The discovery of gold in Sumpter Valley in 1861 brought the first settlement of the area. Baker Valley attracted some of the home seekers following the Oregon Trail toward western Oregon. Baker, situated where the old trail entered the valley, was first settled in 1863. Mining attracted many of the pioneers, but stock raising and farming were undertaken by others. Irrigation began in the 1870`s, when farmers seeking to improve the native hay meadows made simple diversions from the streams. Construction of a railroad through Baker Valley in 1884 encouraged expansion of the livestock and lumbering industries.