Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/301

 THE BARLOW ROAD 293 This organization 2 ? incorporated by Joseph Young, Egbert Alcott, Stephen Coleman, Frederick Sievers and Francis Revenue, made extensive improvements in the route, building bridges and making corduroy roads across the swamps. In 1882 2b the road was deeded to the Mount Hood and Bar- low Road Company, organized by Richard Gerder, S. D. Cole- man, H. E. Cross, F. O. McCown, and J. T. Apperson. These men shortened and improved the route and constructed an important branch road. The Mount Hood and Barlow Road Company, now under different management, still operates the road. One of the first measures to come before the people of Oregon under the Initiative law was a proposal that the state purchase the Barlow road and abolish tolls. The measure was defeated by a small majority. Among the memorable occurrences in "crossing the plains" the passage over the Cascade mountains by the Mt. Hood route stands out most vividly in the memory of a large number of Oregon pioneers. The dangers, toil and hardship ; the beauties of the mountains and the pleasant surprises of the great dense forests; the laborious climb on the eastern slope and the steep descent of "Laurel Hill" on the west ; all combined to make an impression on the minds of the pioneers which later, served for many a fireside reminiscence. Autumn after autumn, from "forty-six" to "sixty-four" witnessed long lines of expectant homeseekers toiling through the rocky defiles and over the steep ridges. The diaries and letters written by the travellers express a strange mixture of happiness and sorrow, contentment and dejection, hope and despair, ectasy and misery.^ Says one, "Some men's hearts died within them and some of our women sat down by the roadside and cried, saying they had aban- doned all hope of ever reaching the promised land. I saw women with babies but a week old, toiling up the mountains in the burning sun, on foot, because our jaded teams were not able to haul them. We went down mountains so steep that we 28 Corporation deed on file in the Clerk's office, Oregon City. 29 Bancroft's Oregon, Vol. I, p. 561, note. i