The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-08-09
VALLEY ROUTE FOR
HIGHWAY SOUGHT

At a meeting of business men and
orchardists, held at the Commercial
club last Thursday night and presided
over by l.. A. Henderson, a committee
consisting of the following men was
appointed to confer with the State
Highway Commission and seek to Sc
cure the location of the Columbia Riv-
er Highway between this city and
Mosier over the gorge top instead OF
along the foot of the Columbia river
bluffs: DR.. ]. d. Cutlery, Rev. W.
A. Sunday, Leslie Butler, Z. o.
Blanchar, P. S. Davidson, W. L.
Clark, J. l.. Carter, c. A. Bell, l.. A.
Henderson and Walter Kimball. Men,
bers of the county court, Judge Blow
ers and Commissioners Hawkes. and
Hannum. are ex officio members of the
committee.
While the general opinion had pre-.
vailed here that the State Highway
Commission had in effect chosen the
river route, it was announced that no
decision had been reached in the mat
ter. W. E. Eddy, engineer for the
Highway Commission in charge of the
Columbia River Highway section be-
tween The Dalles and Astoria, who
was present at the meeting, stated
that crew of engineers was now busy
taking two reconnaissance surveys OF
the road between here and Mosier.
While survey made two years ago by
j. A. Elliott, an engineer for the State
Highway Department, penetrated the
valley for approximately two and a
half miles, neither of the new surveys
will 60 to the south far enough to per.
NIT motoring tourists to get "a glimpse
of the fruit belt. Mr.. Eddy stated
that he understood that cost of con.
struction of the Highway over the
routes proposed would have consider.
able weight with the Commission.
Truman Butler asked the visiting
engineer if the policy, in sthe location
of the road, of providing the tourist
with vantage points of scenic beauty
would be ruling one with the Com.
mission. Mr.. Eddy replied that he
wasn't in position to answer the ques-
ton. "The adoption of policies rests
with the Highway Commission" he
said. I'VE members of the engineer.
ing department receive our orders and
endeavor to obey them to the best OF
our ability"
Both Mr.. Butler and Walter Kimball,
who perhaps expressed more graphic
ally than any others the viewpoint of
the Hood. .River men who desire that
the Columbia River Highway be de.
toured over the hills east of here,
claim that such routing of the scenic
road will not only be a benefit to the
Hood River valley but that it is such
as the travelling public, if they had a
comprehensive idea of the situation,
would demand, since by the hill route
only will the motoring tourists be
brought in contact of vision with the
orchards, which will offer meritorious
variety of scenery.
Members of the county court, who
attended the meeting and made short
talks, express the hope that the High
way will be. routed through the val
ley's edge, because by such location
the county will be relieved of the ulti.
mate construction of new grade up
the east side of the Hood river gorge,
The court proposed, if necessary, tx
bear part of the expense of construc,
ton and maintenance of the Highway
provided.it::be put over the hill. 1t is
further argued that a part of the
Highway, if located over the hill, NAV
be used as link in the proposed loop
road around Mount Hood connecting
the Hood River valley with the old
Barlow road.
A feature of the meeting was the
criticism directed at local newspapers
for an alleged support of the all river
route.