Fishtrap slates riverboat tour to site of Chinese massacre

Readers of Oregon history and literature will have an opportunity to continue to explore the sites featured in Portland author Craig Lesley’s book, “Riversong,” on April 19.

Fishtrap, the Wallowa County non-profit, which promotes writing in and about the west, has organized a riverboat tour to the site of the 1887 Chinese Massacre on a Beamers Hells Canyon Tours boat.

“Craig (Lesley) and I visited the site, hiking in,” said executive director Rich Wandschneider. “It was a pretty tough hiking trip. So, we at Fishtrap created this event. There is a good chance that Craig Lesley will accompany us on the riverboat – I can’t promise that, but there is a very good chance.”

The 7-hour trip will depart from Clarkston, Washington on April 19 and, whether or not Lesley is able to come, professional guides will illuminate the trip with historical information about the sites along the tour. Tourists should be familiar with Lesley’s “Riversong” to fully benefit from the outing.

The tour will proceed up the Snake to the mouth of Deep Creek – the site of the massacre. According to historical writer Bill Rautenstrauch, known horse-thieves from the Wallowa area murdered more than 30 Chinese gold miners there in a two-day killing spree May 27-28, 1887. The grand jury formed to hear the trial of the murderers first convicted and then acquitted three of the six men charged. The other three men charged fled the area and never faced trial.

In memory of the miners, the U.S. Board on Geographical Names and the Oregon Geographical Names Board changed the name of Deep Creek Cove to Chinese Massacre Cove in 2005.

Participants of the tour can expect to see the rock shelter where the Chinese miners lived, cultural sites of mixed origin nearby, old agricultural sites, Eureka Bar where a copper strike spawned plans for a stamp mill, and many other points of interest.

Fishtrap also will facilitate the arranging of car-pooling from the Enterprise area as the departure date approaches, Wandschneider said.

The deadline to register for the trip is March 19 and more than 20 folks have already signed up. The cost of the trip is $135. A drawing for a free ticket will take place March 19 as well. For more information or to register, call Fishtrap at (541) 426-3624 or visit (www.fishtrap.org) or write Fishtrap, Inc., PO Box 38, Enterprise, OR 97828.