The Perils of the Horse Heaven Road
A local motorist recounts the nightmare of driving between Bickleton and Mabton, where a fence rail was required to pry his car from the dust.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
According to Frank Harrie, the worst stretch of road on the map is between Bickleton and Mabton. Mr. and Mrs. Harrie returned last night from an automobile trip to Portland. On the down trip Mr. Harrie went across Horse Heaven to Goldendale, but returned by way of Mabton in the hope of finding smoother going. He reports part of the road between Bickleton and Mabton almost impassable. He made it without accident, but at times he had to pry his Chevrolet out of dust-filled chuck holes with a fence rail. He says the wonders of the Columbia highway are all that is claimed for them, but they are more than earned by the motorist who attempts to travel down the Columbia.
“At times he had to pry his Chevrolet out of dust-filled chuck holes with a fence rail.”
This account captures the primitive, often hazardous state of early automotive travel in rural Washington. It is a stark reminder that modern paved highways were built over routes that were once essentially impassable wilderness tracks.
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