The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-06-08
HOOD RIVER OREGON, THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 1916
new ROADS
ARE PROPOSED
WAYS PENETRATE SCENIC REGIONS
Forestry Service will Aid in Building
Highways to Mount Hood and
Lost Lake

Cooperating with of1lcial6 OF the gov.
eminent forestry service, citizens of
Hood River county are endeavoring to
| secure the construction Of two roads to
points declared by those who have Wis.
tied them to be the most appealing
from a scenic standpoint in the coun-
try. One OF the proposed highways
will pierce the forests on the head
waters Of the West Fork of Hood river
and. when constructed, will carry the
automobile or wagon to the shores of
Lost Lake, while the other. connecting
with county thoroughfares in the Up
per Hood River valley, will pass
through the national forest on the
northwest base of Mount Hood ana end
at the very snowline Of the peak near
Cooper's spur.
The proposed highways will not only
make accessible the mountain grand
eur, but they are actually necessities
to the forestry service in the preven-
tion of devastating fires in the national
forest.
As early as rs years ago the people
of Hood River county realized the
scenic asset of Lost Lake, and follow
ing agitation of several years road
was constructed to the point by funds
secured through subscription. No
means of maintenance, however, was
provided. and the roadway is now
washed full of deep bitches and over
grown with underbrush. One may
ride to Lost Lake on horseback and II
is possible. to reach the region with
wagon. But huge boulders and fallen
logs bar automobiles. Even with
wagon the trip at present is such as to
try the strength and patience OF the
hardest frontiersman. Yet despite the
barriers scores of the ranchers of the
valley travel to Lost Lake each year.
Especially is this true of the families
of the pioneer class. Lost Lake is q
mecca that is thought of and talked of
from one years end to the other.
Early autumn Is the favorite time for
the trip, the recreation of the rancher
following the harvest of hay crops and
preceding the apple harvest. The
forest abounds in wild game and huck-
leberries grow there in hundred acre
tracts. On the return home the pack
horses may be loaded with the skin of
bear or the carcass of buck. Cans
of the luscious fruit from the wild ber.
nv bushes are destined to FIJI shelves Of
the ranch housewife.
Lost Lake is veritable fisherman's
paradise. Indigenous to the lakes
waters is a large, red meated, thick
trout, similar to the Lochleven. The
native fish, however. are very willy and
will bite only under certain weather
conditions. The Hood River Game Pro.
tective Association three years ago be-
gan to stock the lake with rainbow
trout and steelhead salmon. Since the
work was undertaken 100, 600 fry have
been transported into the lake by the
organization. Some of the young fish
were transported to the lake in cans
thrown across the backs of pack
horses.
Lost Lake huckleberries are rivaled.
perhaps, by but one other section of
the northwest, that around the Indian
race track near Trout Lake. The Lost
Lake berries are said to be larger than
those of Trout Lake, but they are less
known because of the inaccessibility of
the former community. Until four
wears ago scores of Indians came annu-
ally from the Warm Springs reserva-
tion to pick the fruit on the shores of
Lost Lake. Some OF the Redmen, with
commercial tendencies, brought the
berries to Hood River in big woven
baskets slung across the backs of pack
ponies. They were rewarded by q
price of from rs cents to 81 per gallon.
In the fall of 1912 an early storm
prevailed on Lost axe. Accompany
ing a heavy dow. p)ur Of rain the wind
blew terlitically, punctuated by thun.
der and flashes of lightning. An old
squaw was struck by thunderbolt. A
pitiful cortege wended its way out of
the forests the following day, bearing
to the reservation burial place the dead
body of the woman. The tragedy was
taken as a sign from the Great Spirit,
and until this day the Indians Of the
Warm Springs reservation have sought
their winter supply of huckleberries in
other sections.
The huckleberries grow most abur-
dantly on Zigzag mountain, the sides
and top of which were burned over
some half century ago. The great area
is Comparatively free OF other under.
brush, and one can FIJI gallon pail
with the big berries of Zigzag noun
tain in a very few minutes. On the
east side of the lake on the sides of
Butcherknife Ridge. as the range is
called. is a younger growth of buckle
berries of large area. Butcherknife
Ridge was burned over about 25 years
ago. The name originated from the
discovery by pioneer hunter of q
| butcherknife inbeded in rotting log
near the top of the ridge.
County roads are already completed
to the remote headwaters Of the West
Fork of Hood river. and while but few
families Of the city penetrate the for.
ests as far az Lost Lake, many OF
them have summer camps on some
branch Of the stream in the virgin
wilds. The women of number of To-
cal families spend the entire summer
months at these camps, the men, kept
at home by business affairs. motoring
out for the week end. Those who have
tried outings at both places declare
that they prefer that of the Lost Lake
country to vacation on the seashore.
The road leading to the Upper West
| FOrk Oh t1OOu EiNcTs WuiSh VIII S.S"se
ally be travelled In reaching Lost Lake.
has its points of scenic attraction, chief
OF which is the DEVILS Punch Bowl,
where at the foot of a small falls the
swirIinR waters of the West Fork have
secured from basalt columns gigantic
round basin. The great columns rise
a sheer 100 feet on one side OF the
seethipe bowl. At this season OF the
year steelhead and chinook salmon, ir
their endesvors to jump the 10 foot
falls, furnish an interesting spectacle
for the sightseer. Many OF the Rrea'
fsh succeed In negotiating the cascade
and hurry away to the headwaters Of
the river to spawn.
Automobilists at the present tint
reach the snowline of Mount Hood b,
the toll road leading to Cloud Cap Inn