The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-12-28
WHAT s. BENSON HAS
DONE FOR PORTLAND

Written for the Portland Spectator by
John B. Yeon)
For the man living in the great out.
doors, nature more often opens her
book of beautiful scenes than for the
city dweller. She introduces the
woodsman to her secrets by teaching
him how to listen to the whispering
trees, the chattering chipmunks and
the laughing rifles. He Is lead to the
river shores to gaze into the reflections
made when the sun is low in the west
And as the man looks and listens, he
dreams. That is what S. Benson did
when he was working for daily wages
in logging camps, and later when he
owned his own timber tracts and log
ging crews. He still loved the wonder
full outdoors when he sold his holdings
for millions. The impressions have
never left him.
he worked to see perpetuated the
beauty of nature; each water fall he
wanted made accessible SO that all the
people could visit and enjoy them. MIR.
Benson loved the natural beauties of
this great Oregon country with an un.
selfish love
And later when this man had the
means. he began making the beautiful
places along the Columbia river ac-
cessibe to mankind and safe from de-
struction. This he did by purchasing
large tracts of land and giving the
titles to the city and state. That he
made these purchases with keenest
foresight and broadest ideas is proved
already.
Take for instance the Wahkeena
Falls. Less than three years ago MIR.
Benson purchased these crystal cata-
racts for S20.0 Today they could
not be bought for ten times that sum.
Another attraction that he has given
the public is Multnomah Falls. Think
what some hotel owners would give for
this site today Also, consider the
thousands of people who are enabled to
enjoy the views from the top of Larch
mountain because an easy trail has been
built to the summit. The trail and
bridge at Wahkeena Falls cost SIS, 900,
and the other bridge and trail at Multi.
nomah Falls cost many more dollars.
And to keep the waters of these falls
forever pure, MIR. Benson purchased the
land OIL both sides of each stream back
to its source.
Other gifts have been made to Port
land and Oregon by this generous man.
They are the many bronze drinking
fountains in the downtown districts and
the trades school building. These do
nations are valuable not only to the
present generation. but to the future
citizens of the state as we'll.
Yet, this is not all. MIR. Benson has
spent thousands of dollars in road I'M
provement, making surveys for high.
ways. and even paving q mile of the
Columbia River Highway in Hood Riv-
er county. ii these things have been
done on the broadest, progressive lines.
They are for the enjoyment of the
greatest number and for the good Of
al. They have helped make Portland
the most wonderful of cities. No other
metropolis can boast of having public
parks of its own 81 miles from the
business center. and reached by such a
scenic road as the Columbia River
Highway.
1t would be we'll for me to explain
some of the road work that has been
possible because of Mr.. Benson's inter-
est in seeing the projects carried
through. About three years ago he
gave the state $4,000 to cut out road