Vista House stands on the promontory at Crown Point, an octagonal stone observatory with a domed roof, arched entry, and a stone terrace with a curved stair in the foreground. The Columbia River Highway, opened in 1916, carried early motorists along the Oregon side of the gorge to this overlook, and the building itself opened two years later as a rest stop and as a memorial to Oregon pioneers. The Portland studio Cross & Dimmitt photographed the new landmark for tourists making the drive.
Vista House, Crown Point, OR, circa 1918, postcard, c. 1918. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/vista-house-crown-point-or-circa-1918. Accessed November 2, 2026.
