brightwood

Fires, Fear, and Fighting Back: The Week the Forest Burned Near Mt. Hood

Zigzag Ranger Station 10-14-1952

It all started late in the season around midnight on October 13, 1952. The forest around Mt. Hood was as dry as a bone. Trouble came, starting south of the Mt. Hood Highway just east of Rhododendron. Flames popped up near Yocum Falls, moving their way down through Laurel Canyon and stretching toward Flag Mountain. At first, officials thought a tree falling on a power line might have been ignited the fire. The Sandy Electric Company asserted that the initial fire at Yocum Falls might have been caused by men violating the hunting ban rather than a 33,000-volt power line.

A second fire broke out from wind blown embers near Still Creek along the north slope of Zigzag Canyon, threatening summer homes in that area. The fire caused landslides and loosened large rocks at the top of ridges, sending them toward the Zigzag River, making the situation more even more dangerous for firefighters.

Homes in Mt. Hood Region Threatened by Forest Fires

By Tuesday, October 14, another fire erupted, burning up Henry Creek toward Devils Canyon near Rhododendron. The dry east winds were blowing with their typical intensity, fanning the flames and making life miserable for everyone, especially the firefighters.

Crews prepare to fight fires at the Zigzag Ranger Station, Zigzag Oregon

The Mt. Hood Highway was closed, roadblocks went up at Sandy and Bend, only letting through emergency vehicles and buses. Traffic was rerouted through the Columbia River Gorge or the North Santiam Highway. Firefighters hosed down wooden bridges on the highway, while residents were hosing down the roofs of their homes and cabins, hoping to keep the embers at bay. Folks living nearby in Rhododendron got ready to pack up and leave if needed. The county’s civil defense agency was on high alert, ready to step in if the fires threatened private homes. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

Radio dispatcher communicating during the forest fires

Come Wednesday, October 15, things got even worse. A third fire started near Brightwood around noon that day, burning through heavy ferns and second-growth timber. In that fire arson was suspected as it was reported by local residents that two teenage boys in a blue coupe were seen speeding away from the area. Police put out the word to watch for them, but the boys were never found.

Tired from all-night battle against forest fire which blackened the butte north and east of Brightwood, crew headed by Eldon Stroup, (second from left), ranger from Umpqua National Forest, rests after coming off shift. Men are, (from left) John Burr, Ted Winter and Jim Hawkins.

By Thursday, October 16, the fires had everyone on edge. The Brightwood fire made a run toward the Bull Run watershed, where Portland gets its water. Winds pushed the flames up Boulder Creek closer to Bull Run. In Rhododendron, a 120-man crew was scrambling to put a fire line around the blaze near Henry Creek. A total of 400 firefighters were working in the area. Meanwhile at Zigzag Ranger Station, local women volunteered to make sandwiches to help keep the fire crews fed.

Logistics, supplies, at the Zigzag Ranger Station, Zigzag Oregon.

Finally, Friday brought some good news. The firefighters had the upper hand, and by October 17, they had most of the fires contained. Crews—all 700 of them—had been working around the clock, with another 200 focused just on Brightwood. The fires had burned an estimated 1,200 acres by then, with the Brightwood blaze alone covering anywhere from 300 to 400 acres. But the danger wasn’t over yet. Northeast winds and low humidity kept everyone on alert, hoping the forecast might bring some long-overdue rain.

A firefighter mans a hose in the forest near Mount Hood Oregon.

When it was all said and done, the fires left their mark, but they also showed what a community can do when disaster strikes. From firefighters risking it all on the front lines to locals supporting firefighting efforts, folks hosing down their homes and making sandwiches, it was a team effort. The forest would heal, but the stories of that fiery week in October 1952 will endure.

These photo are scanned from negatives from my personal collection.

A scorched hillside from the fire near Mt Hood

The forest burns during the forest fires near Mount Hood Oregon

The Modern Barlow Trail Road

The Historic Paths of Barlow Trail Road and Lolo Pass Road

Have you ever driven along Barlow Trail Road or Lolo Pass Road and wondered where they came from? These quiet, winding roads are more than just roads we take to come and go—they’re living pieces of history.

Long before cars or bicycles rolled over these paths, there were game trails and pathways used by the area’s first inhabitants. Later, they became lifelines for Oregon Trail pioneers. Over time, they evolved into crucial connections for residents and the modern communities we know today.

Covered Wagon Wagon crossing Mount Hood Oregon

From Wagon Wheels to Hackett Road

Back in the mid-1800s, the original Barlow Trail was a rugged but vital route for settlers completing the Oregon Trail. As pioneers descended from Mount Hood, they followed the north side of the Zigzag River to its meeting point with the Sandy River. At the big bend of the Sandy, they crossed using a log bridge built by settlers.

Later, the trail shifted to the south side of the Sandy River, leaving remnants of its earlier path behind. Eventually, parts of the old trail were reworked into rudimentary roads for local use, including one that became Hackett Road. Named after early settlers in the area, the memory of whom lives on in the name of nearby Hackett Creek.

Early Sandy River Bridge at Brightwood Oregon

The McIntyre Bridge: A Critical Connection

By 1910 access to the road on the north side of the Sandy River was a challenge for settlers. Simple, primitive, early bridges would come and go depending on the water levels of the Sandy River. In that year J.T. McIntyre, an early settler in the Brightwood area, built a sturdy bridge over the Sandy River at Brightwood, creating access to the road on the north side of the river.

This new bridge not only facilitated travel for those living in the area but also laid the groundwork for the road’s later development and naming. Without McIntyre’s efforts, the settlers on the north side would have remained isolated from the growing Mt Hood automobile road nearby.

The Road to The Truman Farm

Around the time that the McIntyre Bridge was built, Ezra and Eliza Truman homesteaded on the north side of the Sandy River, near Zigzag Ridge. Ezra, a mountain guide and farmer, used the newly connected road to access their homestead and to deliver milk and produce to their neighbors.

Over time, this road became known as Truman Road, named after the family who lived at the very end. The route remained essential even after Ezra’s death in 1917, as it provided critical access to settler’s homes, and cabins and lodges to service a newly forming tourism industry that would develop in the area with the increase of automobile traffic on the old automobile road to Mount Hood.

DeVeny Road: A Valuable Connection

In the early 20th century, Dr. William DeVeny, a local Zigzag cabin owner and civic leader from Montavilla, now a part of Portland, saw the need for further improvements to the local roads. With support from the Mount Hood Improvement Association, formed by DeVeny and other locals who would benefit from the new road, as well as local government funding, he spearheaded the construction of DeVeny Road linking the Mount Hood automobile road on the south side of the Sandy River to the east end of Truman Road on the north.

By 1913, the project was complete. Bridges over Bear Creek, the Zigzag River, and the Sandy River were built. DeVeny Road became a vital road for settlers, forest rangers, and visitors exploring the Mount Hood wilderness.

A Modern Legacy

Time moved on, but these roads kept serving the community, adapting to new needs while preserving their historical roots. In 1979, the Clackamas County Historical Society renamed Truman Road to Barlow Trail Road, paying homage to the pioneers who forged the original trail. Meanwhile, DeVeny Road became part of what we now know as Lolo Pass Road and its original name faded from memory.

Roads Worth Remembering

Today, whether you’re coming home, heading out, visiting a neighbor, or simply enjoying a scenic drive, you’re traveling through history. These roads are more than asphalt and gravel—they’re stories of ancient times, courage, determination and, ultimately, community.

So next time you’re driving down Barlow Trail Road or Lolo Pass Road, take a moment to appreciate the history beneath your wheels. You’re following in the footsteps—and wagon tracks—of those who came before us.

The Brightwood Museum and Novelty Shop

The Brightwood Museum and Novelty Shop. Many locals who remember this place in its heyday still call this the Snake Pit. In its lifetime it was several things, including a church and a home. The building was constructed by renowned Mount Hood cabin builder Henry Steiner as a roadside tourist souvenir shop along the way to Mount Hood. This was his last log structure project. At one point it was even a reptile garden.

Back before cars were developed into the high speed vehicles of today, and Highway 26 was blasted into straight line four lane route that allowed everyone to move at speeds in excess of 55 miles per hour, a trip to Mount Hood was more of an easier pace. Post World War II was a time when families took to the highways on days off and vacations to camp and to recreate. The tourist industry was a big deal, with roadhouses and unique roadside attractions. Many people called these places “tourist traps”.

In our area here on the south side of Mount Hood there were several businesses that provided both lodging and meals. A couple of the tourist traps that were here, included this business, the Brightwood Museum and Novelty Shop, the Swiss Gardens and the Mt Hood Indian Pageant.
This old building is a cultural treasure to our area but sadly it’s falling into ruins. You can still see this old structure at the intersection of Bridge Street and Brightwood Loop Road in the parking lot of the Brightwood store.

American – Swiss Model Garden at Brightwood, Oregon

Continue reading American – Swiss Model Garden at Brightwood, Oregon

The Brightwood Post Office 1979

Continue reading The Brightwood Post Office 1979

Villages of Mt Hood Post Offices

The Villages of Mt Hood Post Offices

What gives a town, or in this case a village, its identity? In most cases it’s the establishment of a post office. Many feel that the establishment of a post office is truly that which makes a settlement a town or a village. The case is no different here on The Mountain, as each of our villages have been identified in that very same way. That identity still exists in places that no longer have a post office, such as Zigzag, Wemme and Faubion.

One might think that Welches, being the center of attention in our area, would have been the first post office to be established here, but it was actually the roots of the present day Brightwood post office that makes that claim. Samuel Welch, a local pioneer and Welches namesake’s first venture in the area was a hotel and general store in what was then called Salmon, Oregon, with a post office being established in 1891. His hotel was located near the present west end of Brightwood Loop near the Salmon River, and it wasn’t until 1910 that the name Brightwood was adopted. At that point in time it was located inside of McIntyre’s General Store near its present location. The Brightwood Post Office was discontinued in 1914 but reestablished in 1925.

The next in line as one travels east was Wemme. Named for E. Henry Wemme, the benefactor of the old Barlow Road, its post office was established in 1916. Wemme was discontinued upon the establishment of the new Welches post office in 1977.

The Welches post office was established at the Welch’s Ranch in June of 1905 with Linny Kern as the postmaster. Billy Welch succeeded Kern as postmaster in 1910 and served until 1940 when his wife Jennie took over. Jennie, for years the local matriarch, served until 1960 when the Welches post office was closed. The Welches post office was re-established in 1977. The original plan, at that time, was to move the Wemme post office into a new building on Welches Road, thus threatening to re-name Welches to Wemme. Because of the local outcry the postal service changed their plans and named the new post office Welches, thus insuring the perpetuation of its true identity.

In 1909, a post office was established in the little town of Rowe. Named for Henry S. Rowe, an ex-mayor of Portland who built the old Rhododendron Inn, the post office was located in Dad Miller’s store. The Rowe post office name was changed to Zigzag in 1917.

The Zigzag post office existed as its own entity until 1964 when it became a rural delivery station for the Rhododendron post office. Although the mail was sorted at Rhododendron, the mail was postmarked “Zigzag Rur St”. The Zigzag post office closed for good in 1974.

The Rhododendron post office was established in 1920 and is still operating today.

The Faubion post office, which was located in the old Cedarwood Store on what is now Faubion Loop operated from 1924 to 1932 and was operated by William Faubion, Jennie Welch’s father.

Please take some time to send a postcard to friends or relatives. Our postmasters on The Mountain are all friendly down to earth folks that would love to have you drop in. They will also remind you that they need your business to continue their existence.