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Content titles and body Content titles only All Activity Home Roads, Bridges & Tunnels Yellowstone Trail / National Parks Highway Us 20 Bend, Brothers, Horse Ridge Us 20 Bend, Brothers, Horse Ridge By Keep the Show on the Road!, July 29, 2007 in Yellowstone Trail / National Parks Highway Share More sharing options... Followers 0 Reply to this topic Start new topic Recommended Posts Keep the Show on the Road! Posted July 29, 2007 Keep the Show on the Road! Moderators 2.8k Gender:Male Location:Puget Sound Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 I highballed it from home in Olympia, Washington to Bend, Oregon on Sunday so that I could spend maximum time with my son Drew and friends of 40 years, so I will skip describing the beautiful drive over the Cascades on the way. On Sunday afternoon Drew and I drove up Century Drive on the two lane out of Bend. This road was familiar even though it has been at least 30 years since I was last along it. Bend is six or seven times larger than when I left, and the housing extends five or more miles out along the road. But once past the Inn of the Seventh Mountain, you step back in time. Mountains don’t change that fast! I took a few photos of places I knew as a young man. Drew is now the age I was when I left here in 1977! My, how time flies! Century Drive off US 20 in Bend, Oregon. Broken Top Mountain Drew took Monday off so we could head out US 20. Bend is a beautiful city at the edge of the Ponderosa pine forest at the base of the Cascades, which is the reason for its mill town history. No longer a mill town in any way, the New Bend is the Mecca for the young and wantabe young modern American. It calls itself a “cultural hot spot,” which says it all as far as I’m concerned. US 20 into Bend from Pilot Butte. Looking West. East of Bend you enter the arid High Desert. The altitude here runs 3500 to 4500 feet, and the land is dry and dusty...or frozen, depending on the time of year. Juniper trees and sage brush dominate, with the sage brush winning. In the mid teens of last century this was the last frontier. The railroads and real estate speculators conspired to convince thousands of hapless folks to homestead or buy land east of Bend. From the top of Pine Mountain you could see the twinkle of kerosene lamps in cabin windows for miles. They came, plowed the land, planted a crop, and it failed. Then they tried again. It took a few times before they gave up. The weather was wetter then, so a few hung on.....until everything dried up and the end of WWI took away what little market existed for the little they raised. They left the land much the worse for their efforts because the plowing destroyed the bunch grass and encouraged the sagebrush. Today even the deserted cabins have been lost to weather or carried away to panel game rooms. Soooo authentic western. East of Bend about 23 miles Horse Ridge cuts across modern US 20. The ridge once impounded a large ice age lake which drained through the canyon in the 3D photo taken at US 20 wayside stop. Deep Canyon Cut Through Horse Ridge Drained Ancient Lake. To view in, 3D stare at the two images and cross your eyes until a 3D middle image appears The modern road, tackles the ridge head on, but the older alignment snaked up the grade. Test your “alignment eye” on the photo below. All will see the old road moving off to the left, most will note the turn to the right, and alignment pros will see the roadbed complete the “S” curve going left up the grade. S Curve on 1930 Alignment The same site is captured in the Live Earth satellite view with north to the top. The blue arrow shows the line of sight in the photo taken from the modern road. The canyon is the one in the 3D photo. Satellite View of 1930 Alignment and Modern Alignment up Horse Ridge. Back in the 1940’s and 1950’s and no doubt before, Oregon built many of her roads with one of her readily available materials, red volcanic cinder. Mixing the red cinder with asphalt produced a brick red road, unique in the US as far as I know. That is what the old alignment was built with. 1930 Alignment from east of Horse Ridge Looking Back (westward) Drew and I drove down the 1930 alignment about half a mile, until it looked like turning around might leave us in a MM (MM or Mobilene Move: To hang the car up as you turn around). The Live Earth satellite image shows the direction of the photo above in blue, the old US20 snake up the grade (red arrow) and the wayside stop where the canyon photo was taken (green arrow). The Live earth image is at about a 45 degree angle from the horizon, north to the top. Old 1930 and Present Alignment with Canyon on Right. The oldest alignment going back to the teens didn’t attempt to cross Horse Ridge but skirted its southern edge along want is now Ford Road. Today it is probably twice as wide and 5 times smoother than back then. We took it a few miles, but saw nothing except sagebrush and dust. Just like travelers in 1915. Original Alignment. Looking West, with Horse Ridge on Right At about 25 miles from Bend you reach Millican on modern US 20. When I left in 1977, Millican had a small general store and gas station. The buildings are still there but sometime in the past 30 years the owners gave up, and the buildings have been accessible to the pond scum we call vandals. Millican Store on US 20, 25 Miles East of Bend, Oregon on High Desert Alone and empty, this town once featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not, is dead. But then, so is Ripley! The town was originally a half mile south on the old road, but moved here when US 20 was relocated in 1930. A half mile south now is a dirt air strip apparently used by sports aircraft. A warning not to frighten the wild mustangs is posted on the fence beside the dirt road where Millican once stood. My 1916 Automobile Blue Book refers to Millican’s Ranch as the stopping place, no doubt the site a half mile south of the modern road. And there is a nearby George Millican Road, so George no doubt was the rancher. But Millican earned its Believe It or Not fame in 1940 for being a “One man town.” William (Billy) A. Rahn, the sole survivor of “old” Millican was Sheriff, Mayor, Tax Collector, and the only resident. Drew and I drove on across the sage brush flats to the metropolis of Brothers. I spent some time photographing the old garage which is seldom pictured. Brothers Garage on US 20 More often the Brothers Stage Stop across the road gets the attention. Drew and I went in and sat down at one of the three tables that were sandwiched between the saloon, gift shop and post office. Brothers Stage Stop – US 20 Jerrie and Dixie, new high desert settlers from the Willamette Valley, hold sway in old Brothers. They bought the place just under two years ago. Dixie had been a truck driver and as drivers stopped for lunch, she served up the trucker lingo, pumped the gas, and staffed the post office. Jerrie served up the great hamburgers. Jerrie of the Brothers Stage Stop on US20. Jerrie, a former small rancher herself, urged me to look at the bar in the saloon. Last July they had a bar branding. Local ranchers had burned their brands in the wooden bar. I guess it was a “hot time in the old town that night.....” One thing troubled me a little...the wine cork on the bar. I just don’t see the dust choked cowpoke saddling up to the bar, and growling out, “Dixie, set up some wine!” Must have been some city slicker passing through. Bar Counter with Brands at the Brothers Stage Stop Drew and I turned back toward Bend at Brothers, so I will take up the US 20 story at Brothers in installment two. I’ll be headed for Ontario, across the singing bridge, and through places like Harney and Drewsey on old US 20. Sound like your kind of towns? Then Straight Shooters, tune in to this station for the next episode of “Keep Rides the Range.” And remember, tell Mom to buy American Road the next time she goes shopping! Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... mobilene Posted July 29, 2007 mobilene Moderators 1.2k Gender:Male Location:Indianapolis Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 Wow!! My favorite photo is of the red 1930 US 20 alignment WB from east of Horse Ridge. I could hear it calling me through the electrons, saying to come out for a drive! And my car is so small that even I probably would not have an MM out there. I've backed my car up for a good mile before on dead-end abandoned roadways. Well, if I ever come out to Oregon, I'll probably fly and rent a car -- and I'll be sure to decline the Town Car if a compact economy car is not available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Keep the Show on the Road! Posted July 29, 2007 Keep the Show on the Road! Moderators 2.8k Gender:Male Location:Puget Sound Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 Wow!! My favorite photo is of the red 1930 US 20 alignment WB from east of Horse Ridge. I could hear it calling me through the electrons, saying to come out for a drive! And my car is so small that even I probably would not have an MM out there. I've backed my car up for a good mile before on dead-end abandoned roadways. Well, if I ever come out to Oregon, I'll probably fly and rent a car -- and I'll be sure to decline the Town Car if a compact economy car is not available. You would go crazy with all the old alignments you would discover. In the early period the road changed with the coming and going of small settlements. By 1930 I think it had settled down, but I will have to check my maps when I get the chance. I drove the red paved section of old 20 you see more than 30 years ago in my then new Toyota Land Cruiser. It was abandoned even then. Near the bottom was an old homestead shack, but the satellite shots don’t show it now. Must be on someone’s wall! Eastern Oregon is big sky country, and I used to know it well. But this trip added a lot. Your interest in old alignments did a great deal to spark the trip. I have a mystery for you (or anyone) to chew on. The town of Brookings existed in 1916 and 1919. It contained a hotel and offered supplies. It was eleven miles from Hampton eastbound on the old road. I know this from my Automobile Blue Books In Episode 2 (soon to be posted), I look for old Brookings to no avail. The only clues I have are the map and directions from Hampton. Oh, and the belief that the old road left Hampton going due east. No one seems to have a clue of where it is or was. Yet it was a significant stop in the old days. Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... mobilene Posted July 29, 2007 mobilene Moderators 1.2k Gender:Male Location:Indianapolis Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 Does the red alignment of US 20 go through, end to end, where it appears to merge with current US 20 on both ends? Is it truly abandoned, or does the county maintain it? I ask because the yellow stripes look pretty bright. Your map images are good. The Google map is terrible. The 2D Windows Live Local map is poor until you zoom in to the 500 yard view. It shows Horse Ridge and the old US 20 alignment, but you have to squint to see it. Back to cutting the grass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Keep the Show on the Road! Posted July 29, 2007 Keep the Show on the Road! Moderators 2.8k Gender:Male Location:Puget Sound Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 Does the red alignment of US 20 go through, end to end, where it appears to merge with current US 20 on both ends? Is it truly abandoned, or does the county maintain it? I ask because the yellow stripes look pretty bright. Your map images are good. The Google map is terrible. The 2D Windows Live Local map is poor until you zoom in to the 500 yard view. It shows Horse Ridge and the old US 20 alignment, but you have to squint to see it. Back to cutting the grass. It is definitely abandoned and has been for at least 30 years I know of. There was some post abandonment effort to provide access at the upper end as someone had to grade a connection. It may be that the county at one time took dirt or cinders out of the area, as there is a road materials storage area nearby. This is also an area used by ORV, so they may have done it. Access is only at the upper end. The bottom end is not only closed with a big mound of dirt, it runs into the fill for the present highway. The story of US20 and The Central Oregon Highway (which it was called) would be interesting to research. Gees.....I got to this point and just remembered I have the 1928-1930 reports of the Oregon Highway Commission!!! Now I have skimmed the reports.... I can say with authority that the red cinders came from the north west base of Pilot Butte, the butte from which my picture of Bend was taken. You can easily spot Pilot Butte in satellite images. It is on the east side of Bend. The contract was awarded May 8, 1930 to build the road with a 6 inch cinder base and a two inch macadam wearing surface. They discovered that the two inch macadam would not key up (what is that?) after two rollings due to the sharp corners of the rock breaking off, so they had to bind it with oil. Well, there is a wealth of information, including alignments and building details in those reports....but for another day. I should note that Brookings is shown on the map included in the report. Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... DennyG Posted July 30, 2007 DennyG Moderators 1.7k Gender:Male Location:Cincinnati, OH Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 I want to drive the red road. That looks cool. Did the 1930 report actually use the word "macadam"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Keep the Show on the Road! Posted July 30, 2007 Keep the Show on the Road! Moderators 2.8k Gender:Male Location:Puget Sound Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 I want to drive the red road. That looks cool. Did the 1930 report actually use the word "macadam"? I am surprised that Oregon’s red roads did not get more notice when they existed. They were a source of pleasure for me, until they started patching them with black asphalt, which spoiled their appearance. The 1928-1930 Oregon Highway Commission Report in describing the Bend – Horse Ridge project states “After beginning construction of the 2-inch water-bound macadam top on section one, it soon became apparent so thin a mat could not be satisfactorily built on the cinder base. The chief reason for this was due to the quality of rock, the sharp corners of which became broken off, after one or two trips had been made over it with a roller, and consequently the material would not key up.” (They then added oil) So yes, the term was “macadam,” and it was expected to be laid as macadam roads were typically...that is water bound and rolled. I haven’t researched it at all, but I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the hard surface roads of the late 20’s and early 30’s were still built by John McAdam’s methods of a 140 years earlier. What do you think? It is pretty esoteric, but should anyone have an interest in the details of road construction I have 1914 and 1915 Good Roads Annuals devoted to the details of “early” road construction methods. Oh, and thanks for the reply! Much appreciated! Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... mobilene Posted July 30, 2007 mobilene Moderators 1.2k Gender:Male Location:Indianapolis Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 I was so busy looking at the aerial image that I didn't notice that that alignment is not actually marked on the map. Am I correct in noting that at its north end it used to actually cross over where the road is now, and run parallel to it, and then cross back to the other side of it where it is now called Horse Ridge Frontage Rd.? With Windows Live Local at its best magnification, I think I can see red on the road. Oh! One of the reasons this fascinates me, but certainly not the only one, is that I grew up in a town that's on US 20. When I was a kid, it was on the old Lincoln Highway as it came in from the west. It fascinates me that old US 20 could go through such interesting terrain! I identify it so strongly with the streets of a few cities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... mobilene Posted July 30, 2007 mobilene Moderators 1.2k Gender:Male Location:Indianapolis Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 I was researching just now. I learned that US 20 didn't extend into Oregon until 1940, so the red road was an old alignment of OR 54. And that Horse Ridge Frontage Rd. is still a state highway, #7AA, of all things. I'd better back away from the computer now, before I hurt myself. jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Keep the Show on the Road! Posted July 30, 2007 Keep the Show on the Road! Moderators 2.8k Gender:Male Location:Puget Sound Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 I was researching just now. I learned that US 20 didn't extend into Oregon until 1940, so the red road was an old alignment of OR 54. And that Horse Ridge Frontage Rd. is still a state highway, #7AA, of all things. I'd better back away from the computer now, before I hurt myself. jim Darn!!! That’s what I get for rushing. I didn’t look for the history of US20 in Oregon, and just assumed it was 20 from 1926-27. Dumb, dumb, and lazy. I do know better. OK, can we surmise that the 1915 dirt highway that went south of Horse Ridge was replaced around 1930 by the road over Horse Ridge (which now is the red abandoned section), and in 1940 it became US20? The red road was US20, but not when it was built. The red road was replaced by modern US20 which goes straight up Horse Ridge. I doubt the modern US20 was built before 1940, so the red road was likely US20 for some period of time. Thus we have three roads, the dirt road, the red road, and the modern road. The red road had the distinction of becoming US20 after 1940, and served as such until replaced by the modern US20 road. Am I getting it right yet? Keep the Show on the Road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Alex Burr - hester_nec Posted July 30, 2007 Alex Burr - hester_nec Full Members 617 Gender:Male Location:Memphis, TN Interests:Hudson automobiles, "Blue" Hiways, reading and computers. Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 (edited) Darn!!! That’s what I get for rushing. I didn’t look for the history of US20 in Oregon, and just assumed it was 20 from 1926-27. Dumb, dumb, and lazy. I do know better. OK, can we surmise that the 1915 dirt highway that went south of Horse Ridge was replaced around 1930 by the road over Horse Ridge (which now is the red abandoned section), and in 1940 it became US20? The red road was US20, but not when it was built. The red road was replaced by modern US20 which goes straight up Horse Ridge. I doubt the modern US20 was built before 1940, so the red road was likely US20 for some period of time. Thus we have three roads, the dirt road, the red road, and the modern road. The red road had the distinction of becoming US20 after 1940, and served as such until replaced by the modern US20 road. Am I getting it right yet? Keep the Show on the Road. Great road trip report - I got to get out and about around the Memphis area. Daughter, KC, and I have a trip planned for this coming Tuesday. Short one - going north on U S 51, turning off on old 51 in Henning (now TN SR 209) and heading north on that alignment to the little town of Halls. Halls main claim to fame is that it was home to Arnold Army Air Force Base during WWII, a B-17 training base - from here the crews went overseas. Most histories of the base locate it in Dyersburg - the next town up. Reason: Simple - everybody knew where Dyersburg was; nobody knew where Halls was. And, no, Dyersburg Municipal Airport is NOT Arnold Field. That's 6-1/2 miles (as the B-17 flies) south of DMA. Today there is a museum dedicated to (mainly) WWII, but with artifacts and exhibits from WWI thru the Korean War, maybe even Nam. I'll let you know. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Edited July 30, 2007 by hester_nec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Keep the Show on the Road! Posted July 30, 2007 Keep the Show on the Road! Moderators 2.8k Gender:Male Location:Puget Sound Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 Great road trip report - I got to get out and about around the Memphis area. Daughter, KC, and I have a trip planned for this coming Tuesday. Short one - going north on U S 51, turning off on old 51 in Henning (now TN SR 209) and heading north on that alignment to the little town of Halls. Halls main claim to fame is that it was home to Arnold Army Air Force Base during WWII, a B-17 training base - from here the crews went overseas. Most histories of the base locate it in Dyersburg - the next town up. Reason: Simple - everybody knew where Dyersburg was; nobody knew where Halls was. And, no, Dyersburg Municipal Airport is NOT Arnold Field. That's 6-1/2 miles (as the B-17 flies) south of DMA. Today there is a museum dedicated to (mainly) WWII, but with artifacts and exhibits from WWI thru the Korean War, maybe even Nam. I'll let you know. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Alex, We will look forward to your US 51 report! And to the Halls / Arnold report as well. I have a B-17 pilot’s Pilots Log, and lots of his WWII crew shots, bombing runs, etc and some of his training photos. I’ll have to check where he trained. As a side note, Great Grandfather Keep the Show on the Road was a jayhawker in and around Memphis during the Civil War. I have traveled to Somerville (east of Memphis about 40 miles) where the unit went on a drunken spree and shot up the town square. I know they got in as close as Germantown, but I’ll have to look at his diary for details. Keep us posted on you and your daughter’s adventures! They sound first class interesting. Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... DennyG Posted July 30, 2007 DennyG Moderators 1.7k Gender:Male Location:Cincinnati, OH Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 So yes, the term was “macadam,” and it was expected to be laid as macadam roads were typically...that is water bound and rolled. I haven’t researched it at all, but I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the hard surface roads of the late 20’s and early 30’s were still built by John McAdam’s methods of a 140 years earlier. What do you think? I guess I've never thought about the end of the period when macadam was the favored paving technique. I impulsively thought 1930 a late date for its use but it probably wasn't. Cement paving was just coming into its own and no other technology had come along to replace macadam. It does seem reasonable that it was used for some construction into the twentieth century even though I instinctively thought not. It sounds like the Oregon folks tried some corner cutting by substituting cinders for the lower layers of rock and it didn't work out so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Loading... × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply Share More sharing options... Followers 0 Go to topic listing All Activity Home Roads, Bridges & Tunnels Yellowstone Trail / National Parks Highway Us 20 Bend, Brothers, Horse Ridge Contact Us Copyright 2017 American Road® magazine Powered by Invision Community × Existing user? Sign In Sign Up Browse Back Forums Gallery Blogs Calendar Staff Online Users Leaderboard Activity Back All Activity Search Leaderboard × Create New...