After Lang Canyon, I started wondering... did US 30 just follow the current rail grade all the way into Arlington? Looking at the first photo above, the answer is... sort of. The second photo, though, shows how much of the original cliff has been removed. The CRH there is clearly blasted away forever, or underwater...

In the above photo, you can see the line of the CRH running just under the "921" inscription at the top left corner of the image.

Oregon State Archives: A 1940 Journey Across Oregon

ARLINGTON, 46.5 m. [West of Hwy. 730 Junction] (224 alt., 601 pop), first known as Alkali, was given its present name by N. A. Cornish in commemoration of the home of Robert E. Lee. The first dwelling was erected on the site in 1880 by Elijah Rhea, and the town of Alkali was platted two years later by J. W. Smith. The town was incorporated in 1887. Ducks and geese are plentiful in the vicinity; the open season is from October 21 to November 19, inclusive. Hunting rights are often rented from the ranchers at $8 to $10 a day. The Arlington Ferry (cars, $1 ; round trip, $1.50) makes connections with Roosevelt, Wash. At Arlington is a junction with State 19.

"Arlington is one of the cities which was relocated during the creation of Lake Umatilla by the John Day Dam’s construction. When dam construction was started in 1958 Arlington was moved approximately ¼ mile south, up the canyon, to its present day location, Earl Snell park is approximately where the old town was located.(Pictures?) The John Day hydroelectric project officially started service on July 16, 1968, but construction on the dam was not completed until 1971."

"In the early 1960s, when the John Day Dam was built, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers relocated much of the town to higher ground. A new central business district was constructed on compacted fill on top of the original location. Homes and the grade school were rebuilt on the surrounding hills, and a new port and recreation facilities were built on the Columbia River. A ferry operated between Arlington and Roosevelt, Washington, until 1974."

Below, after the reconstruction of the Columbia River Highway...

Wikipedia: Arlington, Oregon

Originally named Alkali, Arlington came into existence as a place for shipping cattle down the Columbia River. It was incorporated as Arlington by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on November 20, 1885.[7]

Following the completion of the John Day Dam, the original location of Arlington was moved to higher ground in 1963 to avoid the resulting inundation.

Arlington was the birthplace of musician Doc Severinsen, best known as the musical director for the American television program The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1967–1992).

...

Arlington is home to a sizable waste management landfill, notably receiving all of Seattle, Washington's trash and some from Portland, Oregon.[10] In March 2010, Waste Management announced their plans to build a waste incinerator using an experimental plasma gasification technology next to their landfill. The incinerator would be built in conjunction with the controversial company, InEnTec, whose efforts to build such incinerators in California and elsewhere have met fierce protest.

The Shepherds Flat Wind Farm and controversies about it emerged in 2009 and 2010, with completion originally scheduled for 2012.[11]

Links

Arlington Community Chamber of Commerce: History

http://www.visitarlingtonoregon.com/history/

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