Cascade Locks

Cascade Locks and Bridge of the Gods

In the final chapter of her bestselling book, Wild, author Cheryl Strayed ponders her experiences on the Pacific Crest Trail while enjoying a soft serve cone at the Eastwind Drive-In at Cascade Locks, Ore. Located 40 miles east of Portland off Interstate 84, it’s the only town on the trail’s 2600-mile journey from the Mexican border to Canada, and the spot where the trail crosses the mighty Columbia River via the Bridge of the Gods.

The town, one of the oldest in Oregon, has long been a place where travelers needed to come to terms with their plans. An ancient landslide created a series of whitewater rapids and cascades that served as a major barrier in the river, forcing a long portage around them.  Lewis and Clark described the cascades as “…water passing with great velocity forming and boiling in a horrible manner…”,  and pioneers on the Oregon Trail had to choose between the hard trek over the Barlow Road, or facing the rapids in a make-shift raft with the possibility of losing everything.

 

In 1856, a portage road was built and mules carried freight around the cascades until they were replaced with the Oregon Pony, the first steam locomotive to operate west of the Mississippi. The Pony, described as an “ungainly contraption,” with its tiny engine carried around 200 tons of freight each day. Passengers rode in one small coach or aboard the flatcars.

Historical Museum

The era of portage railroad ended in 1897 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a series of locks to move river traffic around the cascades. Later, when the Bonneville Dam and Locks were completed during the New Deal, the waters flooded the old locks leaving only skeletal stone and concrete outlines, and stairs leading to nowhere.  What remains is now a National Historic Site and can be viewed at the town’s Marina Park, owned and operated by the Port of Cascade Locks. This attractive, riverside swatch of parkland is also home to the Oregon Pony which currently resides in its own glass-enclosed and climate-controlled structure.  Next to it, occupying the former lock tender’s house, is the Cascade Locks Historical Museum with three floors of artifacts and mementos from the region’s past.  

At the east end of the park are statues of Lewis and Clark guide, Sacagawea, and their canine traveling companion, Seaman. Next door at the Locks Waterfront Café is the docking site of the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler, a three-story replica of the ships that cruised the Gorge in the 1800s. Built in 1983 in Hood River, this 499-passenger paddle

Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler

wheeler offers narrated excursions, brunch and dinner cruises on the river between May and October.

A few miles downstream is an attraction well worth a short detour off Interstate 84.  While a working fish hatchery might not be on anyone’s top ten sightseeing list, the Bonneville Hatchery is located in a pretty, creek side setting with stone ponds, flowers, tall trees, and neatly manicured grounds, and receives over a million visitors annually.  The hatchery, opened in 1909, raises fall Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, and summer and winter steelhead. A self-guided tour leads visitors through the process. In the historic, wooden Egg Incubation Building, a small museum covers everything anyone would want to know about salmon and their fascinating life cycle. However, the biggest and best known attraction at the hatchery is Herman, a 70-year-old, 450 pounds, ten foot

Egg Incubation Building and Museum

long sturgeon. He and his buddies can be observed through an underwater, glass window. The adjacent Bonneville Dam and Locks also welcomes visitors.

Cascade Locks is the nearest town to a number of popular Columbia Gorge hiking trails.  In addition to the Pacific Coast Trail, there is access nearby to the Eagle Creek and Wahclella Falls trails offering some of the Gorge’s most spectacular scenery and waterfalls. This spring, a new mountain bike trail opened on the east side of town.

Herman

 

The Washington Side of the Columbia Gorge

From Washington, looking across to the more rugged Oregon side

Some say the best thing about the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge is the view of the Oregon side. Granted, Oregon has the dramatic waterfalls, precipitous cliffs, forested gorges, and historic highway. However, the less-visited Washington side can proudly boast about its own attractions, not the least being its sunnier, Southern exposure.

Highway 14 heads east from Vancouver passing the town of Camas. Over 100 years old, Camas has a history centered on its large paper mill. Despite the industrial appearance, the city has done an admirable job in creating a pretty downtown area with statues, restaurants, shops, and antique stores.

Up next is Washougal, best know for its Pendleton WoolenMill. Factory tours follow the process of creating fabric from bales of raw wool, through the dyeing, carding, spinning and weaving processes. An outlet store offers attractive discounts on clothing, blankets, and fabrics.

Cape Horn

A few miles beyond Washougal, the road enters the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Unlike the Oregon side with its fast-moving freeway, Washington’s road is twisty and two-laned, with no shortage of slow moving trucks. However, the stunning view from Cape Horn makes it all worthwhile. A small pullout on the right side of the road presents a sweeping panorama of the gorge and river that many consider the best view on either side.

Beacon Rock

Beyond the small town of Skamania, is Beacon Rock, the second largest rock in the world after Gibraltar. This core of an ancient volcano was named by Lewis and Clark who noted the spot as the first place they observed the ocean tidal influence on the Columbia River. In 1915, Henry Biddle purchased the rock with the idea of building a trail to the 848-foot summit. After his death, his heirs offered to donate the land to the state of Washington to be used as a park. The state did not like the terms of the donation, and turned it down. After the Army Corps of Engineers proposed blasting the rock to bits for building material for jetty construction, the heirs offered the property to the State of Oregon for $1. When Washington residents realized the possibility of an Oregon state park on their soil, they decided to accept the donation. Today, the big rock is safely in the Washington state park system and Mr. Biddle’s mile-long trail with 52 switchbacks still provides visitors a route to the summit and a great view.

Looming ahead and straddling both sides of the Columbia River, is the massive Bonneville Dam. The first of 14 federally funded dams on the river, it was built between 1933-37 as part of the New Deal’s Public Works Administration, providing jobs for the Depression’s unemployed and bringing electricity to the Northwest. Today, visitors can see underwater views of migrating fish, watch spinning turbines, and observe outdoor fish ladders.

Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center

A bit downstream from the dam is Ft. Cascades National Historic Site where a short, self-guided trail relates the story of the Cascades Massacre. In 1856, the fort here was attacked by local tribes, leaving six dead. The U.S. Army, under the leadership of Lt. Philip Sheridan, rode to the rescue.

In the nearby town of Stevenson is the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, an impressive, modern building of steel and glass. Inside, exhibits and films explore the Gorge’s geology, Native American culture, and history. There’s a 37-foot high replica of a fish wheel, restored sawmill steam engine, and Corliss bi-plane that delivered the area’s first air mail. The second floor is dedicated to the history of Skamania County and includes such oddities as the world’s largest rosary collection.

It’s worth spending some time exploring the town of Stevenson and its collection of antique shops, historic buildings, and restaurants. Their waterfront park is a good place to watch colorful kite boarders racing along the river.

Bridge of Gods

The Bridge of Gods crosses the Columbia River here to Cascade Locks, Oregon. Built in the 1920s, its  name is taken from several versions of Native American legends all having to do with various love triangles, competitive brothers, rival tribes, and an angry Great Spirit.

From here, the interstate offers a fast route back to Portland with excellent views of the Washington side of the Gorge.

Vista House

Look through any picture book of Oregon, and you can be sure there will be a photograph of the Vista House, perched on a promontory 733-feet above the Columbia River at Crown Point. With its awe-inspiring view and unparalleled setting, it serves as one of the most recognizable sites along the Columbia Gorge and a true Oregon icon.
The Historic Columbia River Highway was designed in 1913 to connect a series of waterfalls, scenic vistas, and natural wonders along the south side of the Columbia River, east of Portland. It was the first scenic road in America and combined traditional European and modern road-building techniques to create a spectacular highway that blended well with the landscape. Referred to as the “King of Roads,” it was a popular drive for early Portland motorists.
The story goes that Julius Meier, of Meier and Frank, had a summer home in Corbett at the western edge of the Columbia River Highway and one day took a group of ladies for a Sunday drive along the recently completed road. During the outing, it became obvious to him that there was a dire need for a comfort station or rest stop somewhere along the route. He immediately presented the idea to the Multnomah Board of County Commissioners. Samuel Lancaster, the county engineer who had supervised the building of the Columbia River Highway, had already expressed interest in constructing a building at Crown Point. He wanted “an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia could be viewed in silent communion with the infinite.”

Early plans called for a simple concrete and wood rest stop to serve travelers; a modest structure costing about $17,000. Edgar Lazarus, a Portland architect, designed Vista House in 1915 in the German Art Nouveau style and, thanks to the leadership and inspiration of Portland’s movers and shakers, the indistinct comfort station evolved into the beautiful building of today. The floors, stairs and wainscoting were covered with rare Tokeen Alaskan marble; the interior of the rotunda was lined with creamy, pink Kasota limestone; the inside dome was painted to resemble marble and bronze; gray sandstone was used to face the exterior; green tiles covered the roof; and the upper windows were designed with greenish, opalized glass. Of course, all these improvements and embellishments came with a high price tag, and by the time the building was completed, the costs had soared to over $100,000. County taxpayers who ultimately had to pick up the tab became increasingly disgruntled, leading one local newspaper to refer to the project as “the most expensive comfort station in the world.”

Despite the protests, the building was dedicated on May 5, 1918, amid much hoopla. For years, it served as a rest stop for motorists, a monument to Oregon pioneers, and an architectural treasure on the historic Columbia River Highway. Its location at the highest point along the road also made it vulnerable to the extreme weather conditions of the wind-swept Gorge. Over time, rainwater seeped into the rotunda damaging the marble wainscoting, stained glass windows, and terrazzo floors. Well-intentioned but ill-conceived attempts to weatherproof the structure actually caused more damaged. Vents were covered, windows were replaced with double-pane glass, skylights were covered with concrete. These repairs trapped moisture inside the building and the interior began to deteriorate badly. Crumbling masonry and falling tiles created a danger to visitors and Vista House was closed to the public in 2001.

Fundraising by local public and private agencies including Friends of Vista House and Oregon State Parks Trust helped generate the $4 million needed for repairs. The original daylighting design and natural ventilation systems were restored; a new glazed green tile roof was installed, new energy efficient restrooms and a sanitary system added; stained glass replaced; new interpretive exhibits and security system were added; and the building was made ADA accessible for all to enjoy.

Maryhill Museum

Take one wealthy road builder, one granddaughter of both Queen Victoria and the Tsar, one fabulously rich sugar baroness, one Folies-Bergeres dancer; shake together and add an impressive chateau, life-size replica of Stonehenge, French fashion mannequins, icons from Tsarist Russia, Rodin sculptures, and an assortment of peacocks. The result: one rather bizarre cultural attraction, right here in our backyard.
Maryhill Museum is located on the Washington side of the Columbia River on an arid bluff overlooking the rolling fields of Oregon. About 100 miles east of Portland, it was once described by Time Magazine as “the world’s most isolated museum.” To prove the point, a road sign a few miles east advises no gas for the next 82 miles.
How a major art facility ended up in such an odd setting is the story of one man’s vision, along with the help of a trio of extraordinary female friends. Sam Hill was a lawyer, entrepreneur, railroad executive, philanthropist, and road builder who had the dream of creating a utopian agricultural community where the “western rains meet the eastern sun of Oregon and Washington.” In 1907, he purchased 6,000 acres along the Columbia, naming the site Maryhill after his wife and daughter. Seven years later, construction began on an imposing 18th century, Flemish chateau similar in style to his Seattle mansion.
Because of the remote location and lack of a dependable irrigation system, the farming community failed and Hill’s interests took him elsewhere. During his world travels, he became friends with several fascinating women. Loie Fuller, a famous modern dancer, had connections with the Paris art scene including Auguste Rodin, and persuaded Hill to turn his unfinished mansion into an art museum.
Another friend, Queen Marie of Romania, showed her gratitude for Hill’s assistance to her country during and after World War I, by dedicating the empty museum in 1926. Her royal visit and entourage, including trunks of artwork for the new museum, created quite a stir in the national press.
After Hill’s death in 1931, it was another friend, Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, who supervised the completion of the museum. The heiress of a San Francisco sugar fortune, she provided many paintings and other works of art from her personal collection. The museum opened to the public in 1940.

Today, it offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy an eclectic assortment of art objects found nowhere else. The first floor is filled with Queen Marie’s gilded furniture, throne, jewelry, family photos, and the gown she wore to the coronation of the last Russian Tsar. Another room features a small yet impressive collection of Orthodox icons, many donated by the queen.

Upstairs is an exhibit, Theatre de la Mode, a collection of 1946 haute couture fashion miniatures. In post-war Paris, supplies were so scarce the major French design houses resorted to using dolls scaled to one-third size to show off their new lines. The show traveled around to all the fashion capitals of the world and somehow ended up here in the middle of nowhere. On the bottom level is the internationally recognized Rodin collection of sculptures and watercolors. A display of more than 200 historic and unusual chess sets; large exhibit of Native American baskets, bead work, and other crafts; and memorabilia of Loie Fuller complete the collection.

Outside, the lushly landscaped grounds feature an outdoor sculpture garden with works by contemporary Northwest artists and a shady picnic area decorated with wandering peacocks. But the most eccentric of Sam Hill’s creations is about four miles east of the museum. Here, at the end of a gravel parking lot, on a bluff 600 feet above the Columbia River, is a full-scale, cement replica of Britain’s Neolithic Stonehenge. Raised as a Quaker and pacifist, Hill was deeply touched by the devastation of World War I and built this monument as a memorial to local Klickitat County soldiers killed in the war.

A Visit to the Poor Farm

If tax preparation has left you feeling it's time for a visit to the poor farm, there’s one close to Portland uniquely suited for those taxpayer blues. It even boasts of a brewery, distillery, and winery all within walking distance.

Edgefield, located in Troutdale, about 20 minutes east of Portland, is the lovingly restored, reincarnation of the old Multnomah County Poor Farm. Begun in 1911, the farm provided a refuge for the county’s indigent population.

At its peak in the 1920s and 30s, the farm operated a dairy, cannery, meat packing plant, and was successful in providing enough food to feed its nearly 500 occupants as well as the county jail, hospital, and juvenile facility. The extensive grounds included the brick main building where the residents lived, as well as many service buildings and barns.
During World War II, the population increased with the arrival of sick and wounded soldiers. But, the boom times after the war, along with changes in the social welfare system signaled the decline of the poor farm. Caring for its growing elderly and sickly population created a shift in focus and the farm was renamed Edgefield Manor in the late 1950s. Over time, the land was leased to a local farmer, the dairy herd sold, and the main lodge became a nursing home.

The cost of upgrading the aging facility was too much for the County, and residents were moved into private facilities with the last one leaving in 1982. The empty buildings soon became a popular target for vandals and graffiti artists. Eventually, the County concluded the structures were dilapidated beyond repair and should be razed.
The local historical society challenged this decision, thus setting off years of bureaucratic battles. Finally, the farm was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, saving it from destruction, but not from continuing deterioration.
In 1988, the McMenamin brothers, owners of several pubs and breweries in Oregon, toured the facility, saw its potential, and bought it from the County for $500,000. It took years of renovation and reconstruction to upgrade the property to its current grandeur.
Today, Edgefield is the crown jewel of the McMenamins’ microbrewery empire. In the Main Lodge, the old dorm rooms have been converted to over 100 bed and breakfast rooms ranging in price from $30-$175. The men’s dining room is now the Black Rabbit Restaurant, while the women’s dining room is the ballroom, a popular venue for weddings.

To remove some of the institutional feel of the building, the walls, doors, and even exposed pipes are covered with paintings by local artists. A walk down the corridors is like a visit to an art gallery. Whimsical murals run the entire length of the third floor and reveal the history of the farm as does the mural surrounding the Black Rabbit restaurant. Free guided tours help sort out the symbolism and tell the tale of some of the more colorful guests.
The old Power Station has been converted to a cozy pub serving hamburgers, and other pub fare. A sampling of six beer varieties, some produced at the brewery next door, is available. Beverages and food may also be ordered in the adjacent 125-seat movie theater for a “brew and view” experience.

In front on the main lodge, is a three acre Pinot Gris vineyard. These grapes as well as tons of other Northwestern grapes are crushed here annually to produce 18,000 cases of wine. The winery, located in the former infirmary, provides a cozy seating area for tasting wines amongst the fermenting tanks.

If that isn’t enough to do, there’s the distillery bar, beer garden, golf course, herb and vegetable gardens, massage studio, and gift shop. The overall atmosphere is very casual and guests are encouraged to wander and explore.
The property is ideally located at the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge with its spectacular vistas, waterfalls, and hiking trails. If a tax refund is on the way, there’s plenty of temptation in the antique shops, outlet mall, and galleries in nearby Troutdale.