Vickers granted permission for the boy to be buried there. The grave and headstone still remain today.
Later accounts said that Vickers personally tended the grave, keeping it marked and protected from passing livestock.
Perry Vickers Summit House
A Desperate Man on The Run
For years, Vickers remained at Summit Meadow, aiding travelers and leading hundreds to the summit of Mount Hood. Then, in August of 1883, violence shattered the peace and led to the first Murder on Mount Hood.
A man named Steele, a farmhand near the Columbia Slough, stole a shotgun and fled east. The Multnomah County Sheriff deputized two men, including the gun’s owner, Roarke, to pursue him.
The deputies tracked Steele to Eagle Creek and had their warrant reissued for Clackamas County. They learned that Steele had traded the shotgun for a powerful Sharps rifle.
Despite bad weather, they pressed on through Sandy, stopping only to buy a bottle of whiskey. Reaching the town of Salmon, near today’s Brightwood, they enlisted local trading post owner John McIntyre. One deputy, having fallen ill, returned home. McIntyre was deputized, and the search continued.
Summit House at Summit Meadow
The Final Pursuit
At Summit Meadow, Vickers told the men that Steele had stayed the previous night. Vickers warned them that Steele was a dangerous character and advised waiting until morning to pursue him, suggesting they rest and sober up.
Roarke insisted they continue into the night. Vickers, now deputized, reluctantly agreed to lead them.
They reached the White River Trading Post operated by Cornelius Gray. Beyond the buildings, they spotted a campfire.
Concerned about his companions’ condition, Vickers volunteered to approach Steele’s camp alone. As he rode off, he reportedly quipped, “If you hear me shout, don’t mistake it for the wind.”
Salmon Oregon where John McIntyre was enlisted to chase Steele
The Ambush
Vickers rode toward the fire, confirming it was indeed Steele. As he dismounted his horse, Steele seized the Sharps rifle and shot Vickers in the stomach.
Vickers fell but managed to draw his revolver and fire into the darkness. Believing he might have wounded Steele, he emptied his gun but could not stop the fugitive.
Cornelius Gray, hearing the shots, rushed to the scene. He and others found Vickers gravely wounded, struggling to reload his revolver with trembling hands.
Vickers accused the deputies, Roarke and McIntyre, of cowardice, saying they abandoned him when he needed them most. Witnesses later agreed, noting that their horses had not actually bolted, and their retreat seemed deliberate.
White River where Perry Vickers was shot
The Death of Perry Vickers
A messenger rode to fetch Stephen Coalman, but it was too late. Vickers, lying inside Gray’s cabin, knew his fate.
He mentioned laudanum stored back at his lodge. Gray had nothing in his cabin to relive Vickers’s pain. Vickers acknowledged that no one could help him now. His final request was to be buried next to the Baby Barclay that he helped bury in his beloved Summit Meadow. His final words were reported as, “Tell them I did my best, for the mountain and for the law.”
At 7am, August 19, 1883 Perry Vickers died from his wounds. According to his wishes his body was loaded into a wagon and carried back to Summit Meadow and buried next to the baby.
The Aftermath and Legacy
The Mount Hood community mourned him deeply. Samuel Welch and Stephen Mitchell crafted his coffin, and Oliver Yocum officiated his burial.
Vickers is laid to rest at Summit Meadow, beside the Barclay child he had once shown such compassion toward. Their headstones remain today.
Locals remembered Vickers as “the silent sentinel of Summit Meadow,” honoring his years of guidance, kindness, and service on the mountain.
Soon after Vickers death a “religious eccentric” named Horace Campbell, known as “King David” occupied the Summit House. He rebuilt the Summit House and, behind the structure, constructed a conical shaped wooden teepee with a central fireplace and a smoke hole at the top. It was used by the last wave of immigrants over the old road.
In time, and after many occupiers of the old Summit House, the structure was fell into disrepair and was disassembled and burned on campfires by travelers. First the log furniture and then the structures. Today there’s no evidence that it even existed.
Perry Vickers’s Dog Greeley
Billy Welch, The son of local rancher Samuel Welch, related a sad story about how Greeley, a yellow Newfoundland and Eskimo dog mix owned by Vickers, refused to leave his master’s grave for days. Finally he and Drum, a spotted hound, also belonging to Vickers, were brought to Welches to live with Samuel Welch, who had been a close friend with Vickers for years. It was necessary to keep a close watch on Greeley for days, because he wanted to return up the Barlow Trail to Summit Meadow where is master was buried.
Perry Vickers Grave next to the baby Barclay at Summit Meadow
What Became of Steele After the Murder on Mount Hood?
Stephen Coalman kept Vickers’ blood-stained coveralls for years, hoping they might someday serve as evidence.
Later, a horse thief hanged in eastern Oregon claimed to have killed a man in the Cascade Mountains. It was widely assumed this was Steele.
Coalman, realizing the case had ended, eventually burned Vickers’ coveralls. Thus ended the story of Mount Hood’s first murder—and the enduring legend of Perry Vickers.
I’ve lived on the old Columbia River Highway in Bridal Veil, and currently live along the course of the Barlow Trail in Brightwood. My love of the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, and my interest in their history has driven my research into the story of both routes and the development of the Mount Hood Loop Highway. Mount Hood is the only glacial peak with a road that completely circles it allowing access to the peak from every direction. It’s a fun day when I can relax and go for a drive the Mount Hood Loop Highway.
Before the immigrants from the East came to settle here the native people had well beaten trails that led from the Columbia River, located to the north, and from the Willamette Valley to the west. The trails led to the hills on the southwest side of the mountain where they would come to hunt, fish, gather berries and harvest medicinal plants.
In the early days of the Oregon Trail the “Great River of The West, the Columbia River, was used by the immigrants on their surge west. Many families rafted what was left of their earthly belongings, and in many cases what was left of their families, down the perilous river route through cascading rapids and laborious portages to the Willamette Valley in search of the “Land of Milk and Honey”. Because of this migration, the initial establishment of the overland roads by and large carried traffic from east to west following game and native trails, the primary route being over the southern shoulder of Mount Hood.
Sam Barlow and Joel Palmer arrived in charge of separate wagon trains at The Dalles in September of 1845 and found a shortage of everything, and a long wait for the dicey trip down the river. They both felt that the prospect of staying in The Dalles until a guide could be secured was more than their patience or their budget could endure. Considering the fare charged by the River Guides and the expensive prices for supplies at The Dalles, and the fact that the trip was not just a leisurely float downstream, a land route around Mount Hood sounded like a good idea. Hearing of Sam Barlow’s plan to cross the southern shoulder of Mount Hood, Joel Palmer decided to follow him with his own wagon train, overtaking them soon after.
Moving south along the Deschutes and up the White River they burned and slashed their way to the south shoulder of Mount Hood before succumbing to the arduous labor and the oncoming winter weather which required them to stash their wagons and head in the most expedient way to Fosters Farm and on to Oregon City, with the weaker ones of the party riding their tired stock. December of that same year found Samuel Barlow petitioning the territorial government for a permit to operate a toll road over the path that he and his companions traveled the previous October.
In time several routes were pushed through the Columbia River gorge to the valley, including supply/trade and cattle trails as well as a Military road. By the 1880’s railroads were running through, and of course in 1913 the first paved road was built through in the form of the Scenic Columbia River Highway, of which much has been written.
Meantime on the South side of Mt. Hood Sam Barlow’s road was changing too. Nearly put out of business by the gorge routes, the old Barlow road went through many private hands and states of repair and disrepair before it was handed over to the state to be developed into a highway, much along the same route that we drive today along Highway 26.
By the late 1800’s the immigrants had established their civilization and now many of the next generation wanted to play in the outdoors that their parents fought to survive in fifty years before. Mount Hood is in Portland’s back yard and it beckoned from its position on the horizon visible from most any part of the city, calling them to the mountains. Outdoor sports were very popular then, much like they are today, and many would take the road to the mountain for a guided trip to the summit, or as time went by to the ski slopes in the winter. Summer found them taking wonderful alpine hikes, festooned with breathtaking vistas, fields of wildflowers, creeks and lakes. Fishing and hunting trips were also taken to teaming rivers and the forests abundant with wild game.
Mountain lodges and road houses were established to cater to the tourists, including Welch’s Ranch and Tawny’s Mountain Home as transportation methods and road conditions improved. Horse drawn stages and then auto stages started regular runs from Portland to Mount Hood and back. Many would stop and stay at Welches and others would make the trip to Government Camp where the guides would take them to the top of the mountain.
In 1911 E. Henry Wemme, an automobile enthusiast and Portland businessman, purchased the old road from the Mount Hood & Barlow Road Company with the intentions of improving the route to the mountain and points east for the automobile that was to become the new wave of modern transportation. Two years later he offered the road to the government, who turned down his offer. He died the following year and willed the road to his attorney, who in 1917 presented it to the state who removed the tolls on the road and took over maintenance. By that time there had already been talk of plans for a road that would allow travel completely around Mount Hood.
In 1914 Thomas H. Sherrard, supervisor for the Mount Hood National Forest along with William L. Finley, a naturalist, Rufus Holman, the Multnomah County Commissioner, Leslie Butler and Charles Bell from Hood River and Jacob Kanzler of Portland took a horseback trip around the east side of the mountain much along the route of the present highway 35, which created more interest and faith in the feasibility of a route that would follow the upper Hood River Valley around the east side to the Wapanitia cutoff and the south side road.
In 1919 a cooperative agreement was signed between the state and the government to build the road. It was started late in the year of 1919, and was completed in late 1924. The first traffic to follow the new road came in the summer of 1925 after the winter snows cleared. The road was only used seasonally until improvements were made and snow removal started in 1967.
And so the Mount Hood Loop Highway was complete. Fred McNeil wrote that at its dedication the Mount Hood Loop road was called “The necklace about the old volcano with Portland as its pendant”. The Loop hasn’t lost much of its allure since then and is travelled often today by folks out for a “Sunday Drive”. It is easily travelled in a day, including stops for pictures of mountain vistas, waterfalls and lunch. If anything has been lost, it’s the lack of awareness of what is being passed unnoticed by those that are “making tracks” and not “smelling the rhodies” while encapsulated in their climate controlled, surround sound equipped cocoons that travel at speeds not thought of by the pioneers that traveled before them.
Do yourself a favor the next time that you are looking for adventure and take the Mount Hood Loop Highway and please, stop and read an historical marker, or visit a museum. There are many shops and restaurants along the way that are just waiting to be discovered as well. If you’ll leave your cocoon and take a side trip or two and stop and smell the rhodies, maybe you’ll figure out why I love my neighborhood so much. Oh, and wave as you pass Brightwood, it’s right off the highway on a great stretch of the old road.
The Mount Hood Highway No. 26 (see Oregon highways and routes) is the Oregon Department of Transportation’s designation for a 96.74-mile-long (155.69 km)
Sep 21, 2011 … From Hood River, the byway leads south on OR-35 through the broad Hood
River Valley along part of the Hood River County Fruit Loop. Fertile …
