Copied from the sign:
"OLD RUTS
Oregon Trail buffs can walk west toward Pioneer Woman's Grave or east toward Devil's Half Acre and see traces of the original wagon ruts. Some are nearly 5 feet deep.
"Desperate bad beyond discription"
Emigrant Isom Canfill in 1847 on the Barlow Road's condition leading up to this summit crossing of the Cascades.
The pass was named for Samuel K. Barlow who operated the first wagon route over the Cascades as a toll road in 1846.
"Have thought of home, the dear ones there, the quiet Sabbath, and the sanctuary they enjoy, whilst we are amoung the cruel mountains, n the most dreary place, dependent upon strangers for assistance in getting along, nearly out of provisions and our stock famishing! All these things together almost shake the faith, but must not be so." Eleanor Allen, Barlow Road emigrant, 1852,
written near Barlow Pass crossing."
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The First Crossing of the Cascades
In the fall of 1845, the Samuel K. Barlow party from Independence, Mo. arrived at The Dalles. They found they would have to wait weeks for passage and could not afford the high price of food for themselves and their stock. Having seen a notch in the south slope of Mt. Hood, Barlow decided that"God never made a mountain that had no place to go over it or around it," and headed south to find a way around Mt. Hood. He was joined by several other parties, namely those of Joel Palmer and William Rector, until over 30 wagons made up the first train determined to cross the Cascades before winter snows fell.
The parties went south from The Dalles, turning southwest at Tygh Valley. When they reached the present Gate Creek, near Wamic, they turned west. Their path ran through park-like pine forests which soon merged with fir and cedar. The terrain became steeper and full of boulders. The woods became thicker - making difficult going for the lumbering wagons. Nearing the White River at Klip Creek, they came to a very abrupt decline - which later travellers would call Little Laurel Hill. Here the wagons had to be slowly lowered with the help of ropes stoutly wound around trees.
The road building was slow. They had only axes and saws with but one grindstone in the entire company. Cosequently, much of the clearing was done by burning.
On October 11, Palmer, Barlow, and a man named Lock scouted ahead of the main party. They continued to the summit of the Cascades - later known as Barlow Pass, elevation 4,155 feet. Then they scouted the southern flanks of Mt. Hood. Looming between them and the dreaded Columbia, the mountain stood snowy and immense. Palmer later recorded "I had never before looked upon a sight so nobly grand." But they could not linger. They crossed a wide, stony field, then sought a better view farther up the mountain. Finally, they came to a wide, steep-sided ravine, so deep the timber below resembled miniature Christmas trees. (They were probably looking across Zigzag Canyon.) Palmer's journal describes the spot: "A precipitate cliff of rocks, at the head, prevented passage around it. The hills were of the same material asthat we had been travelling over, and were very steep." The men decided to climb higher up the mountain, hoping to see another path. Palmer, being the most hardy of the three, went on alone after snow was encountered. He probably ventured out onto Zigzag Glacier, climbing about one-third the distance from timberline to the summit, though his mocassins had worn thin and he traveled much of the distance barefoot. Meeting his companions again, they rejoined the road-building members of the party on Barlow Creek about 11 p.m. that night. After one more exploring trip, the group decided to build a cabin and store their belongings. They did not have time to build the road over the rough terrain between them and the Willamette Valley before the winter snows began. Two of the party started to Oregon City for fresh supplies. One man stayed behind at "Fort Deposit" as they called the cabin, as a guard. Then, in small groups, they made their way out of the mountains, some on foot, some on horseback. At least one woman rode a cow.
The trek out was miserable. Snow had begun to fall. The emigrants were cold and hungry; some were sick from exposure. Many of the livestock died from eating the poisonous rhododendron leaves. Fog, rain, or sleet slowed their progress and camps were made under any shelter that could be improvised. In his journal, Palmer recorded that he "...stood shivering in the rain around the fire, and, when daylight appeared, it gave us an opportunity to look at each other's lank visages. Our horses were shivering with the cold, the rain had put out the fire, and it seemed as though every thing had combined to render us miserable." In spite of all this, many managed to keep their sense of humor. One of Barlow's daughters declared: "We are in the midst of plenty - plenty of snow, plenty of wood. to melt it, plenty of horsemeat, plenty of dogmeat, if the worst comes."
By Christmas 1845, everyone had reached Oregon City with no mishaps. The hardships of the trail were soon forgotten in the task of starting new homes.
Travel on the Barlow Road
After the snowsmelted the following year, the groups returned for their wagons. Barlow petitioned the Provisional Legislature for the right to construct a toll road over the route taken by the party.
With a partner, Philip Foster, Barlow began road construction. It was a difficult road to build. There were miles of thickets and dense timber to slash through. Swamps had to be "courduroyed." There were steep hills and strems to cross. Barlow petitioned for $4000 to construct the road; he had estimated a rate of $50 a mile. But even in those days this was not an adequate amount and supplies had to be bought on credit. By August 1846 the road was was ready for travel.
Woard that a wagon road had been completed was welcome news in The Dalles. The toll of $5.00 per wagon was much less than the cost of passage through the Gorge, and, it was said, the trip could be made in less than a week compared to nearly a month by the Gorge route.
Some of the enthusiasm ebbed, however, when pioneers saw the road. The ascent to Barlow Pass was difficult for oxen and travelers who had already trudged 2,000 miles. The road was a mere path between trees, going up steep grades, and crossing boulder-strewn ravines. Summit Meadows was used as a rest stop. Here lush grass grew for the cattle and oxen. Large groups camped in the meadows, making repairs and resting before the strenuous descent of Laurel Hill. In 1868, Perry Vickers built the "Summit House", a trading post and oasis for the travelers. One of the first permanent settlers in the Mt. Hood area, he is buried at the edge of Summit Meadows.
The hardest part of the journey was the descent. In addition to the swampy bogs and dense forests, there was the famous Laurel Hill. The slope was so steep that only a few "laurels" clung to it - since the leaves are similar, the pioneers mistakenly called the rhododendrons laurel. In places the grade on Laurel Hill was 60% - more vertical than horizontal. Men, oxen, and wagons inched down the backward leaning cliff. Described in 1853 as something terrible, the slope was worn with ruts 5-7 feet deep. One wheel might drop 3 feet off a boulder while another dropped into a 2 foot hole. Wagons slid down the hill with all wheels locked and a 40 foot long tree tied behind for additional braking, the outstretched branches gouging the soil. At the foot of the hill, the tree was left to block the next wagon! Many commented that Barlow was wise to put his first tollgate at the east end of the road, rather than on the western side of the Cascades, below Laurel Hill.
Barlow was so busy collecting tolls he had little time to improve the road. This was done by those who used it. They changed some sections to avoid steep hills and difficult strem crossings. But, generally, the emigrants were not particular. As long as the route was passable, they used it. The original tollgate was located on Gate Creek, but was eventually moved to a site one mile east of Rhododendron. Operating the toll road was not easy. Many emigrants had no money. Arriving at the tollgate penniless and hungry, they refused to pay. Often a shirt, a cow, a blanket, or a promise to pay was all that was collected. However, the chivalrous Barlow allowed widows to pass toll-free. The toll road passed through various owners, being in existence nearly 70 years. In 1912, Henry Wemme of Portland bought the road, making many improvements. It was donated to the State of Oregon by his estate in 1919.