Blalock Port Road
Oregon State Archives: A 1940 Journey Across Oregon
Passing through BLALOCK, 55.4 m. [West of Hwy. 730 Junction] (216 alt., 16 pop.), US 30 threads the narrow gorge through which the Columbia has cut its channel.
http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/pages/exhibits/across/umatilla.html
May 2014
There may be a fragment at Blalock, though it seems a little steep. There's also an old rock cut west of there that may be old CRH. Mostly, though, it is underwater through the "narrow gorge" mentioned above.
Steve Hart, Upper Columbia River Highway Survey
Blalock Exit
Mile 136.6
Permalink: https://www.facebook.com/groups/483015922488601/permalink/729225577867633/
These old utility poles should look pretty familiar to folks who've studied a lot of old highway photos!
Blalock Port Road, Gilliam CountyPhoto by A. F. Litt, May 17, 2014
To the west, the old grade becomes a UP service road.
End of the Western Road's PavementBlalock Port Road, Gilliam CountyPhoto by A. F. Litt, May 17, 2014
July 11, 2020
Kirk and I checked this location out again earlier this spring, and we both agree that the grades on the hill are too steep for this to have ever been the main highway. However, I wonder if it was part of a junction for the Blalock Canyon Road? That would make sense, with the W rails and the level of engineering seen here, westbound and eastbound feeders leading to the road at the top of the grades? Seems plausible. The graveled Blalock Canyon Road dates back to at least 1934, and this would be a feature of the improved US 30.
