Simon Benson

"While Sam Hill is often mentioned as 'the father of the Columbia River Highway,' another individual, because of his efforts in getting the project underway, deserves accolades as well, Simon Benson, who made a fortune in Northwest forests, not only promoted the highway, but made significant contributions of time and money to expedite the work, both before and after construction began. His vision and philanthropy preserved significant and priceless areas for public access and use."

"As far as the highway was concerned, if Sam Hill was the 'spark plug,' Benson provided the gas."

"Simon Bergerson, born in Norway October 7, 1852, came with his family to the United States at age 16. An older brother, John, had emigrated five years earlier, taken a job in the Wisconsin woods and saved sufficient funds to pay for his family's passage to America on a sailing vessel. Once settled in Wisconsin, the family simplified its surname, changing it to Benson. In order to repay his brother for his passage, Simon took a job as a farm laborer. Once that obligation was paid, he married Esther Seale and opened a store in Lynxville, Wisconsin. In 1879, though the store had prospered, it burned with Benson's entire stock of merchandise. The loss was not covered by insurance, which necessitated his starting anew. Undaunted, Benson decided to move to Oregon, where he obtained work at a logging camp in Northwest Oregon."

"Working for lumberman John Beavis on Tide Creek allowed him to save enough within a year to make a down payment on 160 acres, secure credit, and move his family to Columbia County [in 1880, forming the Benson Timber Company]."

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

Within three years, he owned the land, equipment, and stock free and clear. In 1883, however, his wife became ill, and Benson sold his holdings for six-thousand dollars and moved to Colfax, Washington, seeking a dryer climate. Despite the move, his wife's health continued to deteriorate, and in 1890, she passed away, leaving Benson a widower with three children, Amos, Alice and Caroline. Upon Esther Benson's death, Benson decided to return to St. Helens, Oregon, where he re-entered the timber business.

Simon Benson soon entered into a partnership with Ordway and Weidler, to whom he had been selling logs. The partners purchased a large tract of timber, and built a logging railroad to transport logs from the woods. When the price of logs declined, both of Benson's decided to leave the business and sold their interests to Benson. Benson, always an innovator, experimented with using a donkey engine to yard logs, which practice he soon perfected.

Michael C. Taylor, Road of Difficulties: Building the Lower Columbia River Highway

Benson maintained several rough shanties near the falls [Beaver Falls] as headquarters for his crew. The group depended upon two sources of power to harvest the big trees: oxen and the water of Beaver Falls and Beaver Creek. Sometimes that power would fail, and he was finally forced to abandon his first camp because the volume of water was not great enough to carry the felled timber to the mills at Beaver Slough in Inglis.

"His experience while traveling Beaver Creek Road sowed the seeds for his later deep interest in improving Oregon's roads," wrote his daughter, Alice Benson Allen. "During the rainy seasons, travel was often a triumph over mud; wagons needed strong wheels. There was also the constant threat of being thrown from the wagon while going down the rough canyon past Beaver Falls."

As a businessman, Benson was always willing to try new things. For instance, he was the first to abandon oxen teams for locomotives, which reduced his costs by more than half. This gave him the capitol to outbid other operators for homesteaders' timbered property. "It wasn't long," said Benson, "before any homesteader who wanted to sell out would come to me. I always bought."

In addition, specially-constructed, cigar-shaped rafts holding as much as 5 million feet of logs each allowed Benson to cut his shipping costs by as much as $150,000 a year. In 1910, he sold his timber holdings and relocated to Portland, constructing the Benson Hotel and becoming involved in philanthropic work. Among his many projects was the Columbia River Highway.

Even though Benson's initial gift of $10,000 to construct a usable road around the base of notoriously unstable Shellrock Mountain in the Columbia River Gorge was a failure, it still stimulated interest in highway construction.

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Benson later financed a mile of the highway in Hood River County near the Multnomah County line. In 1914, when Hood River County balked at the cost of construction in their vicinity, Benson underwrote a $75,000 county bond measure and pledged to pay any amount in excess of the construction costs.

"When Hood River County issued seventy-five thousand dollars in highway bonds that went unsubscribed, Benson purchased the entire issue."

"As a member of the original Columbia River Highway Association formed by Sam Hill, Simon Benson took his involvement seriously, donating the land around Multnomah Falls and Wahkeena Falls to the citizens of Oregon for recreational use."

"...when the highway came through, this area, formerly called 'Columbia Heights,' was the scene of a confrontation between a landowner and Multnomah County. Highway workers found 'No Trespassing' notices placed along the path of the right-of-way. A meeting ensued, attended by Simon Benson, at which the owner was told that the County 'could not afford to pay more.' In response, 'Benson put his hand on his pocketbook and from there he took $100 and added to the sum that the court allowed and (the property owner) agreed to let them go.' ("Columbia Heights," Gresham Outlook, September 20, 1914.)"

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

According to "Oregon Routes of Exploration," published by the Historic Preservation League of Oregon, Samuel Lancaster, while hiking the trail to reach the falls with Simon Benson, remarked, "Wouldn't it be nice if there was a footbridge across the lower waterfall, with a path up to it?" To which Benson replied, "How much would it cost?" Lancaster calculated the cost on the spot, and Benson immediately wrote a check, saying, "Then go ahead and build it."

Erected in in 1914, the Benson Footbridge, named for its benefactor, replaced an earlier log bridge over the chasm.

"In 1915, a seemingly small event quietly took place in the far western reaches of the Gorge. Portland lumber baron Simon Benson purchased 300 acres of land at Multnomah Falls and donated it to the City of Portland. ...Portland opted to develop the area into a pleasant wayside stop for travelers, a park to provide 'rest and refreshment.'"

Michael C. Taylor, Road of Difficulties: Building the Lower Columbia River Highway

When work ground to a halt on the lower highway in Beaver Valley, Benson argued passionately for funding, but when it was not forthcoming, he donated $21,000 of his own money to get the ball rolling.

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As late as 1917, the Beaver Creek Bridges had not been completed (the last would not be finished until 1920). Temporary timber spans served to carry road workers back and forth. While traveling over the route with Herbert Nunn, Simeon Benson was greatly disturbed by the difficult Inglis detour.

"The first effort of the commission in finishing the highway," Benson said in 1917, "will be in putting in the bridges across Beaver Creek so that the grade between Delena and Inglis can be used."

Benson backed up his words by donating $21,000 of his own money to get the ball rolling. The impetus was just what the state needed, and an additional $50,000 was quickly budgeted toward macadamizing the Clatskanie-Delena section.

Benson's interest in the Beaver Valley was personal. He had been one of the first to enter it in search of a living. Working for lumberman John Beavis on Tide Creek allowed him to save enough within a year to make a down payment on 160 acres, secure credit, and move his family to Columbia County [in 1880, forming the Benson Timber Company]. In 1888, desperate for money to cover debts related to nursing his sick wife, he turned to the area of meandering Beaver Creek.

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...his initial camp and lumber mill were atop Beaver Falls.

Benson was appointed chairman of the State Highway Commission in 1917.

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He also constructed also constructed the famous Columbia Gorge Hotel in 1921 and personally took rake in hand to help spread the "hot stuff" mixture during the paving of the highway at Rowena [a ceremonial gesture during the dedication festivities there marking the completion of the paving of the highway].

"At an observance near Rowena June 27, 1922 [at Mayerdale, I believe], Simon Benson, honored for his role in bringing the highway into existence, ceremoniously spread the last bit of paving mixture that completed the paving of the highway from Astoria to The Dalles."

"Knowing the ill effects of the use of alcohol, Benson donated twenty bronze drinking fountains [Benson Bubblers] to the City of Portland so that loggers and other citizens would have easy access at several locations within the city to Portland's famous pure water."

"Benson had received no formal schooling, and his greatest regret in life was his inability to interest son Amos in higher education. 'There is nothing in the world I would not do,' he said in 1959 [uh, Taylor, he died in 1942!?!], 'if only I could persuade him to go to school.' This failure may have explained his efforts to create Portland's Benson Polytechnic High School."

"His legacy is recognized in the Gorge by such namesakes as Benson State Park and the Benson Footbridge at Multnomah Falls. (While tempted to include the Benson Plateau above Cascade Locks, that geographical feature was named for Thomas C. Benson, former local landowner with business interests in the Union Stockyards, Portland.)"

"Benson State Park, classified as a 'minor' state park, was so named in honor of Simon Benson, a zealous and untiring worker for the development of the Columbia River Highway, who gave most liberally of his time and substance to make it a reality."

"Through the continued generosity of Mr. S. Benson a broad cinder path and another beautiful concrete bridge have been built at Multnomah Falls."

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