This perspective gives a hint of the difficulty of constructing the Mitchell Point Tunnel circa 1915. The bore appears to be complete, but the viaduct to connect with the Columbia River Highway several hundred feet to the west has not been started. There's just a simple wood ladder in its place. We'll post a later view tomorrow.
Category: [default]
Tags: 1910s Columbia_River_Highway Davidson road_construction
It's odd how times change. Now days, you probably would not be allowed to bore a hole through a rock in the Columbia River Gorge and if you did, you would not be allowed to later destroy the hole in the rock to build a highway down below.
l.e. on 7th June 2011 @ 7:19am
This is the first time I've seen this photo, although I have seen others that show the tunnel BEFORE the viaduct was in place. I'm writing a book on the construction of the Columbia River Highway through Multnomah, Hood River, and Wasco Counties. It's due out in April.
Peg Willis on 3rd January 2014 @ 2:19pm