Ellahurst
On the banks of Devils Creek (Tumalt Creek)... Sounds lovely, especially with the debris slides that hammer this area continually... Never built.
Interesting, though, the un-built roads are apparently still on the current survey maps, looking at the map for some property in the Friends of the Gorge Land Trust in the area.
"Hash marks show protected land surrounding land trust property (in red) across from Beacon Rock."
McBride, Katie. "'Ancient Subdivision' Land Now Protected." Friends of the Columbia Gorge Newsletter. Spring 2011. 6. https://assets.gorgefriends.org/images/annual_reports_and_newsletters/spring2011.pdf Accessed May 6, 2020.
Katie McBride, 'Ancient Subdivision' Land Now Protected
During the early 1900s, construction on the Historic Columbia River Highway was underway, triggering plans for subdivisions and development on both sides of the Gorge. One of the largest proposals slated for the Oregon side was called the “Ellahurst subdivision,” renowned for its stunning location directly across from Beacon Rock, which the developers touted in their promotional materials.
The Ellahurst project was envisioned right along the Columbia River Highway, between the base of the Gorge face and the river. Fortunately it never got off the ground, and eventually Multnomah County designated the area that had been slated for the subdivision as a “geohazard” zone, due to its potential for landslides. The designation proved prophetic in February 1996, when heavy rains and significant warming caused massive mudslides in the area. A nearby house was swept away in the slide, finally coming to rest just a few hundred yards from Interstate 84, where its broken frame still lies atilt today.
Nearly 100 years after the Ellahurst subdivision was planned, the property was still zoned for residential purposes, carrying the risk that it could be logged and developed. In 2005, Friends founder Nancy Russell bought the 1.6-acre parcel that had been coveted for development, and bequeathed the property to Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust.
In 2009, the Forest Service bought the remaining parcels of Ellahurst land. Nancy’s acquisition, combined with the Forest Service’s purchase, effectively stopped any possibility that the Ellahurst “ancient subdivision” would ever be developed.
McBride, Katie. "'Ancient Subdivision' Land Now Protected." Friends of the Columbia Gorge Newsletter. Spring 2011. 6. https://assets.gorgefriends.org/images/annual_reports_and_newsletters/spring2011.pdf Accessed May 6, 2020.
Links
Friends of the Gorge:
"'Ancient Subdivision' Land Now Protected." Friends of the Columbia Gorge Newsletter. Spring 2011.
https://assets.gorgefriends.org/images/annual_reports_and_newsletters/spring2011.pdf