In 1995 and 1996, a host of festivals celebrated the sesquicentennial of an integral section of the
Oregon Trail, the Barlow Road. Samuel Barlow, an enterprising adventurer, blazed his own trail around
Mount Hood to the
Willamette Valley. Until he opened this toll road, the pioneers could only reach the valley via rented log rafts on the
Columbia River at
Lewis and Clark Portage.
Barlow offered an alternative to the perils of these primitive rafts; however, the route wasn't without its own dangers. The mountain's unpredictable weather was always a risk and at some point along the trail, wagons had to be lowered by ropes down steep chutes.
Click here to read more about The Barlow Road Today.
