I wanted to make it clear that this post is about RVing, even
though it may take me a minute or two to get there.

Maupin started out as a goof. It was just a different way to get to
the Maryhill museum. Because it's an easy day trip we see a lot of the
Columbia gorge on the south side of the river. Either way, either going
up the gorge or around Mount Hood Maupin is only about 2 hours from
Portland. I really didn't know much about Maupin. I suspect that 90% of Oregonians could not tell you if Maupin actually existed or where it's
at. On the other hand there are obviously a lot of Oregonians who know
it well.

Probably less than 10% of Oregonians could tell you who Sam Hill
was, even though he left his marks all over the PNW. So lets start with
who Sam was first.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Hill

"Samuel Hill (13 May 1857 – 26 February 1931),[1] usually known as Sam
Hill, was an American businessman, lawyer, railroad executive, and
advocate of good roads. He substantially influenced the Pacific
Northwest region's economic development in the early 20th century.

His projects include the Peace Arch, a monument to 100 years of peace
between the United States and Canada, on the border between Blaine,
Washington, and Surrey, British Columbia, and the Maryhill Museum of
Art. Although his promotion of paved modern roads is possibly his
greatest legacy, he is now best remembered for building the Stonehenge
replica in Maryhill, Washington."
[snip]

Sam tried to talk Washington into building a highway on the north
side of the Columbia. They weren't interested. He had better luck
convincing Oregon to build a highway on the south side of the river.
That old highway is now so popular that permits are required during the
busy season.

The Wikipedia doesn't mention the last great American railroad war.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/whsieh78/43072381402

"Maupin is a small town on the banks of the Deschutes River with an
outdoor recreation-based economy revolving around the river that winds
directly below it. The town was established around 1880 by Commodore
Perry Maupin, who operated a ferry until it was taken over by his father
Howard Maupin, famed at the time for shooting (and scalping) the Paiute
War Chief Paulina in the early, ugly conflicts of Eastern Oregon.
Maupin's Ferry later became known as Hunt's Ferry after a later owner.

In 1908 Maupin and the Deschutes River Canyon became the center of one
of the last great railroad wars in the American West, the Deschutes
Railroad War. While the steamboats were able to trade along the Columbia
River, they were unable to access the vast interior of Eastern Oregon, including the large paper mills that had set up around Bend, Oregon.
That year the Deschutes Railroad Company a subsidiary of the Union
Pacific Railroad under Edward Harriman that controlled Gilded Age
California and the American Southwest, began construction on the East
bank of the Deschutes to connect the Bend to the river port of The
Dalles on the Columbia. Not to be outdone, the Orange Trunk Railroad
Company, a subsidiary of the Great Northern Railroad of James Hill that dominated the Pacific Northwest and Midwest, began construction from The
Dalles to Bend as well-on the West bank of the Deschutes. The race was
on, with the rival companies frequently separated only by the river
itself, and even then sometimes not, as when the best location of the
rails clearly lay on only one side of the river. The rival railroad
teams frequently engaged in brawls and gun battles, sabotaged each
other's supplies and rolled rocks onto rival tracks. In one incident the
Orange Trunk encampment needed to route through a farm that they had
agreed to right-of-way. The DRC thereupon purchased the farm and blocked
off access with armed guards. Another case the two railroads ended up
with tunnels side-by side. Finally in 1909 Harriman died, and the whole
"war" seemed kinda stupid. Hill and Harriman's successor Robert Lovett
worked out a deal where parts of the line would be shared by the two
railroads. With that finally sorted out, the lines to Bend were
completed in 1911.

In 1909 William Staats named his new town Maupin's Ferry, though his
rival to the East named the town Hunt's Ferry. Eventually Maupin's Ferry
won out, and was shortened to just Maupin. In 1921 a major fire swept
through, destroying most of the settlement.

Maupin is known for its fishing, kayaking and birding."

In that picture you are looking north into town and the Deschutes
river valley. The railroad was eventually built and you see it in the
lower part of this picture. There's a siding and a small grain silo in
Maupin.

Out there to the right of that picture is a road that heads east
up out of the valley. It's the scariest road I've been on since driving
in the mountains in Mexico. It's a narrow paved highway with almost no
shoulder and few guard rails. If you got off the road and started
rolling down the hill you probably wouldn't stop until you hit the
bottom, which is a long, long, long way down. There are some amazing
views of miles and miles of country up there, but you don't get much opportunity to enjoy them.

After the arrival of the settlers the next big thing to happen to
Bend was the railroad. After that they started shipping a lot of lumber
out of there.

I had read another version of the railroad story, but it didn't
occur to me what this actually meant until I saw it. The abandoned road
bed eventually ended up in the hands of the BLM. From Maupin to the last campground there are 32 miles of recreational land that probably
wouldn't have much access except for the railroad war. There is a
functional railroad on the other side of the river, but after the end of
the abandoned roadbed and the last campground you can't drive further
north in the Deschutes river valley.

Lower Deschutes River Back Country Byway

https://www.blm.gov/visit/lower-deschutes-river-back-country-byway

The end of the line going north from Maupin.

"The Macks Canyon archaeological site is a large, prehistoric village
locale overlooking the Deschutes River in north-central Oregon. The site
is characterized by shallow, circular, semi-subterranean house
depressions, surface artifacts, and riverine shell deposits.

No fees at the archeological site. Camping: $8.00/night fee applies
Sunday through Thursday nights, Friday and Saturday night fee is
$12.00/night, Group Sites are $25.00/night Sunday through Thursday
nights, Friday and Saturday night fee is $35.00/night. May 15th
September 15th.

https://thedyrt.com/camping/oregon/macks-canyon-recreation-site

There is another section of the abandoned railroad bed running
south from the Columbia river and another recreational area.

Deschutes River State Recreation Area

https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=29

Most, but not all of the BLM campgrounds near Maupin are first
come, first served. The city of Maupin also has a campground on the old railroad bed. It looks like the campgrounds that take reservations are expecting a busy summer. There are also "dispersed" camping sites
available in that area. When we were there there were a lot of open
campsites. I don't think it stays that way during the busy season.

We clearly need to go back to Maupin, but I don't think I want to
be there on a Summer weekend.

TB

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