A roadside attraction from a different era
Mt. Hood Indian Pageant – A lot has come and gone along the old Mount Hood Loop Highway.
The route—Portland to Hood River along the Historic Columbia River Highway, then south on present-day Highway 35, returning via Government Camp and Highway 26—once offered more than just scenery. It was an experience. A full circuit around Mount Hood that people didn’t rush.
Today, the loop can be driven in a day with little more than a fuel stop and lunch. But there was a time when that same trip might stretch into a week. Travelers lingered. They stopped often. And along the way, a string of roadside attractions competed for attention—lodges, restaurants, curio shops, and staged experiences designed to pull travelers off the road.
Most of that activity built steadily before World War II, then surged afterward. Returning soldiers, improved highways, and a growing middle class created a new kind of traveler—families with cars, time, and a willingness to spend both.
One of the more unusual—and now largely forgotten—attractions from that period was the Mt. Hood Indian Pageant at Brightwood.
Building a frontier attraction at Fort Barlow
In 1947, Max and Virginia Gilroy set out to create something different along the highway. With help from friends and participants from the Warm Springs Reservation—along with performers from the Umatilla Reservation and others—they constructed a stockade-style attraction they called Fort Barlow, located just beyond Brightwood along the Mount Hood Highway.
The concept was simple and very much of the time: build a frontier-style setting and present staged programs based on Native life and traditions. Visitors were encouraged to stop, walk through the grounds, and stay for the performances. Advertisements promoted “Pageant Performances Daily” and encouraged travelers to “Bring Your Cameras.”
The site included a mix of entertainment and roadside amenities—an “Indian village,” curio shop, restaurant, saddle horse rides, and picnic grounds. It was designed as both a destination and a stop along the drive.
The performances: staged history and spectacle
At the center of the attraction was the pageant itself—a structured performance presented multiple times a day.
Programs described a series of scenes portraying life “before the coming of the white man.” The storyline unfolded like a play. Visitors watched daily life in camp, followed by the return of a wounded warrior, which set the stage for conflict. The village prepared for war, and in time victorious warriors returned with a captive, followed by a “scalp dance.”
Afterward, the tone shifted. Peace was restored. There were dances, a wedding ceremony, and the smoking of a peace pipe. The performance concluded with a final scene depicting the westward movement and loss.
Additional performances included dances such as the Swan Dance, Hoop Dance, and other ceremonial dances, along with demonstrations and storytelling.
Newspaper coverage at the time emphasized the participation of Umatilla performers, along with individuals from Yakima and even Navajo artisans who demonstrated weaving and silversmithing. Named individuals such as Chief White Cloud of the Cayuse were part of the attraction, along with elderly tribal members whose presence added to the authenticity presented to visitors.
To those in attendance, it was both educational and entertaining. But it was also clearly staged for a tourist audience.
A popular stop—for a moment
For at least a season—and likely into 1948—the Mt. Hood Indian Pageant drew steady attention.
Newspapers advertised regular performances, holiday shows, and special events tied to summer travel and the Fourth of July. Visitors could attend daytime and evening programs, explore the grounds, and photograph the participants freely.
It fit perfectly into the rhythm of the postwar highway. Families driving the loop would stop, spend a few hours, and move on. But like many roadside attractions of that era, it appears to have been short-lived.
What remains today
The Mt. Hood Indian Pageant didn’t last long. There’s little evidence it continued beyond a couple of seasons, and today there is no visible trace of Fort Barlow itself. The site—along what is now Brightwood Loop Road—has long since returned to private use, with homes occupying what was once a staged frontier attraction.
Without the surviving newspaper articles, photographs, and a few scattered references, it would be easy to miss entirely.
Looking back
The Mt. Hood Indian Pageant reflects a very specific moment in time.
It grew out of the postwar tourism boom, when roadside attractions were built quickly and designed to capture attention. At the same time, it also reflects how Native culture was often presented to the public—through staged interpretations shaped for non-Native audiences.
Today, its story stands as a reminder of both.
Like so many stops along the old Mount Hood Loop Highway, it came and went quickly. And now, unless you know where to look, it’s just another piece of ground along the road—quiet, ordinary, and holding a story that’s nearly been forgotten.
These photographs—taken and kept as souvenirs—are among the few remaining traces of the Mt. Hood Indian Pageant. Without them, the story would be much harder to understand.
Sources
- The Oregonian, July 3, 1947
- The Sunday Oregonian, July 6, 1947
- The Oregon Daily Journal, May–August 1947
- The Oregonian, 1948 seasonal advertisements and coverage
- Herald and News, April 23, 1948
- East Oregonian retrospective references (1972, 1997)
- Mt. Hood Indian Pageant promotional flyers (Fort Barlow, Brightwood)
- Assorted newspaper clippings – June 19, 1948