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4 unusual facts about Historic Columbia River Highway


Columbia River Highway

Historic Columbia River Highway No. 100, a scenic highway built from 1913 to 1922 through the Columbia River Gorge

Historic Columbia River Highway

Hill was especially impressed by Switzerland's Axenstrasse, a road built along Lake Lucerne in 1865 that included a windowed tunnel, and wanted to build a similar scenic highway through the Columbia River Gorge.

The original highway was promoted by lawyer and entrepreneur Sam Hill and engineer Samuel C. Lancaster, to be modeled after the great scenic roads of Europe.

--photo of the Maryhill Loops here?-->The eventual highway was primarily designed by engineer and landscape architect Samuel C. Lancaster, a lifelong friend of good roads promoter Samuel Hill.



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