Fall color along the Powder River Valley. By mid-October, the nights along Eastern Oregon's Powder River get pretty chilly and the change of season brings some interesting color to the landscape. In this scene, Eccles Lumber Co. Heisler #3 brings a short mixed train east out of Sumpter, headed for McEwen, about 4 miles down the line. The train is running past one of the many pools and ponds that exist on either side of the Powder River, as a result of the massive gold dredging operations that took place here in the first half of the 20th century. Although it would be fair to say that the mining companies really laid waste to this land, it is interesting that in the ensuing half century, the place has developed its own, unique ecosystem, with lots of vegetation, including grasses, bushes and trees as well as permanent bodies of water like the one seen in the foreground here. It doesn't look like much when you view it on Google Earth, but as you can see here, it photographs quite well.
