1910: "...Multnomah County started construction of a road from Bridal Veil to the Hood River County line. A dispute with the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company concerning the right-of-way stopped the effort."
1912: "Governor Oswald West provided prison labor to Hood River Company to construct a road around the base of Shellrock Mountain, but the effort failed because of difficulties presented by its talus slopes. Simon Benson donated $10,000 to help fund this experiment. However, the effort stimulated interest in building a highway through the Gorge, as envisioned by Sam Hill."
February 1913: "Hill invited potential backers of the highway (including the entire Oregon legislature) to his Maryhill Estate to view the Estate's newly built, paved-road system constructed under the supervision of Samuel Lancaster. Later that year, Multnomah County Commissioners hired Lancaster as Consulting Engineer on Hill's recommendation."
November 12, 1913: "County Roadmaster John B. Yeon proposed extending Baseline Road (Stark Street) from Troutdale Road to the "automobile club's resort" on the Sandy River."
Simon Benson handed Governor Oswald West $10,000 to establish a convict camp of “honor men” to build a solid road around Shell Rock. By Spring it was done. But with the first jar, down fell the walls on the railroad track below.
“Here! here!” cried the O.W.R. & N. officials. “This will never do! No road can be built above us! All your money is wasted.”
“No,” Simon Benson decided, “the money is not wasted. It has served a good purpose. It shows we must have intelligent engineering skill.”