Building the Columbia River Highway : they said it couldn't be done Cover Image

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Building the Columbia River Highway : they said it couldn't be done / Peg Willis.

Willis, Peg, 1946- (Author).

Summary:

When nine-hundred-foot ice age floods carved the Columbia River Gorge through the Cascade Mountains to the sea, little space was left for man to form a highway of his own. It took an artist-poet-engineer extraordinaire to conquer this reluctant piece of real estate and produce the nation's first scenic highway. Meet Sam Hill, the mover and shaker, and Samuel Lancaster, the polio survivor, who turned modern engineering on its ear to create a "poem in stone." Today, Oregon's historic Columbia River Highway is hidden among the trees, where it meanders past spectacular waterfalls and dramatic views. Ride along with Peg Willis as she explores the beginnings of this miracle highway and the men who created it. Book jacket.

Record details

ISBN: 9781626192713
Physical Description: 186 pages : black and white illustrations, maps, portraits ; 23 cm.
Publisher: Charleston, SC : History Press, [2014]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references [pages (171)-182] and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Introduction: the Gorge of the Columbia -- The people -- Sam Hill: Larger than life -- Samuel Lancaster: Heart, soul and engineer -- Henry Pittock: The Portland Oregonian -- Sam Jackson: The journal man -- Simon Benson: Timber barron -- John Yeon: Prince of the woods -- Henry Wemme: Eager automobile owner -- Margaret Henderson: Hostess extraordinaire -- "Major" Henry L. Bowlby -- Oswald West: Future governor -- Julius Meier: Lawyer, merchant, another future governor -- On your mark, get set -- Lives intersecting -- Go! Constructing the highway -- Getting ready -- Multnomah County: Cliffs and waterfalls -- Hood River County: Crest of the Cascades -- Wasco County: Sunshine and dry air -- Paving the highway -- It wasn't all sweetness and light -- What came after -- Vista House -- Signs and lines -- Other roadhouses in the Gorge -- Highway maintenance and evolution -- What happened to the people? -- The highway today: what is past is prologue.
Target Audience Note:	N.L. Lexile.