Samuel K. Barlow – Today, thousands of travelers cross the Cascade Range each year on Highway 26. Many continue over the mountain without realizing they are following a route that has guided people through the Mount Hood country for centuries. Long before modern highways existed, Native peoples traveled these valleys on well-established trails connecting villages, fishing grounds, hunting areas, and seasonal camps.
For more than three decades, the Rafferty family played an important role in the development of Government Camp. From the Government Camp Hotel to Rafferty’s Hut and the later Mountain View Inn, their businesses served generations of climbers, skiers, and travelers visiting Mount Hood.
Brightwood did not begin as a town. It developed as a stopping place along the Barlow Road—a location shaped by geography, travel, and the practical needs of those moving through the Mount Hood country.
In the summer of 1924, someone suggested that a motorcycle could be ridden to the summit of Mount Hood. It wasn’t entirely a joke. The Wells Bennett Mount Hood motorcycle attempt in 1924 remains one of the more unusual climbs in Mount Hood’s History.
Today, a trip from Portland to Government Camp takes about an hour. The road is paved, the grades are manageable, and the drive is routine. In 1903, it was anything but. The first car to Government Camp had a challenging trip.
