Access to the Oregon Trail ruts is available at this pull out along state Highway 86, about 4.25 miles from Interstate 84, exit 302.

Sarah Sherman knows the community is curious about what’s happening on Flagstaff Hill in Baker City.

But visitors eager to step inside the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center for the first time since November 2020 will have to wait a bit longer.

Sherman, the project manager, likens the energy-efficient renovation to a smaller-scale house project.

“You never know what you’re going to find in a remodel,” she said.

The $6.5 million project at the center, 5 miles east of Baker City and owned and operated by the Bureau of Land Management, started in March 2022. It includes new siding, insulation, roofing, windows and doors, as well as upgraded heating and cooling systems.

About 16% of the project is funded by the Great American Outdoors Act.

The center closed in November 2020 due to the pandemic, and with the renovation project scheduled, it has not reopened since.

The renovation is expected to reduce energy consumption by 73% — prior to the work, the center’s electric bill averaged $10,000 per month, and the structure was the least efficient building managed by the BLM, according to a national survey.

As of this month, the work is 75% finished.

Sherman expects the construction to be completed later this year. Then the staff will spend the winter of 2023-2024 to prepare the center for visitors.

She hopes to reopen for the summer of 2024.

“That’s what we’re shooting for,” Sherman said.

In the meantime, she has been working with local organizations to arrange special programs and events in Baker City while the center is closed.

“I want these community partnerships to continue,” she said. “We’re here to support the community because the community put us here.”

The interpretive center opened in 1992 and has welcomed about 2.4 million visitors during the past 30 years.

Updated exhibits

Once the construction work is complete, the staff can’t just open the doors.

Many exhibits were protected in place, but a number of artifacts were removed and stored in the nearby maintenance building.

Sherman said this is an opportunity to reassess displays and refresh exhibits with different artifacts.

“We have a ton of collection items,” Sherman said.

The Native American exhibit will look different when visitors return to the center.

“We’re working with a contractor and with the tribes,” Sherman said. “We need our partners to help tell their story in the most respectful way.”

Continued programs

Although the center itself remains closed, the center maintains a presence in Baker City with the Oregon Trail exhibit at Baker Heritage Museum.

The museum opens for the season on March 27.

Sherman and her staff are also planning special events this summer, starting with an Oregon Trail Day on June 10 in Geiser-Pollman Park.

The day will focus on 1843, the year when the first pioneers came west.

She said the day will be full of events, including visiting performers Karen Haas and Mike Follin who bring their special programs to Baker City every year.

Sherman would welcome volunteers, too.

“We’re looking for people who want to dress up in character,” she said.

Although plans aren’t solid yet, she said the day may include Dutch oven cooking, a scavenger hunt and an evening performance at the park.

Other events this summer include Miners Jubilee in July, helping with museum camp, and National Public Lands Day in September.

Throughout the summer, Sherman hopes to have scheduled programs at the museum, probably on Fridays and Saturdays.

For information about the center or to volunteer, contact Sherman at ssherman@blm.gov or call 541-523-1843.

Although visitors can’t drive to the top of the hill during construction, access to the center’s trail system — and the Oregon Trail ruts — is available along state Highway 86.

From Baker City, this turnout is 4.25 miles from the freeway’s exit 302.

“I want these community partnerships to continue. We’re here to support the community because the community put us here.”

— Sarah Sherman, project manager