The Oregon Film Trail will unveil its newest sign in Baker City on Saturday, May 4.

The sign, to be installed on the north side of the Geiser Grand Hotel, honors “Paint Your Wagon,” the musical starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Marvin and Jean Seberg that was filmed in Baker County in 1968.

Some of the cast and crew stayed at Geiser Grand while filming took place along East Eagle Creek in the Wallowa Mountains and near Anthony Lake.

An unveiling is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at the hotel with a ribbon cutting, a downtown scavenger hunt and maps with directions to the film site. Washington Avenue will be closed for the event.

This is the 42nd sign on the Oregon Film Trail, and the fourth in Baker County dedicated to “Paint Your Wagon.” The other three are at the Baker Heritage Museum, in Richland, and the lodge at Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort.

Each sign has two parts. The top details the movie title, release year and synopsis, while the bottom panel has “Did you know?” information.

Oregon’s film history dates to 1907 when “The Fisherman’s Bride” was filmed in Astoria, said Jane Ridley, who works on marketing communication and special events for the Governor’s Office of Film & TV (Oregon Film Office, for short).

Since then, Oregon’s towns have provided the backdrop for more than 500 movies and television shows.

The film trail, Ridley said, “stitches together communities, locations and films” and caters to fans who like to find movie sites.

“The numbers are staggering,” she said. “Film tourism is on the rise.”

The Oregon Film Office has partnered with the SetJetters app, which allows a user to search for a movie and find where it was filmed. It’s called the “Reel to Real Experience.”

At the spot, you can take a selfie and search the app’s “Beyond the Frame” section for nearby points of interest or places to shop and eat.

“It’s a small part of growing the economy,” Ridley said. “We really want these signs to help communities.”

The newest sign is a collaboration with the Geiser Grand Hotel, Travel Baker County, Baker County Economic Development, the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association and the OregonMade Creative Foundation.

“Let’s be proud and celebrate this beautiful part of our backyard,” said Barbara Sidway, who owns the Geiser Grand with her husband, Dwight.

In fact, the movie one reason the Sidways decided to buy the hotel in 1993, which saved it from demolition.

Barbara said that Timothy Bishop, who was with Historic Baker City at the time, called to tell her about the hotel and Baker County. He told her “Paint Your Wagon” was filmed nearby.

Barbara shared that information with Dwight, who saw the musical when he was 18 and living in Florida. He was quite taken by the scenery.

“He said, ‘I’m going to move there some day,’ “ Barbara said. “For a lot of people, that movie opened people’s eyes to the beauty of the West.”

After the sign unveiling, maps to the movie location will be available anytime at the hotel’s front desk.

Eastern Oregon movies

Signs have been placed along an “Eastern Loop” that includes Baker City, Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort, Richland, Hines, Burns, Joseph, Wallowa Lake State Park and Athena.

According to a press release, the Oregon Film Trail began as a partnership between Oregon Film, the OregonMade Creative Foundation, and in collaboration with the Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce with grant help from Travel Oregon, the Oregon Coast Visitors Association and the Willamette Valley Visitors Association. The film trail now has partnerships with multiple communities.

“It is so great to see this recognition of the deep history of filmmaking in Eastern Oregon and the place the Geiser Grand holds within that history,” said Tim Williams, executive director of Oregon Film. “The growing recognition of the Oregon Film Trail and the film fans that will follow it will just be another good reason for people to visit one of the most beautiful parts of our state.”

For more information about the Oregon Film Trail and its newest sign, visit www.historicoregonfilmtrail.com.