Columbia River Gorge

By Amy Gale

The Columbia River Gorge is one of the great beauty spots of the Pacific Northwest. America’s fourth largest river flows through an 80-mile canyon of precipitous cliffs, majestic fir trees, and pounding waterfalls.

All that sublime landscape was lost on the pioneers who embarked on leaky rafts nearly two centuries ago. To them, it was a treacherous waterway, the final ordeal on the Oregon Trail. “Rained most all day,” wrote one pioneer mother in 1847. The next day’s journal, “Rainy day.” And so on, until the entry which reads, “Rain all day. This day my dear husband died.”

Those hardships were remote to the day-trippers cruising up and down the river in steamboats a generation later. The future of the gorge as a tourist destination was in place by the late 19th century. The river was politically important because it formed the border between Oregon and Washington, and it was a vital link to the inland farms and orchards. But any development would have to take into account the value of its natural wonders.

In 1913, construction began on the Columbia River Highway. It was located on the north bank and incorporated the latest advances in engineering with an appreciation for the picturesque. The intention was not purely aesthetic. “We will cash in, year after year, on our crop of scenic beauty, without depleting it in any way,” said Sam Hill, who was president of the Washington State Good Roads Association.

The highway attracted a following among nature lovers in the 1920s, when it was described as the “the finest scenic drive in the world.” Best of all, it was paved. You can still dawdle along the old Columbia Highway. The road hugs the woodsy crags. Waterfalls swing into view. In the distance is Mount Hood.

Alternatively, there is Interstate 84, the “new” road, which follows the river. The route is efficient and gives the visitor a close view of the Columbia. The fearsome wind that made navigation so perilous is felt close to the riverbank.

The choice of road depends, in part, on the size of your car. The hilly and meandering twolane highway was designed in the era of the Model T, while the interstate is suited to the larger modern vehicle.

Scenically, the western half of the gorge is the more

Continued on page 8

Pennsylvania

Richard L. Dotta Auction Co.

Route www.dottaauction.com 610-759-7389

“HORST AUCTION CENTER”

Public Sale

DAVID & JOYCE BAHNEY ESTATE - ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES, HOUSEHOLD GOODS

SATURDAY, MARCH 11 • 9:00 A.M.

Preview Times – Friday, March 10, 2:00 P.M. thru 5:00 P.M. and Saturday, March 11 from 7:00 A.M.

*The following is just a very general list of items to be sold. Photos representing the entire auction will be posted on our website www.horstauction.com on Friday, March 10 (preliminary photos are available now).

Sale to be held at Horst Auction Center, 50 Durlach Road, EPHRATA, PA 17522 (The corner of Rt. 322 & Durlach Rd., approx. 2.5 miles west of Ephrata)

ANTIQUE & VINTAGE FURNITURE: Blanket Chests; Painted Jelly Cupboard; INLAID WALNUT CHEST OF DRAWERS; LARGE CHERRY CORNER CUPBOARD; Miniature Inlaid Chest; SOFTWOOD - Dry Sink; Washstand; Shopmasters Desk; Cobblers Bench; VICTORIAN. REPRODUCTION FURNITURE; MODERN FURNITURE: NICE SELECTION OF HENKEL-HARRIS; STICKLEY; HENREDON; HICKORY Sets; APPLIANCES & KITCHENWARE; CLOCKS & LAMPS; METALWARE; SILVER - LARGE SET OF GORHAM STERLING FLATWARE; VINTAGE 25¢ ONE ARM BANDIT; COPPER/BRASS; CAST-IRON; TINWARE; AGATE; ANTIQUE TOLEWARE; WOODENWARE - LARGE PAINTED DECORATED CIGAR STONE INDIAN; FOLK ART DICE ROLLER WITH DICE; CHINA & GLASSWARE - Gaudy Dutch; Leeds; Stick Spatter; Bisque Figurines; Chalk Parrots; Victorian China; Staffordshire Transfer; Soft Paste; Strawberry; Set of Wheel Pattern Ironstone; Royal Doulton; Minton Bone China; Transfer Ironstone; Gaudy Ironstone; Chintz China; Hummel Figurines & Plates; Cut, Pressed & Pattern Glassware; Early Blown Glass; Sandwich Glass; POTTERY - Decorated Stoneware; REDWARE; Rockingham; Majolica; Art Pottery; LINENS & TEXTILES - Antique Patchwork Quilts & Comforters; Woolen Coverlets; Large Framed 1848 Elizabeth Bare Sampler; Patchwork Pillowcases; 1929 Linen Sampler; Hooked & Braided Rugs; 48 Star US Flag; ANTIQUE & VINTAGE CLOTHING; BOOKS & PAPER - Leatherbound Books; Vintage Children’s Books; Family Bibles; Early Myerstown Newspapers & Adv. Ephemera; Boy Scout Books; Sports Illustrated (Early Dates); ESTATE & COSTUME JEWELRY; ARTWORK; CHRISTMAS & SEASONAL DECORATIONS; COCA-COLA COLLECTIBLES; TOYS - Painted Rocking Horse; Push Sleigh; Teddy Bears; Cast-Iron Toys; Sheet Metal Trucks; Tonka Trucks; Marx Toys; Carrom Gameboard; Dolls; TOOLS & PRIMITIVES; Other Items To Be Sold.

Esteemed

AUSTIN, Texas – The 222-lot auction features the collection of Timothy Koock of Fredericksburg, Texas, and includes an impressive array of religious art, icons, Indigenous African art, artifacts, tools and ceremonial objects from the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of Mr. Koock’s most treasured pieces were acquired at Sotheby’s and Christie’s auctions. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. https://kings-auctions.com/

Online Only

GUARDIAN ESTATE ANTIQUES &

COLLECTIBLES

YORK, PA 17403

ONLINE NOW FOR BIDDING

Closing Wed., March 15th starting at 6:00 P.M.

Great folk, Americana, primitives, York, PA art and collectibles... 600+- lots.

This home is filled with Antiques / Vintage Furnishings and Collectibles…sitting and gathering dust for years! Oak Spool Cabinet, Step Back Corner Cupboard, Oak & Pine Washstands, Jelly Cupboard, 1920 Singer Sewing Machine with original base, Dry Sink, Original Watercolors / Pastels / Oils (many from York, PA artists), 1925 Pfaltzgraff Reclining Lamb, Redware (Foltz, Breininger, Karen Cahill, Eldreth), Crocks (Pfaltzgraff, Keystone, Crown), Pottery, Chinese Sewing Baskets, Woven Baskets, Early 1900s Bottles, Early Mason Jars, Shaving Tins, Advertising Tins, Toleware, Slag Glass Light, Slaw Boards, Wash Boards, Sterling Silver, Pewter / Pewterex, Wilton Armetale, Vintage Christmas (Shiny Brite), Disco Ball...MORE!

Shipping available on smaller items.

Inspection Sun., March 12th from 12PM

– 4PM. Pick up by appointment only

Sat., March 18th from 9AM to 4PM. Not comfortable bidding online? Not a problem!

Call Jennings Auction at 717-268-0020 to place absentee bids for you.

Columbia River Gorge

rewarding. Keep pushing east, past the rain shadow, and the topography changes. Now you’re driving by grassy dry lands. The views are less magnificent, though, by way of compensation, the region is home to many wineries.

Continued from page 7 social and architectural ambitions. It was decided to build an observatory that would also serve to be a memorial to the pioneers. An architect was hired. The costs rose. According to the Taxpayers League, it was the most expensive comfort station ever built.

For the visitor limited to a morning excursion, Multnomah Falls and Crown Point Vista House are the principal sights. Both can be reached from Portland in less than one hour.

The falls are drive-offthe-road beautiful. The prudent thing to do is park the car and walk the short trail to the pedestrian bridge located halfway up the 600foot drop. More arduous trails are open to the adventurous. For the hungry and sedentary, there is Multnomah Lodge, a restaurant with waterfall views. The stone structure was built in the 1920s, and that time is evoked in the plain and comfortable dining room with a wood-burning hearth.

Less than ten miles away is the Vista House at Crown Point, which offers a panoramic view of the gorge. The experience is visually and physically powerful. Because of the wind, the small and frail need to be securely moored to the terrace.

The origins of the lookout were practical; there was the need, in those early days, for a rest stop to accommodate the many motoring parties. The absence of facilities was felt to be a hardship for the ladies. A wood and concrete structure was planned.

Rapidly, though, the project grew to accommodate a host of

The planning and construction coincided with the last years and the prehistoric prototype. For one, the Neolithic builders did not have the convenience of working with poured concrete. Then there is the terrain. The Goldendale Stonehenge is set amidst rolling sagebrush and cloudless blue sky. the war. Sympathy was strong for Romania, an allied country that suffered under German occupation. It was the occasion for Fuller to introduce Spreckels to Queen Marie while Spreckels introduced Fuller to Hill. It was also the occasion for Hill to renew his acquaintance with Queen Marie. The queen’s American friends were active fundraisers. In 1919, one year after the war ended, Hill traveled on a supply ship to Romania. of World War I. While farmers and businessmen were protesting the price of the mahogany stall doors, soldiers in France were suffering the horrors of trench warfare.

Nearby is Hill’s house. It is a chateau-like structure made of concrete, Hill’s medium of choice. Hill never realized his grand plans for its furnishing and equipment. His financial losses brought construction to a halt in 1917.

A monument to the local men who died in the war is in the town of Goldendale, at the eastern end of the gorge. It is a fullscale replica of Stonehenge. When the site was dedicated in 1918, it was erroneously believed that the original Stonehenge had been built for human sacrifice.

“Humanity is still being sacrificed to the Gods of war” was the message of Sam Hill, who commissioned the monument. There are, of course, differences between this Stonehenge

That the house should be turned into a museum came at the suggestion of Loie Fuller, an American avant-garde dancer. Fuller was at the center of the circle of larger-than-life characters who befriended the frontier eccentric. She enjoyed an intense and controversial friendship with the alluring Queen Marie of Romania. The queen appreciated Fuller’s experiments with lighting and costume. In turn, her artistic and literary efforts were encouraged by Fuller.

Another friend was Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, the San Francisco artist’s model who married a sugar magnate. The basis for this friendship was the sculpture of Auguste Rodin. Fuller was a promoter and agent for the artist. She introduced Rodin to Spreckels, who went on to form a large collection of his work.

Hill was a Quaker, though his morals were more “friendly” than Society of Friends. There was a Mrs. Hill, but she was a shadowy figure who does not seem to have played an important role in his life. He was at ease with these unconventional women.

The web of friendship was strengthened and completed by

In thanks for Hill’s help, the queen agreed to attend the dedication of his museum in 1926. The ceremony was one stop on her 50-day tour of America. It was an extraordinary occasion that brought together the incongruous quartet of royalty, business, and bohemia. Hill, Fuller, and Spreckels joined the queen on her private train for the last part of her journey to Goldendale.

The occasion was also extraordinary because there was no museum. There was an unfinished and empty house. Hill was a showman, not a connoisseur. What really mattered was securing the queen’s attendance at the ceremony. The locals had never seen anything like it. The gratin of Portland society came, as did a convoy of local people from miles around. The “curious and interesting building” (the queen’s words) was decorated with bunting and flags, and there was a red carpet borrowed from a Portland hotel.

A certain skepticism can be inferred from one reporter’s use of quotation marks around “Museum of Fine Arts.” Indeed, the museum opened to the public only in 1940, nine years after Hill’s death. By then, Fuller and Queen Marie had also died. Spreckels, the sole survivor, was an active trustee and generous donor.