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Pavement above the tracks, West Deschutes Route 2 Fragment
Photo by A. F. Litt, June 2, 2020
West Deschutes Route 2 Fragment and West Deschutes Pond Fragmentv.2020.008Google Earth Imagery Date: September 28, 2020
A. F. Litt, June 18 2022
A. F. Litt, June 18 2022
For most of the time I've spent working on the Columbia River Highway, I've been the one driving while out exploring the old road. One of the fun things this year has been riding shotgun with Kirk which gives me more opportunities to scan for the more subtle features of the highway without risking a crash!
For most of the time I've spent working on the Columbia River Highway, I've been the one driving while out exploring the old road. One of the fun things this year has been riding shotgun with Kirk which gives me more opportunities to scan for the more subtle features of the highway without risking a crash!
One huge payoff on our last outing was discovering a "new" fragment of the original Route 2 alignment between Celilo and the Deschutes Tunnel site.
One huge payoff on our last outing was discovering a "new" fragment of the original Route 2 alignment between Celilo and the Deschutes Tunnel site.
We'd just checked out the flooding on the West and East Deschutes Ponds and were racing the sun to do another scan for old mileposts on the Dalles to California Highway's Dufur Gap Road segment when I noticed that the cut we were passing through seemed a bit deep and new to belong to Route 2. With this in mind, I started scanning the north side of the current highway and, suddenly, through a gap in the cut next to the railroad tracks, I saw pavement!
We'd just checked out the flooding on the West and East Deschutes Ponds and were racing the sun to do another scan for old mileposts on the Dalles to California Highway's Dufur Gap Road segment when I noticed that the cut we were passing through seemed a bit deep and new to belong to Route 2. With this in mind, I started scanning the north side of the current highway and, suddenly, through a gap in the cut next to the railroad tracks, I saw pavement!
Boots on the ground for this fragment will need to come later, so consider the map below to be an approximation of what is out there, and it might not be much. Most of this old section of road was sacrificed to the realignment of the tracks in preparation for the filling of Lake Celilo behind The Dalles Dam.
Boots on the ground for this fragment will need to come later, so consider the map below to be an approximation of what is out there, and it might not be much. Most of this old section of road was sacrificed to the realignment of the tracks in preparation for the filling of Lake Celilo behind The Dalles Dam.
But, as the photo at the top shows, this is clearly old pavement that matches the profile of other cut-through segments of the old 1920s highways.
But, as the photo at the top shows, this is clearly old pavement that matches the profile of other cut-through segments of the old 1920s highways.
A. F. Litt, June 21, 2022
A. F. Litt, June 21, 2022
How do I come up with names for the various old highway fragments? For well-known ones, i look at what others are calling them and then go with that, or with what whomever first documented the fragment called it. After that, it's really just about finding something unique and descriptive as to the location of the fragment. And sometimes, left to my own devices, I don't really think things through well enough, as Brian Colburn pointed out with this fragment.
How do I come up with names for the various old highway fragments? For well-known ones, i look at what others are calling them and then go with that, or with what whomever first documented the fragment called it. After that, it's really just about finding something unique and descriptive as to the location of the fragment. And sometimes, left to my own devices, I don't really think things through well enough, as Brian Colburn pointed out with this fragment.
He commented, "One small issue. It's probably not a good idea to call this the West Deschutes Railroad Fragment. The reason is, historically there was a Deschutes Railroad, which was part of the UP system, on the east bank of the Deschutes River. And there is definitely a roadbed in existence coming down the canyon, then turning east , just south and parallel to the existing roadway."
He commented, "One small issue. It's probably not a good idea to call this the West Deschutes Railroad Fragment. The reason is, historically there was a Deschutes Railroad, which was part of the UP system, on the east bank of the Deschutes River. And there is definitely a roadbed in existence coming down the canyon, then turning east , just south and parallel to the existing roadway."
This grade is likely the west bank railroad, and the history of these two grades is fascinating! One of America's last railroad wars, and yes, there was some shooting involved!
This grade is likely the west bank railroad, and the history of these two grades is fascinating! One of America's last railroad wars, and yes, there was some shooting involved!
CLICK HERE for more information on the Deschutes Railroad War
CLICK HERE for more information on the Deschutes Railroad War
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