Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023 Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023 Where the Columbia River Highway (U. S. 30) sweeps along through a world forever green under St. Peter's Dome. Photo, Courtesy Oregon State Highway Dept. Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023 Crown Point, 750 feet above th e Cohnnbia. Rhre r. Here th e vast gorge of the Colum b ia stretch es seen1ing ly for •niles o n end. 'l' he $100,000 Vista J-louse on this spot is a •neruoria.L to the Oregon pioneers a nll is used as a n observation 1>o int a nd rest sto(J.- Photo A. M. Prentiss . ......__ ~ ~~ regan THE EVERGREEN PLAYGROUND BY MAKING THE COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY BEAUTIFUL AND EASY TO TRAVEL, PORTLAND HAS MADE HERSELF By MILDRED G. DURBIN FAMOUS AND BROUGHT THOUSANDS TO SEE THIS ROAD. PoRTLAND, OREGON, has demonstrated with the Co1umbia but who wou ld al so conserve all the natural beauty of River Highway how a city can make the most of its best th is cliff . feature. When the road was built the people did not rely The entire road is a demonstration of the success of his solely on a scenic location to attract millions annually. three-fold aim. Take as a specific example the Highway But let us go back to the year of its beginning, 1913, just east of the Vista House. From a height of 700 feet to find why the portion of this road, from Portland to the road descends to the River's edge in a mile and a The Dalles, 91 miles in length, has become internation· quarter, with a grade of but 5 per cent. This is accom­ ally famous. plished by a double fi gure eight, that is, eight loops in Prior to 1913 the heart of the Cascade Mountains was forty acres of wild beauty of forest and giant ferns that inaccessible except by boats on the Co lumbia River or delight all travelers. the railroad along its banks. The people of Portland and In some places a road could not be carved on th e the county in which it is located, Multnomah, realized that the increasing use of motor vehicles, if a paved road could be built in the scenic Co lumbia River go rge A long th e Colurnbia River through the Cascade Mountains, it would be of great High wa.r, look ing toward Beacon Uock in \\~ as h in g­ value as a means of truck transportation and particularly ton. Beacon Rocl,, 840 feet a source of pleasure to motorists on the Pacific coast and h igh , is a favorite climb for h ili:ers .- Photo A. 1\'L even the whole United States. Prentiss. Accordingly th e people of Multnomah County, eighty per cent of whom live in Portland taxed themselves for nearl y $1,500.000, bought their own bonds and the Highway was begun. They engaged th e services of an architec t- engineer who not only knew how to build a safe, durable road on the steep cliff of the south ide of the gorge, which rises in places to 2.000 and 3.000 feet, ~:l~ Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023 4 ,__ The Columbia JHvf"r The state and national governments aided th e other }lighwn.v at S hep­ perd's D e I I n e u r counties. The average cost for the entire road, exclusive Portland.- Photo A. of the 11% miles within the city of Portland was $38,- lVL Pre ntiss. 054. This includes all items except rights of way, most of which were donated. After the road was finished the people did not feel that their task was completed. Multnomah County and private individuals began to decorate it. For example, as a memorial to th e Oregon pioneers, the Vista House, a little gem of a building costing $100,000, was perched upon Crown Point. Here visitors may stop to rest and Below-ll[irror Lnl'e enjoy the view of th e Columbia twenty-five miles both in the \\'a llown l .. al'e country in Oregon, east and west and the rugged shore across the River, "'J'h e Switzerland of backed by mountain scenery. At the foot of Multnomah America." - Photo Oregon State Hig h - Falls is another usefu l memorial to the pioneers- a way D ept. drinking fountain erected by the Portland Rotary Club. Mr. George Shepperd gave to the City for a public park Shepperd's Dell, eleven picturesque acres through rock cliffs that rise perpendicularly from the river, and which the Highway winds. Mr. Simon Benson gave 760 the road was made through them. The most interestin g acres embracing two beautifu I waterfalls, while Messrs. of thes~ tunnels is at Mitchell Point, 61 miles east of R. D. Chatfield and Mark A. Mayer gave parks to th e Portland. It is 390 feet long and 24 feet wide. Being state. In the parks along th e Highway and almost co n­ constructed on both a horizontal and vertical curve, great cealed by trees and undergrowth are many picnic care was necessary in blasting and grading. In order grounds and tourist camps. to furnish natural light and give the motorist a fin e Private capital supplies everything that is purchased view of the river and mountains beyond, fi ve huge by the tourist, but no billboards obtrude upon the view openings or "windows" were cut in the side. or conceal scenic beauties. The few that you see are The Columbia River Highway, surfaced, 24 feet wide, small, on a level with the eye of the motorist and only now extends from Astoria on the Pacific, through Port­ those that advertise immediate necessities such as food or land and east a total of 336 miles to P endleton, th e gasoline are permitted. When the author commented home of the famous Round-Up, where it joins th e Old upon this to a bus driver he replied with this un­ Oregon Trail. From Portland east, the first 39.26 miles answerable question: "Why build a beautiful road and lies in Multnomah County. It cost $43,000 per mile. th en spoil it with billboards ?" Copied from an original at The History Center. www.TheHistoryCenterOnline.com 2013:023 Llabthou'W nt R eceta H ead, named for the S 1>a. nish explore r, Bruno Baf't'ta. For mnn,r miles near the h ead, t h e Oregon Coas t Highway \\'B't literully c hiJ>t>e £1 out «;>f the fnce of a solid c liff. or has th e preservation of natural beauties always been easy. The crownin g glories of the Highway are its fi ft ren waterfall s. El even are in one division of ten mil rb .. Fed y melting sno ws, th ey dash over the top of the gorge and fall in spray hundreds of feet to join the broad Co lum bia. Against the almost perpendicul ar cliff cowred with hrubbery and ferns, th eir beauty is in­ de. rrihah le. The power of these fails has offered a trong temptation to use it, and in th at wooded country e lrn>ive logg in g interests could use the falling torrents in Aumes to carry logs or boards to th e Ri ver. But onl y onr i ~ "harnessed" and that was done before the High- 1\ay w a~ built. Ry makin g th e Columbia Rive r Highway beautiful and ras) to travel, Portland has made herself famous. Every year th ousa nds stop off or go hundre rl s of mil es ou t of th eir way to see this famous road. The mighty Columbia divid es th e states of Oregon and Washington. The Hi ghway i on the Oregon side, but now there is an e rrll ent road. th e Evergreen Highway, on the Washing­ ton ~ id e . And Wh y? So that th e tourist who travels fro m Portl and ma y return to th at city by a different roulr from th e one by which he departed. TH E Mo uNT Hooo LooP Deli ghtful hours of driving along th e Columbia. romhined with equall y delightful hours motorin g around fa med Mount Hood, such is the treat in store for Port­ land visitor who make th e Columbia River-Mount Hood loo p dri ve- for certainl y no one should miss the Mount • CONTINUED 0.'1 P AGE 18 TOt•: On the Alde rwond Countr,,· Club Course, P ortland, whe r e t h e 4ht Amah•ur Gulf ChamJ>ion;S hip of tl1 e U nited S tates will he pi&)Pfl Augus t 2:J-29. Portland is the " Cit.)' of Golfe rs" b ecau ~ c of the mild c limate t11a t J> e rrnits ·'·ear-'r ound g olfing . (' J!..~Tf4: H : J•orflnllfl is a leading JJOr t of the Pnc itif• Coas t wi t h s hiJJS from man.)· lands discharging and loading cnr.r:-o . ~ ix t .v s t eam­ ~~thip lineii' give regular ser,,ice be tween Portlnnd und RIJI_>rox­ rnatt>l.)' 150 world ports. BOTTQ.\1 : )fit · ('lu~ ll l'uint Tunne l, 61 miles en st of Port la nd.