Susan Emerson Nutter CORBETT, Oregon - The wonders of the Columbia River gorge area near Portland, Oregon, cannot be denied. It is a favorite vacation destination for many and was a vital waterway for those who came to settle in Oregon so many years ago. With its waterfalls, hiking trails, sweeping views, and clear waters, visiting the Gorge makes for a memorable experience. And this is just how Samuel Lancaster, Assistant Highway Engineer for Multnomah County (where the Gorge is located) felt in 1913. He was the supervisor for the Columbia River Highway project, loved the beauty of the area, and wanted travelers to experience it as well. Enter the Vista House. Along the highway was Crown Point promontory; an ideal spot for, as Lancaster described it, “an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia could be viewed in silent communion with the infinite.” Lancaster also wanted the observatory to be a respite; a comfort station for both the tourist and the traveler of the Columbia River Highway, and so the Vista House became a reality. Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Vista House opened to the public in 1918 to much fanfare; and why not? The Vista House sits 733 feet above the Columbia River and currently overlooks the much traveled I-84 highway (once the Columbia River Gorge Highway) and the Gorge. A stop at this historic landmark is a must, not only to walk through the Vista House, but to take in the beauty of the Columbia River from such a vantage point; easily one of Oregon’s most inspiring views. The Vista House sits atop Crown Point, also once known as “Thor’s Heights;” a basalt promontory shaped by the same volcanic lava flowers, floods, and winds that carved out the Columbia River Gorge. Crown Point was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1971, and the area is protected as a state park property known as the Crown Point State Scenic Corridor. And while the Vista House was built as a rest stop for those traveling on the old Gorge Highway, care was also taken to make it a memorial to all of Oregon’s pioneers; especially those who made their way to the area via the Columbia River. According to information found at www.vistahouse.com, the Vista House was described by its architect, Edgar M. Lazarus, as “a temple to the natural beauty of the Gorge.” The structure has long been recognized for its historic significance and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The Columbia River Gorge Highway; funded by the most wealthy and well-known citizenry of Portland, was dedicated on June 6, 1916, at Crown Point and was called a “tremendous feat in highway construction. It is said the purpose for building the highway was to “reconcile nature and civilization” meaning people wanted to be able to get from point A to point B more easily with as little damage to the stunning scenery as possible. In December of that same year, the construction of the Vista House began, but not without some struggle. No state dollars were allocated for the project. Instead, its funding was dependent on funds provided by Multnomah County and donations from the private sector. In the end, the county provided all but about $4,000 for the project. “Edgar Lazarus designed Vista House as an example of modern German architecture, or the German equivalent of Art Nouveau. Native Italian craftsmen who built retaining walls and bridges for the Columbia River Highway laid its foundation,” according to thevistahouse.com Multnomah County road master, John B. Yeon, headed up the build of the Vista House whose structure is 44 feet in diameter and 55 feet high. The exterior is gray sandstone. The roof is made of matte-glazed green tiles. Most of the interior of the rotunda is light cream and pink Kasota limestone (marble), including the hand-carved drinking fountains. The inside of the dome and its supporting ribs were painted to simulate the marble and bronze originally planned for the structure. “Tokeen Alaskan Marble was used to surface the floors and stairs in the rotunda and as wainscoting on the basement walls. Attached to the wall just below the dome, eight busts of four unidentified Native Americans are aligned so that each mirrors its own likeness,” literature on the Vista House explains. “The upper windows are greenish opalized glass. The rotunda windows are also greenish opalized glass with clear glass in the viewing areas.” Poems are also located in the rotunda on the pillars of the Vista House and include; “So prodigal has nature
been with us; so lavishly has she spread her feasts at our banquet table. We have been apt to feel that these glories would be never ending.” Governor Olcott’s 1921 message to the legislature “Discovery is an adventure. There is an eagerness, touched at times
with tenderness as one moves into the unknown. Walking the wilderness is
indeed like living. The horizon drops away, bringing new sights, sounds and smells from the earth.” William O. Douglas (1898-1980) “We live within a heritage
beyond our computation. Will we tilt the cup until it runs dry or build for
a day beyond our day?” Samuel Boardman Quote from Chester H. Armstrong’s 1965 book History of the Oregon State Parks “We call upon the mountains,
the Cascades and the Olympics, the high green valleys and meadows filled with wildflowers, the snows that never melt, the summits of intense silence, and we ask that they Teach us, and show us the Way. We call upon the forests, the great trees reaching strongly to the sky with earth in their roots and the heaven in their branches, the fir and the pine and the cedar, and we ask them to Teach us, and show us the Way.” Chinook Invocation – Quoted in Edward Goldsmith, The Way, 1992 It is interesting to note commercial activity has taken place; Cross & Dimmitt produced and sold postcards within the Vista House, since its opening. A gift shop and concession stand has also been in operation since 1918 making for some interesting finds for those who collect travel-related items. A change came in 1982 when the Friends of the Vista House were formed. This group of volunteers work in cooperation with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to not only educate the public who stop, but operate a Museum Gift shop and raise funds for any interpretive or restoration projects. A stop at the Vista House is a must for any traveler exploring the Columbia River Gorge area. Walking through the structure as it celebrates its 100th anniversary makes the visit even more memorable. Contact: www.vistahouse.com.
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