Columbia River Highway near Hood River, OR, circa 1915

About this postcard

The Columbia River Highway curves along a cliff face above the Columbia River near Hood River, Oregon. A stone retaining wall and arched guardrail follow the contour of the rock, evergreens crowd the slope above the road, and the river lies below. The road was the first planned scenic highway in the United States, built through the Columbia River Gorge between 1913 and 1922 so that travelers would see the gorge rather than simply pass through it. Its stone walls and arched railings became the road's signature, and much of the original route survives today as the Historic Columbia River Highway, the name it now carries. Hood River, the seat of Hood River County, sits on the Columbia in the middle of the gorge, with an orchard valley behind it that was already producing apples, pears, and cherries when the road opened.