Back before Welches became a destination it was a ranch, Samuel Welch and his son Billy homesteaded adjoining 160 acre sections of the Salmon River Valley on the southern side of Mount Hood.
Uncle Sam Welch’s Ranch in Welches Oregon
Category: Mt Hood Loop Highway
Mt Hood Indian Pageant
In 1947 a soldier that had returned from the war had the idea to set up a fort and to recruit Indians from Umatilla to come and setup and encampment and show tourists the ways of the Native American. He and his wife Virginia, with help from friends, put all that they had into building the Mt Hood Indian Pageant.
The Wistaria Farm Inn
The Wistaria Farm Inn, located near Cherryville, Oregon, east of Sandy, was one of many roadhouses along the old Mount Hood Loop Highway (now Highway 26). During the early days of automobile travel, these roadhouses provided food and lodging for travelers exploring the scenic route around Mount Hood.
Reliance Mt Hood Stages: First Autos to Mount Hood
In the early days of the road to Mount Hood, after the immigrant era, the road allowed the burgeoning new city of Portland to access the mountain for recreation. Mountain climbing and hiking the trails in the foothills in those days was the primary activity in the area. Skiing had yet to become an activity on the mountain.
Six Horse Mt Hood Area Sightseeing Carriage Photo
Before the days of automobiles sight-seers were taken over roads at the base of Mount Hood in equipages such as this. The late E. S. Olinger, known as one of Oregon’s most noted drivers is holding the reins.