"Mile 11.4 [Westbound from St. Helens Road at NW Wardway and NW Nicolai Road]: Logie Trail Road"

March 24, 2020

For the last few days I've been getting sucked into too much research and new content and not enough repair work on the website. However, I have a hard time feeling guilty since this is the fun part of a project like this, not formatting, organizing, and re-linking photos... yuck and, with the shelter-in-place orders in effect, it looks like I'll be having more time for website repair than I'd originally counted on.

Anyway, forgive the self-indulgent navel gazing...

Working through the LCRH section of the website the last few days, I've been using Michael C. Taylor's Road of Difficulties: Building the Lower Columbia River Highway to structure and flesh out the website content. In his "Exploring the Highway" chapter, he gives a listing for this road, quoted above, and that is all.

It got me wondering why he would mention this road when he skips others, and I suspect it was to leave a little Easter egg for those of us willing to dig a little more deeply into the history around the highway. If so, we owe him thanks!

While little of the history around this road really has much bearing on the history of the CRH itself, it is fascinating stuff and definitely worth exploring. I've stuck mostly to the road history on this page, but I'll be sticking some more information up on the Sauvie Island page, and on a James & Isabelle Logie page in the People section of the website.

It's great stuff and definitely worth exploring in more depth.

CLICK HERE for more information on JAMES & ISABELLE LOGIE

Lyn Topinka, Logie Trail, Tualatin Mountains, Oregon

Logie Trail is an early native route which crosses the Tualatin Mountains linking the Columbia River lowlands to the higher Tualatin Plains. One mile upstream of Logie Trail lies Cornelius Pass. At one time the Logie Trail was the main trail connecting the Columbia River to the Tualatin Valley.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office (GLO) Records database shows Isabella and Heirs of James Logie being granted title to 640 acres of T2N R1W, Sections 6, 7, 8, 17 and 18, on September 9, 1866 (1850 Oregon-Donation Act).

The 1854 cadastral survey (tax survey) shows the Logie homestead on Sauvie Island in the northeast quarter of T2N R1W, Section 7. The 1862 survey shows the Isabella Logie Donation Land Claim on Sauvie Island bordering "Willamette Slough", today's Multnomah Channel. Across the channel is the claim of William Weatherbee.

Today's Logie Trail connects Oregon's Highway 30 with Portland's Skyline Boulevard. The eastern end of the Trail begins at Multnomah Channel "River Mile" 17. It runs along the southern side of Rainbow Lake while Morgan Road runs along the northern side of Rainbow Lake.

Forest Hiker: Exploring Oregon's Coast Range - Logie Trail (historical)

The Logie Trail may be the oldest trail in Oregon and may be part of a primeval north-south migration pathway leading from the Puget Sound across the Columbia and down the west side of the Willamette Valley. Sometimes referred to as the Indian’s West Side trail this route originated in the Puget Sound and crossed the Columbia River at Sauvie island. From there it crossed to the western bank of the Columbia River and ascended what is currently called the “Logie Trail”. No doubt, James Logie did much to improve the route, but the pathway must have predated him by thousands of years. The ascent climbing out of the Columbia River Valley would have been quite steep, traversing a rocky slope to the top of the escarpment. The far side was heavily wooded with occasional open patches ideal for hunting and growing huckleberry bushes. On the western side of the Range the trail emerged near the present-day Glencoe. From there it crossed the Tualatin River, a bit south of Forest Grove, near the village of Dilley. According to Robert Benson, an earlier researcher, the trail eventually reached the upper Siuslaw at Lorane, and from there entered into the Umpqua valley where it dissolved.

No doubt this was one of the most important north-south arteries that for almost 15 thousand years had been carrying people south from where they had crossed into this continent. James Logie was really only a recent caretaker of one miniscule portion of the path. But then again that too is a great honor, to support for just a short time, one of the primal movers of civilization!

"Logie Trail Road (Multnomah County) ... James Logie was one of the earliest settlers on Sauvie Island. He was a Hudson's Bay Company employee and was sent to the island about 1840 to take charge of butter-making in one of the company's dairies. He worked on the old Indian trail over the hills into the Tualatin Valley and made a better route out of it. It was named for him on that account. James Logie was born in the Orkney Islands. He died March 24, 1854, and his widow, Isabella, also from the Orkneys, married Jonathan Moar. ... Much of the original trail is now the route of Johnson Road."

"Logie Trail was [a] pioneer land route [for] whites in Oregon. It connected Tualatin Plains to Sauvie Island and was named for James Logie, Hudson's Bay Co. farm overseer on [the] island in [the] 1830s. On [the] NW corner of Helvetia Rd. and Logie Trail is [a] plot of land known to past generations as Cowaniah's Schoolyard. Here was [the] home of Cowaniah, an Indian whom legend records as leading Indians and whites in [a] successful battle against raiding Klickitats. In 1879 [the] first Helvetia School built here. No trace of it now [exists] and no longer does Helvetia have a school."

Patrick Ahern, James and Isabelle: A meandering history of Logie Trail Road

James [Logie] was well aware of the heavily traveled Indian trail across the water from the dairy. Climbing over the hills to the Tualatin Valley and eventually the Willamette Valley, he likely realized its great potential as a trade route, especially as a way to connect with the other company dairy located on Dairy Creek. Perhaps Isabelle also saw its worth as a route enabling her to continue ministering to the Indians living on the Tualatin Plains during the major epidemics of measles in 1847 and 1848, and smallpox again in 1853. The Tualatin tribe (also called the Atfalati) of the Kalapuyan Nation lived here and throughout the Willamette Valley. Having suffered an 80% mortality in the epidemic of 1830, there were still sufficient numbers living locally until the remainder were forced onto the reservation in Grand Ronde in the late 1850s. The census of 1910 reported just 44 Atfalati left on the reservation.

Although there is no written statement of James’ intentions in improving the trail over the Tualatin Mountains, it is assumed in local lore that these were his reasons for making major improvements to the trail, probably widening and straightening it at least enough to transport a small wagon or his wife’s carriage. From this time on, the trail bore his name.

...

In 1894, John Dickson and others proposed the establishment of Logie Trail Road as a county road so desired improvements could be funded by Multnomah County. The surveyor’s/viewer’s report follows: “The old Logie Trail Road is almost impassable for travel except with very light vehicles on account of the heavy grades which are in some cases over 20% which over the proposed new route the grades run from 7% to 10%. It can be opened up at a nominal expense and would be of great public utility.” On the sixth day of July, 1894, the lower part of Logie Trail Road officially became county road 606. (Road Book 3, p. 61) In 1910, Philo Holbrook, county surveyor, approved a request by one W. H. Pool for road improvements on the lower section of the road. He reported:

“We find that the present road was surveyed many years ago following along an old Indian trail. Grades and alignment were evidently thrown to the winds at that time. The few settlers were pleased to even get a trail. But today, a large and growing settlement are forced to haul up and down the Trail, with grades varying from 12 to 20%”. His solution was to relocate the road “along the south slope of the ridge, thus allowing the sun a full sweep, making it a dry road instead of the wet and steep road now in use”.

He felt he could maintain a grade of 7%, much easier for the farmers’ wagons to negotiate on their way to and from the railroad freight stations. The work completed, a Multnomah County map of 1912 shows a certified wagon road from Holbrook (St. Helen’s road) to the junction of Cornell Road. (Now known as Skyline.)

Improvements continued, and the county roadmasters map for March 1926 even indicates that Logie Trail was covered by macadam up to the last .2 mile; or, at the end of county owned timberland, to be more exact. The last major construction and repair on this lower section was completed in l940, probably accounting for the road we travel today. Logie Trail, once it reached the crest of the ridge, turned north, following the ridge, until reaching what is now known as Johnson Road. Logie turned westerly here, (as road 654) to the point of its intersection with what was to be named Pederson Road, (road 630). It then continued as Logie Trail southwesterly to the Washington County line, and past there to an intersection with Helvetia Road, continuing south into the North Plains area. Skyline Road continued along the ridge (road 407), but stopped shortly after the junction with road 654, not reaching Rocky Point Road until years later.

On March 23, 1934, the Multnomah County Roads Department funded a project to improve, widen to 60 feet, grade, and update Logie Trail (the upper portion), combining all of these portions of roadways into county road 1323, Logie Trail Road.

The introduction written for this project is quite interesting. A little unsettling is the reference to “Peter” Logie, but hopefully, the remaining is historically accurate: “A trail was opened along the route of this road by Peter Logie of the Hudson’s Bay Company about 100 years ago, running to the “Horse Ranch” of the fur company northeast of the old town of Glencoe. This trail became part of the California trail of the Hudson’s Bay company, and pack trains containing as many as 600 animals passed over it on the way to Southern Oregon and California. The U.S. Land Office plat of 1854 shows it as “Old Logie Road or Trail”. The first county road on the Logie Trail was established in 1883, as Road No. 327, extending from St. Helens road to the County line."

On April 19, 1934, the upper section of road became recorded and officially know as Logie Trail Road. It continued as such through Washington County, until it’s junction with Helvetia Road. Logie Trail Road is shown in the 1936 Metzger map as an improved road from St. Helen’s Road, to Skyline, to what is now Johnson, then southwest to the Washington County line.

So where did the name Johnson Road come from? Well, one clue is that the new Logie Trail project in l934 passed through the properties of 7 people by the name of Johnson. Perhaps more revealing though, since the 1936 Metzger County map still had the road names as originally registered, was the fact that seven large parcels of land had been purchased by the Skyline Land Company between 1927 to 1936 that had no immediate road access to Skyline, Logie Trail Road, or Rock Creek Road; in other words, they were landlocked..

Through some mysteriously propitious event, Beck Road was constructed in 1937, allowing access to those properties. The l944 Metzger map then shows the change of Logie Trail Road to Johnson Road, and the addition of Beck Road to the mix. According to the county road jackets (one for each road), both Logie Trail Road and Johnson Road (the same road) were established and certified on April 19, 1934 as county road 1323. Some maps even show both names.

Lorene Dunsmoor, "Some History of North Skyline Ridge"

There were very few living up here in the early 1930's; There was a Mr. Bob Munson who lived on Logie Trail road now known as Johnson Rd. He was a logger and had several loggers working for him who lived in small cabins on his place.

Logie Trail started at what is now called St. Helens road, at that time it was called Lower Columbia Highway, or Highway 30 (which it still is) Logie Trail followed the trapping trail of Mr. Logie and Mr. Kegler; who, with other adivities, trapped these hills from Highway 30 almost to Forest Grove.

Mr. Kegler told us about Logie Spring and said that many bears were taken in what he called a bear wallow there. He was surprised to learn that most of the people that lived up here in the thirties were hauling water for their animals and household from the spring. We were looking for a place to get out of town over the weekend and Mr. Kegler was disposing of what land he had left up here also some of his heirs. It was my understanding that Mr. Rice and Mr. Munsons land at one time belonged to him as did the Satchell land. There were also a Mr. & Mrs. Danielson who owned land and lived further north on Skyline, past what is now Johnson Road (old Logie Trail). Skyline continued on North till it intersected with Rocky Point road, which at that time was not more then a trail. I do not believe it was even rocked.

At one time there were two Logie trails coming up from st. Helens Road, One came up the ridge higher and steeper then the one we now use. I always thought it was probably the original·trapping trail, as Lyle and I tramping over these hills ran on to it many times, and had been told how the original one was so steep for the horses and wagons,

When we first came up here Logie had only two turn-outs. You had to back to one of them so two cars could not pass, and it looked a lot steeper than it does now. There was no shoulder nor timber to keep one from going a many hundred of feet if you got off the road, almost straight down. It did make good and careful drivers out of us.

We have the WPA to thank for widening and fixing Logie also for widening and improving Skyline and Beck Road. They did a fine job on the banks of Logie. Many of us worried that it would slide as it does on Cornelius Pass, but it never has. We tip our hats to the engineers for doing such a fine job that has stood up all these years even with heavy truck traffic that travels it.

Beck road was improved a little later. At that time there were not many living at this end of it. Mr. & Mrs. Paul Howerton, Mr. & Mrs. David Ballinger and a Mr. & Mrs. Allan. Further down there was a Mr. Emmery and Mr. & Mrs. Kenney.

...

Some things that might be of interest is that Mrs. Logie was known as a midwife and doctor and delivered babies from Sauvie Island clear to Forest Grove, both in Multnomah and Washington Counties.

Mr. Keigler operated a coal mine and the tracks- or parts of them- were still here in the 1940's. That was between Logie Trail and Morgan Road. I never got to see them but have been told there was a huge forest of cedar trees on the river side of Skyline at the the Maplethrope Place near Elliot Road and Skyline Blvd.

Roger Gregory, The Oregonian: Paths linking past and present

Cornell. Meek. Scholls Ferry. Washington County road names that pay tribute not just to homesteaders who tilled this land, but also to descendants who still live and work here... Many roads are named after families who settled here in the 1850s on donation land claims. Other names credit those who came later and made their mark.

Pioneers immediately recognized the need for better roads. An 1854 law required every man in the county, ages 21 to 50, to donate two days of labor a year to road work. No-shows were fined $2 a day.

...

Helvetia Road [West end of Logie Trail]:

Helvetia, the Latin name for Switzerland, pays homage to the ethnicity of those who settled here.

Many Swiss immigrants arrived as part of the 1876 Siegenthaler Migration. Samuel Siegenthaler and his 72 Swiss followers left their country seeking religious and financial freedom.

The day after arriving in Oregon, Siegenthaler and others walked to Cedar Mill and secured land for settlement. Soon Swiss populated the area, most owning dairy farms.

Forest Hiker: Exploring Oregon's Coast Range - Logie Trail (historical)

Another name is associated with this trail, and that’s “Chief Cowanich”, who had settled with his band near the Helvetia Rd [off US 26 in Washington County, near Rollof. Like so many others, he had signed on to work in the Pacific Northwest and had been shipped in from the Hawaiian Islands. But he’d either tired of working directly for the HBC, or had retired and created his own community in Washington County. The Hawaiians lived in a tidy community outside the fort, and they constituted the fort’s main source of reliable manpower. This practice of importing Hawaiian began with the earliest shipments of spars delivered from Fort Vancouver to Oahu in 1828. Indeed, even on the first voyage in which the Columbia River was positively identified, a Hawaiian prince stood alongside Captain Gray as they finally crossed the bar – he was an honored guest aboard a ship that depended on the goodwill of the Islanders. They were shipped in from the islands by the hundreds during the 1830’s and soon became adept at working with the local tribes. Not surprisingly some Hawaiians went native and built their own communities.

One such settlement grew up around the Hawaiian chieftain, Cowanich. About two miles north of Helvetia Rd, on the Logie trial is the location of “Cowanich’s Schoolhouse” – the place where his people gathered in the winter. In the fall of 1859 the news of that Chief Quarterly’s Klickitat marauders were operating in the area spread quickly. Cowanich, whose own claim lay squarely athwart the raiders path wasted no time and assembled a posse of local Indians and several of his white neighbors to repel the raiders. They rode up the western slope of the Logie Trail looking for the horsemen. Near the top, close to present-day Bishop Road, they caught up with the retreating Klickitats. Wild shots were exchanges at some distance, and surprisingly Cowanich’s horse was hit, throwing the chieftain to the ground. But the Klickitat’s had seen enough and weren’t about to stick around for a gunfight involving white settlers. That marked the last of the infamous Klickitat raids south of the Columbia River using the Indians’ Westside Trail.

Morning Oregonian, September 17, 1920

SUNDAY HIKE TO BE TAKEN

The Trails club will take the North Bank train at 7:20 A.M. Sunday for Rocky Point and will hike back into the hills from this point. Return to Portland from same point by 3:54 P.M. train. This trip will include part of the old Indian Logie trail and commands a view of the Tualatin, Willamette and Columbia river valleys. D.P. Wells is the leader.

Morning Oregonian, October 23, 1920

Community service hikers will leave the St. Charles hotel, First and Morrison streets, at 10 A.M. Sunday for a trip to Logie trail. Each member is requested to carry two meals and canteen. Expense of the round trip will be $1.

Links

CLICK HERE to continue exploring the highway