The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-02-16
ROAD TO OPEN
SCENIC COUNTRY

The building of road through the
Mount Hood NATIONAL forest would
make accessible to Portland scenery
in many ways more grand than that Of
Yellowstone park or Yosemite valley.
The building of the road would connect
Portland, the market place of Oregon,
with the great eastern Oregon wheat
belt. with the tremendous potential
production of central Oregon and
| would bring Hood River and The Dalles
closer to the metropolis.
While in Portland last Senator George
| f. Chamberlain expressed the warmest
favor for the plan for making road
through the reserve, both for the for
est service and for the people. He
went back to Washington pledged to
make the best effort in his power to
get the appropriation. What he sue
ceeded in accomplishing has not yet
been reported.
IL hardly seems possible that when
the advantages Of instituting this
semi-national park at the small outlay
proposed are understood the appropra-
tion will not be forthcoming. AS
Supervisor T. II. Sherrard, of the
Oregon national forest has pointed out,
the road would be tributary to an area
populated by more than 350,00
| people.
Supervisor Sherrard writes in srefer-
ence to the road as follows:
"Ihe proposed road would commence
at point on an existing road in town
ship south, range east, and extend
up the Clear fork of Sandy river,
crossing the summit of the Cascades at
the lowest pass in the range, elevation
1900 feet. 1t would continue down the
west fork of Hood river to a connec-
tion with an existing road in township
! north, range east, from the town of
Hood River to Lost lake.
"Ihe road would serve two purposes,
first il would connect Portland with
the Hood River valley and the country
east Of the Cascades, which points are
not even now connected by a wagon
road second, it would make a partcu-
alrly fine scenic road crossing the Cas-
cades, as it does, but few miles from
the base Of Mount Hood, and overlook
ing the Columbia river gorge.
1T would also open the markets Of
Portland to Hood River valley and
would afford an outlet to eastern Ore
gon via The Dalles. Primarily, it
would be Of the greatest use to the
Forest service, opening up section Of
the country that IS now inaccessible.
1t would serve as a splendid patrol and
as a fire break, and would connect the
north portion of the forest with the
main artery of travel from Portland.
The trails in this portion of the forest
are few and poor, and a main line of
communication is badly NEEDED. 1t
would also make accessible a large
body Of heavy timber on the head
waters Of the west fork of Hood river.
1t would be possible also to build con-
Meeting fire patrol trail along the sum-
NIT and around the north slope of
Mount Hood to Cloud Cap Inn, which
is already reached by wagon road, trail
and telephone line from Hood River
valley"
| know no one in Portland who is not
under the spell of Mount Hood. 1t is
the tremendous mountain of personal
ity. In grandeur Mount Hood stands
at the gateway Of promise beckoning
the traveller from the east to home
in the Rose City, or pointing again the
way to the great home region of CEN
tral Oregon. Marshal N. Dana in the
Journal.