Towns
In the 1920s, development around Mount Hood was on the rise. The construction of the Mount Hood Loop Highway opened the southern side of the mountain to auto tourism, making it possible to visit Government Camp year-round — at least in theory
Located along U.S. Highway 26, Sandy, Oregon is the last major town before reaching Mount Hood. It serves as a gateway for travelers heading to ski resorts, hiking trails, and high country lakes. The town is small but active, with a population of about 13,000 and a long history of logging, farming, and outdoor tourism. Sandy is also a center of community life for nearby rural towns like Brightwood, Welches, and Rhododendron.
In the 1920s and ’30s, tourists came to Mount Hood for snow, scenery, and rustic lodging. But for a short time, they also came to see the Government Camp bears.
Just east of Portland, along the winding curves of Highway 26, sits Rhododendron, Oregon—a place not quite a town, but more than a roadside stop. Nestled in the folds of the Mount Hood National Forest, it’s a patchwork of tall trees, weathered cabins, and the kind of tight-knit community where everyone knows your dog’s name.
In 2009, I sat down for an interview with Bob Gambell at the Brightwood Tavern. Bob was a longtime resident of our mountain community, and he had lived a full, eventful life. In this interview with Bob Gambell we talked about the businesses he bought and sold, the changes he’d seen in Brightwood, and his late wife Lenna, who had passed away just a few years earlier.
