Fremont’s Exploration Expedition
By Steve Lent, Crook County Historian
In the winter of 1843 John Charles Fremont led an expedition into Central Oregon traveling south from the Columbia River to California. His route was primarily just west of the Deschutes River. They camped along the Metolius River and Fremont made notes about the ruggedness and beauty of the country. His scout for the journey was the famous trapper and mountain man Christopher Kit Carson.
Fremont’s mission was to explore and document potentials for the region and the expedition was sponsored by the U.S. government. Fremont acquired the aid of a local Native American, Billy Chinook, to help guide the expedition through the Deschutes region and the young lad returned with them back east.
The group of explorers passed near the site of present Bend then continued south in the timbered areas. While perched on a high rim above a large lake Fremont remarked that the valley below was free of snow and looked like summer compared to the wintery ridge that he was peering down from. He named the large lake Summer Lake and the rim on which he stood Winter Rim.
The expedition carried a small howitzer with them as they passed through Central Oregon but somewhere between leaving the Deschutes River and the Goose Lake vicinity of present southern Oregon the howitzer was abandoned.
Fremont published the report of his journeys upon arrival back east and it was a valuable contribution to the knowledge of the region that he called The Great Basin. Many later wagon immigrants to Oregon used information contained in his reports to aid them on their long journey west.