on which they floated down the river to the Cascades. The road which the State built in the seventies crossed this rock slide far above the present road. The loose rock slopes were so steep that it was not possible to maintain the old road, and it soon fell into decay.
Had it not been for the timely assistance of one of Portland's prominent citizens, all work would have stopped for many years. In the fall of 1912, Mr. S. Benson placed ten thousand dollars in the hands of Governor Oswald West, to be used in connection with prison labor, in building a new road around the base of Shell Rock Mountain.
At this time the State of Oregon had no Highway Commission, and the work was undertaken by the authorities of Hood River County, who used the State prisoners; the expense being met from the funds provided by Mr. Benson.
This revived interest and created sentiment all along the line, favorable to the Columbia River Highway. It stimulated Multnomah County to action and called attention to the need of engineering skill and supervision, the lack of which had caused the work done by prison labor in Hood River County to fail, for most of the money contributed by Mr. Benson was wasted.
On July 26, 1913, the new Commissioner, Rufus C. Holman, Chairman of the County Board of Multnomah County, offered the following resolution, which was adopted:
"Whereas, under the provisions of Chapter One Hundred and Three of the laws of Oregon, Nineteen Thirteen, certain procedures are specified, and certain provisions designated relating to roads and highways, it is therefore,
