 The facility is named in honor of Peter Skene Ogden who first entered the Crooked River Valley while leading a Hudson's Bay Company trapping party in 1825.Although no mention is made at the park itself, it was also the site of one of Oregon's sensational murders, which led to the conviction of Jeannace June Freeman of first degree murder.She was the first woman ever sentenced to death in Oregon, and remained the only woman ever sentenced to death in Oregon until 2011.