Introducing Steven Mitchell Welches Oregon – Steven Overton Mitchell was one of the last of a generation who carved out their lives in the rugged foothills of Mount Hood. Known to most as “Steve,” he lived quietly and humbly in the mountains near Welches, Oregon, where he became a local legend for his endurance, independence, and devotion to the forested solitude he called home.
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.
A Mountain Legacy Remembered A Cultural Bloom in the Heart of the Forest 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 … Continue reading Curtains in the Forest: Rhododendron Summer Theater
I’ve spent a lot of time talking with old-timers and the family members of folks who’ve lived up here in the Mountain Community for years. In one or two conversations, I’d heard tell of a woman who gained local notoriety for killing a bear that invaded her space with a garden hoe.
In the early 20th century, long before travelers zipped up Highway 26 to the ski lifts and resorts of Mount Hood, the trip to the mountain was rugged and uncertain. The road, built on the bones of the old Barlow Trail, was steep, narrow, and either muddy or dusty depending on the season.
