Oregon Trail emigrants found the Blue Mountains far more difficult than the gradual crossing of the Rocky Mountains at South Pass, facing steep forested slopes, rough roads, dangerous descents, scarce water except in ravines, and frequent strain on livestock and wagons. Travelers described hills so steep that twenty-two head of cattle were needed to pull a wagon and warned that teams had to be treated carefully throughout the journey to preserve their strength for such places. Yet camps in this stretch could offer welcome relief, including this site, remembered for good water, good camping, tall trees, fish, and crayfish. Many emigrants also saw promise in the Blue Mountains, admiring their blue outlines and the great size and value of their timber even amid the hardships. Wagons were ordinary canvas-covered farm wagons, not Conestoga freighters, and because they were narrow and top-heavy, emigrants took hills straight up and straight down, using brakes, dragged logs, or ropes tied to tree trunks to control descents. Despite the hardships, trail life also included moments of humor, as in a practical joke gone wrong among young travelers. Long before emigrants arrived, native peoples used camps in this area, and Hilgard Junction State Park remained part of local tribal oral tradition as a place with many camps, a large arbor, and multilingual speakers who interpreted among Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Umatilla for gathered listeners and missionaries.