To reach points of commerce for gold assaying or buying supplies, miners from the gold mining boom town of Auburn followed the Oregon Trail east or north.
It was a bustling depot for both stagecoach and rail.
For many years following its birth in 1864, Baker City was the largest town between Salt Lake City and Portland.
Where the pioneers entered Baker Valley from the gold fields, Baker City sprang up as the County seat of Baker County, named after Colonel Edward Baker, a senator from Oregon.
To reach points of commerce for gold assaying or buying supplies, miners from the gold mining boom town of Auburn followed the Oregon Trail east or north