COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE
VISTA HOUSE AT CROWN POINT
April 18, 2022
Perched 693 feet above the Columbia River is Vista House. This viewpoint on US Highway 30 in Oregon was the site of the 1916 dedication of the Columbia River Highway, the innovative European-style road that traced a winding path through the perilous Columbia River Gorge, linking Portland and The Dalles.
Vista House opened in 1918 as a glamorous rest stop and observatory for those traveling the new highway. This “comfort station” was a rest stop like no other, featuring marble floors, stained glass windows — and, of course, a stunning view. In the words of The Oregonian, it was “the finishing achievement for the greatest highway in America.”
PHOTOS
(Click on Photo for a Larger Image
Viewed from Parking Lot
The 55-foot-high structure of gray sandstone and glazed green tiles sits atop one of Oregon’s most inspiring vantage points. Today was a grey, rainy day.
Rotunda
Inside Vista House are rare Alaskan marble floors and stairs. Daylight shines in through the amber-green-colored glass onto walls of creamy limestone and stone panels carved with the names of settler families.
Rainy Day View of the Columbia River Gorge
Vista House provides views of the city lights of Portland to the west, and a faraway bend in the river twelve miles to the east. Interstate 84 can be seen below Vista House. Flat and straight I-84 (six-lanes) replaced windy US 30 (two-lanes).
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COPYRIGHT
These photographs are the property of Leon Jackson and are protected by copyright laws. Photographs may not be downloaded or reproduced in any way without the written permission of Leon Jackson. © 2022 Leon Jackson. All Rights Reserved.
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5 comments:
Your photos remind me of our stop at Vista House, and what a remarkable “rest stop” with stunning views! We willl be heading that way in a couple weeks for our Road Trip over to Idaho, up the Salmon leading us through some of our favorite haunts in Montana. We’ll have to make a rest stop along the way, thanks for sharing your inspiration.
Thanks for sharing Leon, I wrote the above.
Awesome ....
Nice shots, Leon. I have stopped there many times.
Happy to see you are on the road again and sharing your adventures with us!!
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