The Summit

Clarence E. Mershon, East of the Sandy: The Columbia River Highway

In May 1914, just past Knieriem Road, a small diner... that came to be known as 'The Summit,' opened as an ice cream parlor. Managed by Laura Ross, it was built by Frank Knieriem and Earnest A. Graff. Miss Ross, daughter of Jim and Mae Ross, served light lunches, coffee and ice cream.

Knieriem helped build several of the buildings in the vicinity, including the Chanticleer Inn, the Ross' barn and the Hanneman barn and home.

By May, 1915, Jim Ross had added a gasoline filling station, and announced that he would "also carry a few automobile tires and accessories" (Gresham Outlook, May 4, 1915). The "Summit" soon became another landmark on the highway. Subsequently, other owners managed the enterprise. Of these, Eva 'Ma' Hammer is the most remembered. She purchased the business and ran it for many years as the 'Summit Tavern.'

In the early '70s the building was demolished by the State Highway Department.

“There was a place to eat – it seemed like every two miles. They were on the side of the road between Chanticleer and the Vista House where the road goes up Larch Mountain. Right in there was a restaurant on that bluff, and then there was Latourell with a place to eat, and a place near Shepherd’s Dell. I think it was called the White Elephant or something like that. There was just a place every so often, where you could stop and get something to eat.”

"As is indicated by notes, this is N. Hammer, the owner of the place. His wife ran the place and most likely made the chili."

July 21, 2020

This photo really shows how different the forests around the original highway back in it's early days. Fires and logging had decimated the forests in the Gorge in the decades before the construction of the highway, and in many places along its route, what are now shady, gentle curves surrounded by trees would have been dramatic, sweeping views up and down the river, with the narrow ribbon of the highway clinging, almost magically, to the bare, steep slopes of the Gorge.

In the future, I hope to go through and document the dates of what fire/fires went through back then. Just know this, the Eagle Creek Fire was not the first, or worst, to sweep through the heart of the Gorge.

"Just east of the [Women's Forum Viewpoint] in the curve of the road is the highest point along the highway. This area was once referred to as 'Summit' and sported a restaurant with a spectacular view for many years. It is now a popular photo stop."

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