The countryside surrounding Hells Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Snake, in northeast Oregon. The 40-mile-long gorge thwarted the pioneers who tried to find a way across it. (SUSAN SPANO / Los Angeles Times)
At Farewell Bend State Park in Oregon, emigrants parted ways with the Snake River. (SUSAN SPANO / Los Angeles Times)
Columbia Gorge Discovery Center gives a postcard view and explains the regions geology, vegetation and wildlife, along with the role the area played in westward expansion. (SUSAN SPANO / Los Angeles Times)
Pioneers crossed the Malheur River in Vale, a town in the eastern Oregon desert, and washed off trail dust in nearby hot springs. (SUSAN SPANO / Los Angeles Times)
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The beginning of autumn in eastern Oregon along the banks of the Powder River, which flows 150 miles and curves into the Snake River. (SUSAN SPANO / Los Angeles Times)
A cemetery north of La Grande is a resting place of early settlers. (SUSAN SPANO / Los Angeles Times)
