Historic Hood River
Then and Now
5-7-2019
Notes
Here’s a fun “then and now” of the Columbia River Highway. This is the bridge at Bridal Veil Falls from an Ella May Davidson album. You can see how much vegetation has grown in 100+ years, and how much pavement has been added to that road bed.
L.E.
Interesting. It shows how much excavation actually took place, that we can no longer see.
Arthur
I believe it was Sam Lancaster who said a road should “Lay lightly on the land.” I think this image shows it took a little work to help it “lay lightly”.
Kenn
Before and after are always interesting and appreciated ~
Tom Kloster
Lancaster’s decision to build a solid wall on an unremarkable bridge here is odd, given how he generally celebrated stream crossings and waterfalls (Bridal Veil Falls is just below the bridge) with graceful designs that emphasize the views. I think this might be because the view here was pretty industrial when the highway was constructed. A tangle of log flumes and cables descended over the top of the falls, and the scene below was a jumble of mill rooftops and smokestacks. So I think he might have been framing the view across the river, instead, screening the foreground with a solid wall.