Alex Barr Road

The Alex Barr Road and the Palmer Mill Road are the only remaining roads in and out of the south side of the Gorge between Crown Point and Hood River.

Some length of this road climbing up from the CRH was very likely part of the old county road between Latourell and Bridal Veil, discussed on the previous page.

"On leaving Latourelle the old county road climbed up the side of the mountain by heavy grades and hairpin turns, reaching an elevation of 555 feet (just about the height of the Washington Monument) before it turned and came down again on the other side by many a bend and crook. The side of the mountain was rugged and steep, and at its base was the main line track of a great railway reaching to Chicago."

Alex Barr owned property near the top of the road, according to the 1927 Metsker map of the area (above), and worked on the construction of the CRH.

"In March 1914, a camp was established for 135 workers near Chanticleer. Alex Barr (whose name is currently assigned to the Alex Barr Road near Latourell) was work supervisor and camp foreman."

Near the bottom of the hill there are a few houses and, other than that, there is little but switchbacks heading all the way up to the top of the Gorge.

The creepy abandoned house not far from the HCRH is probably the highlight. I thought it looked fairly recent (for the Gorge), so I didn't think there was much history there (unless you count the 2008 real estate crash), but Jamen Lee discovered that it was built by a Latourell descended in 1923.

"Just looked back in the NEMCA notes from Jan and it said the house was built by Latourell in 1923. Doesn't say which Latourell family member though."

January 2015

There was a fire at this house on January 23, 2015. Not sure what the damage was yet, I'll need to check it out the next time I am out that way.

Stuart Tomlinson, The Oregonian: Firefighters battle residential fire in Columbia River Gorge at Corbett

Firefighters with the Corbett Fire Department are on the scene of a residential fire in 44100 block of Northeast Alex Barr Road.

The fire was reported to dispatchers just before 7 a.m. Alex Barr Road is a gravel road that heads south off the East Columbia River Highway in the Columbia River Gorge.

Officials are using water tenders and tankers to get water to pour on the blaze, which is in a remote, not easily accessible area.

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