The Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint is a
state park on the
Crooked River in
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It is on the border of
Deschutes and
Jefferson counties.
History
The facility is named in honor of
Peter Skene Ogden who first entered the Crooked River Valley while leading a
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
trapping party in 1825. Although no mention is made at the park itself, it was also the site of one of Oregon's most sensational murders, which led to the conviction of
Jeannace June Freeman of first degree murder. She was the first woman ever sentenced to death in Oregon, and remained the only woman ever sentenced to death in Oregon until 2011. Her conviction was upheld by the Oregon Supreme Court, though she was not in fact executed.
Features
Located north of
Redmond along on
U.S. Route 97, Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint is a rest area and viewpoint with limited (but available) parking for trucks and vehicles with trailers. Facilities include restrooms, picnic tables and dramatic viewing of the Crooked River canyon, as well as a views of the
Crooked River Railroad Bridge, the
Crooked River High Bridge, and the
Rex T. Barber Veterans Memorial Bridge. The area is very popular with photographers. The developed area is on the west side of U.S. Route 97, but is accessible easily to both north and southbound traffic with a drive through parking and loop exit for both trucks and trailers.
The viewpoint is also the site of a memorial honoring
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
flying ace
Rex T. Barber
Colonel Rex T. Barber (May 6, 1917 – July 26, 2001) was a World War II fighter pilot from the United States. He is best known as a member of the top secret mission to intercept the aircraft carrying Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto in Apri ...
.
See also
*
List of Oregon state parks
References
External links
*
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Parks in Deschutes County, Oregon
Parks in Jefferson County, Oregon
State parks of Oregon