Historic Hood River
Mt. Hood from Loop Highway
11-15-2021
Notes
This postcard shows a familiar view from the Mt. Hood Loop Highway, though it looks like the road hasn’t been paved yet. Based on the style of postcard I think it is from the 1930s or 1940s. Check out the timber guardrails.
L.E.
Isn’t Laurel Hill the one they talk about was so terrible for the Oregon Trail (Barlow Rd) wagons?
Beautiful guardrail.
ArthurB
I’m not familiar with the term "Laurel Hill" but this view seems to match the view just south of Bennett Pass.
Spinsur
Happy Alva Day day!
Basaltgrouse
There is a Laurel Hill west of Government Camp and I am thinking that the postcard image was taken from there looking up the Zigzag canyon. This theory would work if the original road followed the alignment of what is now FS 39.
Henry Gerhard
It looks like Mississippi Head on the SW side of the Mountain is almost dead center of the photo
L.E.
Laurel Hill. http://columbiariverimages.com/BarlowRoad/barlow_road_laurel_hill.html
Dave
Nice link L.E. That’s a hole that’s going to trap me for a while.
ArthurB
Our friends at ODOT believe this image is from the latter half of the 1920s, as it shows the original road configuration with rough hewn guardrail and gravel roadbed. They have sent me maps explaining how this road segment was realigned multiple times. My Google Maps view is way off– I’ll update it when I have a chance.
LWH
More history on the Mt. Hood Loop Highway and another look at the same shot in a postcard labeled, Mt. Hood from Buzzards Point. The end of page 1 on this website has a pic of the postcard. https://www.mounthoodhistory.com/category/mt-hood-loop-highway/
L.E.
What a great history page LWH. Thanks. I had never heard of Kelso, Oregon nor the Aschoff family.
You are right. That post card is definitely a replica of Arthur’s photo.
Tom Kloster did a blog in 2020 about the Mount Hood Loop Highway. There are some maps and he mentions Buzzard Point which is at Barlow Pass and a ways east of Laurel Hill. https://wyeastblog.org/tag/buzzard-point/