At this point, the former military road, built through the Gorge in the 1870's, skirted the bluff immediately ahead. However, when the Oregon and Washington Railway and Navigation Company line was constructed in 1883, the old road was obliterated.
In 1914, Lancaster solved the problem by tunneling through the obstacle.
In 1948, the Oregon Highway Department filled the tunnel with rubble and re-routed the highway around the point.
In 1914, the river came to the tracks, then located where the current highway runs around the north end of the bluff. In 1948, when the old CRH tunnel and bridge were decommissioned and the highway rerouted, the road took over the old rail grade and the tracks were moved onto new fill to the north.
So, the current CRH alignment around the bluff, according to Mershon, is on the old alignment of the 1782 Military Road.