Wyeth Mystery Road

Eastbound view, from above the HCRH, towards Wyeth and Shellrock as it crossed Wyeth Bench.From the 2009 ODOT CLI Presentation -http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/HCRH/docs/finalpresentation.pdf

February 5, 2020

I created this post to save the old text that I cut from the website. Current information on this segment is can be found at: https://sites.google.com/site/recreatingthehcrh/historic-columbia-river-highway/herman-creek-to-wyeth/multiple-crh-routes/hcrh---river-route/mystery-road-into-wyeth


May 21, 2014

Apparently when they straightened out the CRH in middle of the century, they dropped the new route a little lower along the current I-84 path. This road is marked on the 1957 USGS, running parallel to US 30, and it seems to match well with the route shown on the 1926 USGS map. Also, old traces of the highway along the westbound I-84 lanes end around where this grade begins.

The only thing preventing me from originally declaring this the HCRH route was that it could have been a grade created for rock fall protection during the construction of I-84, but since it predates the freeway and was a road at one time, the only real logical explanation is that it is the HCRH.

Unfortunately, there is no pavement remaining on it, which would have quickly resolved any debate.

The Wind Mountain photos below seem to match up fairly well, but from this distance and no existing landmarks on this side of the river, it is really impossible to tell if Markham's shot was from the existing old road grade or somewhere else near by...

December 12, 2014

But there is still the question on if the old road grade, marked in orange on the Google imagery and visible on the map above, is actually the old CRH or not.

For a while, I thought it was, but I am leaning away from that.

 I think this is a detour grade, maybe, from when they were leveling the grade east into Wyeth. Yes, it was still on the map for a bit, but...

Number one: There is no pavement. Only one "lost fragment", no matter how insignificant, has not had pavement, and there seem to be good reasons for that.

Number two: Markham No. 64 (below). This was shot right above the water. If this was the route, it would be back a bit from the river, at least further than the location of Markham's Wind Mountain shot. Because of this, I think the old highway probably about even with this grade, but tens of yards to the north, and has been excavated away.

This is going back to orange (uncertain) from yellow (certain, not drivable).