The Deschutes River
By Curt Cunningham

The Deschutes river is located in central Oregon and runs mainly north for approximately 250 miles and empties into the Columbia river about 14 miles east of The Dalles. The river begins its journey to the Columbia at Little Lava lake which is 30 miles southwest of Bend, OR and it runs in a southerly direction to Crane Prairie reservoir and then into Wickup reservoir before it begins to flow in a northerly direction through the center of the state. The river drains a 300 mile section of the eastern slope of the rugged Cascade range.

Before the arrival of the European settlers, there were many different Indian tribes who lived along the Deschutes river. These tribes were; the Tenino, which originally were comprised of four separate bands, the Tygh, the Wayámpam, the Tinaynu, the Northern Paiutes, and the Dock-Spus, who are also known as the Tukspush. Today, these bands are represented by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, along with numerous tribes from surrounding areas, which include the Wascos and Paiutes, who were forced to relocate to the Warm Springs Rezervation. 

The river has had many names over the years. The Nez Perce called the river ‘"Towarnehiooks" which translates to "enemies." This was because the Northern Paiutes, lived along its banks and they were an enemy of the Nez Perce. When the French-Canadian trappers came, they called it, Riviere des Chutes, which translates to; River of the Falls. When Lewis & Clark traveled down the Columbia in 1805 they called it Clark's river. It has also been called Chutes river and Falls river.

The Deschutes river is a freak of nature and a scientific wonder. It drains a country where creeks and rivers drop into the earth, maybe to reappear at some other point, or to be eternally lost. It is the land of weird volcanic caves and whistling underground air passages that often plague the well digger and irrigation specialist. The region near its headwaters are found some of the most recent volcanic flows on the continent. The lower 100 miles of the river follows a deep rugged canyon.

In the early 1900's there were 2 railroads running down this canyon about 50 miles from its mouth. The Deschutes railroad abandoned its line on the east side in 1935 and began sharing the line on the west with the Oregon trunk line. Today the BNSF continues to run through the canyon on this line. In 1911 the flow of the river was measured and at one point on the upper Deschutes it was 1,700 cubic feet per second and a few miles downstream it measured a flow of only 1,400 cubic feet per second. Near the upper Deschutes river and the town of Bend are volcanic caves that had been put to a variety of uses. Some were corrals for stockowners, other were favorite camping spots.

Many of the caves contain deep fissures and caverns which contain ice and water during the greater part of the summer. One of the best known is called Horse cave and was a summer and winter palace for the cattle and horses of the range, since both the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter is tempered. It is said a rider on a horse could go far back into this cavern, back past the large circular "sky light" around a turn, and beyond, where they might have found the glowing eyes of range stock.

The lava flow that created the Horse caves filled the ancient channel of the Deschutes river which at that time flowed around the east side of Pilot Butte about 80,000 years ago. Later lava flows filled the channel and pushed the river west to where it currently flows today. There are points along Deschutes river where great channels of water can be seen flowing into lava cracks, notably at Benham falls near Lava Butte, and there are a number of places where the surplus water flow of the spring is drained off.

The volcanic formation of the country and the resulting porosity of the soil, in a measure acts as a great sponge to take up the surplus water and to give it off uniformly, but this cannot alone account for the almost absolute uniformity of flow along great sections of Deschutes river. The river is such an interesting stream that geologists have studied its life history and its life struggle. There are many evidences telling of the day when the river did not traverse rugged volcanic canyons and dark underground passages through the desert, but followed a wide, deep valley and was perhaps no different from other streams.

Today the river supplies water for irrigation and is popular in the summer for whitewater rafting and fishing.

The Oregon Trail

The Deschutes river was a major obstacle for emigrants coming over the Oregon Trail. The emigrant ford was over the sand bars near its mouth about where the freeway bridge crosses today. In 1843, Marcus Whitman led the first wagon train to Oregon, and those who continued on to The Dalles after crossing the Blue mountains crossed the Deschutes river at its mouth where it was shallow enough to wade across in low water. In 1844, 1,500 emigrants made the crossing. In 1845, 3,000 crossed there. In 1848, another 2,000 made the ford.

War prevented emigration in 1847 but more than 1,000 soldiers made the crossing. In 1848, around 2,000 emigrants forded the river, and the following year another 2,000 crossed over, and in 1850, 2,500 crossed. The women and children would never forget the Indians who were camped at the mouth and guided them to the most shallow spot and used their canoes to ferry them across the river for a small fee. The wagons had their wheels removed and they were floated across. After making the crossing most camped out on the the west side on the bluff and they would trade with each other for food and clothing. Even today you can still see the ruts of the old trail as it winds its way up the hill toward The Dalles.

In 1852 Nathan Olney, who was one of the first to settle at The Dalles, established a ferry at the mouth of the Deschutes river and charged $3 per wagon to cross on it. Many didn't have the money or didn't want to pay the toll, and instead crossed at the ford. In 1853 about 8,000 emigrants crossed the river and many of them used Olney's ferry. In 1854, around 2,000 crossed the river on the ferry and later that year Olney sold the ferry to William Nix.

In 1860 the Barlow Road cut-off which spilt off from the main Oregon Trail just west of the John Day river crossing was established. The road forded the Deschutes river at Buck Hollow which is a little ways downstream from Shearer's bridge which is now the Hwy 216 bridge. The area is the ancient home of the Tygh people and they had a village there which was called Tilxni. Today members of the Warm Springs Reservation fish the river there on platforms built over the cascading waters. In 1826 Peter Skene Ogden of the Hudson's Bay Co. traveled through the area and saw the village and crossed the river on a small bridge.

The dusty emigrant trains passed slowly into the cragged gorge of the Deschutes and camped by its emerald tinted water. In the early days engagements with the Indians were not infrequent, and they would hide among the crags above the road and would often fire upon pack trains as they passed and at the Buck Hollow crossing a fight between emigrants and Indians had taken place. After coming up from the river the settlers entered the Tygh valley which the White river flows through and they connected with the Barlow Road in the valley northeast of Wamic. There was a Frenchman named Chambeau who had a trading post near where these roads came together.

Shearer's Bridge

Shearer's Bridge crosses the Deschutes river about 12 miles east of Wamic and about 26 miles from the mouth of the Deschutes river. In 1860 John Todd built a small bridge across the Deschutes river near the old Tygh village and upstream from the emigrant crossing at Buck Hollow. This bridge was for horses and foot travel, and only one horse at a time could cross it. Settlers coming over the cut-off would stop at Todd's place and they obtained valuable information about their trip ahead.

In 1861 the foot bridge was washed away and Todd quickly rebuilt it only for it to be washed away the following year. That was enough for Todd and he sold it to Robert R, Mays who built the first wagon bridge in 1864. About 1867 or 1868 Mays sold the bridge and the property on the west side to Ezra Hemmingway who established a post office there in 1868. Between 1869 and the early 1870's the route of the Military road from The Dalles to Canyon City was changed from the crossing at Gordon's bridge to cross at Shearer's bridge.

In 1871 Joseph Harry Shearer purchased the bridge and property from Hemmingway. Shearer would build barns and a 33 room hotel which lasted until fire destroyed it in 1938. He also built a flour mill at the White river falls. One report said that Shearer charged $3.75 for each yoke of oxen or team and wagon; $1 for the driver; 25 cents per head for cattle and 10 cents a head for sheep. it was also said that when travel was heavy Shearer often gathered the toll money using a large bucket. Joseph Shearer was not just a toll gatherer he was also an accomplished road builder.

For 30 miles on either side of the bridge he built roads, grading and embanking them without special training in engineering methods, and yet the Indian and Mexican laborers under Mr. Shearer's direction kept the roads in such good conditions that all the weary travelers must have blessed him. Shearer's bridge was the gateway into the vast territory of central Oregon.

Joseph Shearer would pass away in 1908 and the county purchased the bridge in 1912. The old bridge was replaced in 1922 and again around 1979. Today the bridge is part of Oregon Highway 216. You can still see the old road coming down from the bluff on the west side and you can follow the old road on the eastside heading south to Bakeoven from satellite maps.

Who Built the Bridges Across the Lower Deschutes

The old residents of the area have told conflicting accounts about who built the early bridges across the lower Deschutes river and in what year they were constructed. It is known that there were 3 bridges; Miller's bridge, Gordon's bridge and the Free bridge. It is also known that Miller's bridge was washed away multiple times in the 1860's and again in the spring of 1881, and was in operation until 1920, after a detour was completed to the new concrete bridge about a half mile downstream from Miller's bridge. Gordon's bridge was sometimes referred to as the middle bridge and would be washed away in 1869 or the early 1870's, and was never rebuilt. The Free bridge which was the last of the 3 bridges to be constructed was rebuilt by the county in 1905 and was destroyed in 1912 and would never be rebuilt.

Miller's Bridge

Carson C. Masiker was the son of George Masiker and half brother to Captain Albert Jay Price who once ran the ferry between The Dalles and Dallesport. In the Chronicle of September 12, 1930 Masiker said that in 1854 Nathan Olney sold his ferry to William Nix (He was also known as Nixon) who continued to operate the ferry until he built the first Deschutes bridge at its mouth in 1858 or 1859 where the Miller bridge stood. Masiker also said that Nix's bridge was about half as long as the later Miller bridge, and C. J. Cowne was the toll collector who lived at the east end of the bridge. The Sherman County Milestones website agrees and said that William Nix built the first bridge across its mouth in 1859.

The first European to settle at the mouth of the Deschutes river was in 1858 when William Graham along with his family arrived after traveling over the Oregon Trail. In 1859 Graham built an inn for travelers who were going to Walla Walla and later to the gold mines in Idaho and Canyon City, Oregon. After the inn was opened for business the stage coaches which crossed at the mouth of the river would make a stop at the Graham inn and some if not all rested there for the night. 

Captain A. J. Price was the son of Sam Price who operated Price's Station said that in 1858 William Graham and his family settled on the east side of the Deschutes river at its mouth, and in 1859 Graham built the first bridge across the river at his place. He also said that Thomas Jefferson Miller had nothing to do with the bridge and that Captain Jeff (as some called him) used to run a ferry between Chamberlain Flat on the Washington side to where Rufus is now. Price may have confused the date as to when Graham built the bridge as 2 other sources say Graham and others built the second bridge at the mouth of the river in 1864.

Price's stage station was originally founded by George Masiker and was located on The Dalles to Walla Walla and Salt Lake City road. Today this stage stop would be about 4 miles northwest of Wasco where Welk Road meets the Celilo-Wasco Highway. The Masiker family moved from Dufur to Sand Springs around 1863 or 1864 to open a stage station and Sam Price went along with them. Not long after the station opened, George Masiker passed away. Sam Price would then marry Mrs. Masiker, and together they continued to operate the station until 1872 when they moved back to Dufur to live out the remainder of their lives. George's son Carson Masiker would be buried at Price's station.

In 1860 gold was discovered at Oro Fino creek in Idaho, and in 1862 gold was also discovered at Canyon City, Oregon. The resulting gold rush was one of the main reasons that made a bridge across the mouth of the Deschutes river an important necessity.

The Sherman county site said that about 1860 Captain Jeff Miller had settled on the west side of the Deschutes river opposite William Graham. Miller's island, Miller's station and post office, Miller's bridge and Miller's school were all named after Captain Jeff. Miller was a soldier and riverboat captain on the Columbia and in British Columbia. According to an article written by L. H. Gregory in the September 19, 1920 issue of the Oregonian says that, Captain Jeff Miller and his brother Charles S. Miller were living on the west side of the Deschutes across from William Graham. (Gregory used an "H." for Charles' middle name which was found to be incorrect,)

Sherman county also says that the bridge at the mouth of the river was washed away in 1861. The August 19, 1920 Oregonian says that the old residents of the Dalles had told Gregory that E. G. Cowne built the first bridge in 1861. Maybe Cowne rebuilt Nix's bridge at the mouth of the river which had washed out that same year? It is unknown if Cowne's name was E. G. or C. J. and some have his last name spelled as Coyne. Cowne was a printer and newspaper man from The Dalles. Charles Masiker said that in 1861 the bridge and Cowne's house were washed away and the river now covers the site of Cowne's house and his field.

William McNeal in his history of Wasco county said that Carson Masiker in the spring of 1862 said that William Nix put in a ferry 2 miles above the washed out Miller bridge. (I found on the Google map about 2 miles above the mouth is Ferry Springs canyon and a little farther upstream is the Ferry Springs trail. These names may have been derived from Nix's ferry though it is just a guess.) Masiker also said at the same time that in 1862 Stephen Coffin put in a ferry at the mouth of Nix Canyon (Gordon's canyon) 3 miles above the site of the lower bridge. Nix then built a bridge alongside Coffin's Ferry and it forced Coffin to abandon his ferry and the lower road leading to it. Since the Miller bridge was washed out and Gordon's bridge had not yet been built it is logical that these ferries were needed.

Sherman county says that in 1864 a second bridge? (? their emphasis) was built at the mouth of the river by Colonel James Fulton, Cyrus Smith and William Graham. In an article written by R. C. Johnson for the March 5, 1922 edition of the Oregon Journal says that in 1864 James Fulton, Cyrus Smith and William Graham built the first bridge at the mouth of the river. (They probably got it wrong and it was actually the second bridge.) The newspaper continued to say that not long after the bridge was completed, Fulton and Graham sold their interest in the bridge to Smith, and later Graham built a competing structure just above Smith.

Does this mean that Graham built a second bridge at the mouth of the river? I cannot find any other account that talks about 2 bridges at the mouth, although this second bridge only lasted but a year or 2 at the most before it was presumably washed away in 1866. R. C. Johnson said that these 2 bridges were washed out in 1866, and that Smith rebuilt his bridge at the mouth in 1867 which would become known as the Miller bridge. There definitely was enough traffic crossing the river at the time to justify 2 bridges at the mouth if this is indeed the truth.

Carson Masiker agrees with what the county site and newspaper said, that Colonel James Fulton, William Graham and Cyrus Smith constructed a new bridge at the site of Nix's old bridge, at the mouth of the river in 1864 and it divided the travel with the (upper) Nix bridge but he did not mention a second bridge built by Graham at the mouth, which makes things a bit confusing.

R. C. Johnson said that 4 miles above the mouth of the river the Nixon & Co. built a bridge across the river at the Gordon place although he didn't say when it was built though it may have been in 1864. Masiker agrees and said that Nix & Co, built a bridge at Gordon's place and that the lower bridge at the mouth (1 bridge) was washed out in 1866. Masiker also said that C. S. (Charles?) Miller rebuilt the bridge at the mouth in 1867 instead of Smith. This would be the year that the stucture became known as the Miller bridge.

Captain Price said that in 1876 Mary E. Miller (wife of Charles) bought the old Graham place. This might indicate that Charles S. Miller and his wife had divorced though this is only a guess since I am unable to locate anything more about him and only the following about his wife. According to the Sherman county website, Mary Miller was the daughter of Hardin Corum, who lived at the west end of the bridge and was the gate tender. The toll gate was at the east and of the bridge. 

In the February 11, 1881 issue of the Pacific Christian Messenger it says that the old Miller bridge which had withstood the floods of over 18 years was washed away which would mean that the Miller bridge was built in 1863. The bridge would be repaired and rebuilt over the years since it was constructed and in 1920 still had much of the original wood beams and supports.

The September 19, 1920 Oregonian says that Zenas Moody purchased the Miller bridge from the Miller brothers in 1884. The Sherman county website also said that Thomas Jefferson Miller had passed away on July 31, 1906 at his home on the Deschutes river. Zenas Moody was a merchant who had a successful business at The Dalles and he was also a politician. In 1880 he was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives and served as Speaker of the House. In 1882 Zenas Moody became governor of Oregon and served until 1887.

Gordon's Bridge

Gordon's canyon is located about 4 miles upstream from the mouth of the river. Masiker said that in 1862 Stephen Coffin put in a ferry at the mouth of Nix Canyon, (now called Gordon's canyon) 3 miles above the site of the lower bridge. Sometime between 1862 and 1864 William Nix built a bridge alongside Coffin's Ferry which caused Coffin to abandon his ferry and the lower road leading to it.

Carson Masiker said that when he first saw the (upper) Nix bridge in... (The website says 1860 but that must be incorrect and it may have been 1868 or 1869 as I found a few other date errors made by William McNeal or who ever made the website where this information is found.) Masiker continues by saying that the bridge appeared to be about 5 years old, and also said that he never knew what year it was built but  Mrs. Silvertooth, a stepdaughter of Mr. Cowne could give you (McNeal) that date. Masiker also said that William Nix, John A. Simms, and Orlando Humason were partners in a bridge and ferry company and the Gordon bridge and ferry were originally called the (upper) Nix bridge and Nix ferry.

The Sherman county site agrees with Masiker that William Nix built the Gordon bridge (didn't say what year) and later sold it to Thomas Gordon. They also say that in 1862 William Nix, John Simms and Meyers founded the Deschutes Bridge Co. and they were issued a license to build and operate a bridge across the Deschutes river. They did not say where or when it was built but it could have been at Gordon's canyon.

The March 5, 1922 edition of the Oregon Journal says the same thing that about 4 miles above the mouth of the river the Nixon & Co. built a bridge at the Gordon place. Unfortunately they didn't say what year though it may have been between 1862 and 1864 because they said that Nix & Co. built the Gordon bridge after the Miller bridge washed out which was 1861. They also said that the (upper) Nixon bridge was carried away by a freshet in the 1870s. Masiker said that after selling the bridge to Gordon, William Nix moved to The Dalles and became a saloon keeper and gambler.

Thomas Gordon and his family settled on the east side of the river possibly in 1864. After Gordon purchased the (upper) Nix bridge from the company and began charging tolls the bridge would become known as Gordon's bridge and some called it the middle bridge. 

Masiker said in the Chronicle issued on September 12, 1930 that the bridge at the mouth of the river was called Graham's bridge and Gordon's bridge was owned by C. J. Cowne and Thomas Gordon. Gordon's house was at the east end of the bridge. When the bridge washed away in 1869 or sometime in the early 1870's, Ella Silvertooth, the 8 year old stepdaughter of Cowne, sobbed because her pet cat was still in the house which floated down the river along with the bridge. Her mother and 4 children barely escaped the destruction and they were able to cross the bridge to the west side just before it was washed out. They all walked up the hill and followed the wagon road to The Dalles. 

William McNeal in his history of Wasco county had written that Captain Price said that a man by the name of C. J. Coyne built a bridge about 4 miles above the Graham (Miller) Bridge and sold it to Thomas Gordon. The Dalles and Canyon City stage line used this bridge. After the bridge was washed out sometime in 1869 or in the early 1870's the stage line and military road shifted south to Shearer's bridge. If this account is true then after Cowne's house was destroyed by the flooding river in 1861 he may have moved upriver to build Gordon's bridge.

After Gordon's bridge was washed away it would never be rebuilt. This was most likely because the roads approaching this bridge were very steep and treacherous for wagons to negotiate.

Competition was Fierce

These were all toll bridges and naturally there was strong competition for the travelers dollar. Coming from The Dalles the old wagon road forked at Five Mile creek with the right fork leading to the Gordon bridge and the left fork leading to the Miller bridge. These roads would merge again just east of Wasco. This is where signs were placed telling travelers about the superiority of their roads and bridges.

The Dalles - Boise Military Road

On February 25, 1867 Congress made a grant for a military road from The Dalles via Canyon City, to the Snake river, near the mouth of the Owyhee. The grant embraced an acreage estimated at 556,832 acres. It covered the odd numbered sections for 3 miles on each side of the road. In case of lands already appropriated, the odd sections within 10 miles on each side of the road were granted in lieu of. The state then transferred the grant to The Dalles Military Road company, which was owned by Dr. Mitchell, Orlando Humason, and O. S. Savage who were all residents of The Dalles.

The location of the road was made on November 1, 1869 and it was 357 miles long. The road was located over the old Canyon City road which required little work for the company and their biggest expense was the purchasing of the Gordon bridge. The land grants caused quite a stir among some of the residents who said the government should not have been so generous due to the fact that there was already a road to Canyon City. (This fact was unknown to the government when the grant was awarded.) Much of this road is still visible from satellite maps.

Captain Price said Gordon sold his bridge to The Dalles & Boise Military Road Company for $5,000 in 1869. When the road was completed the company gave the Governor of Oregon a trip from the Dalles to Canyon City so he could inspect the road. He also said that Silvertooth never had any connection with the Gordon bridge as far as he knew. When the road was completed to Idaho it connected with another road which ran to Kelton, Utah which was the nearest point on the new transcontinental railroad which had been completed in May of 1869. Traffic was heavy on this route until the railroads reached Oregon.

Free Bridge

The last of the lower Deschutes bridges was built in 1873 after John E. Harris constructed a wagon road leading down to the Deschutes river from the Gordon bridge road. Today this road is known as Kloan Road and Freebridge Road. He then built a bridge across the river and at first it was a toll bridge. This bridge was about 3.25 miles upstream from Gordon's bridge. In 1887 Wasco county purchased the bridge and removed the tolls. It soon became known as “Free bridge." On the eastern approach there were 2 wagon roads, one was a toll road, which was on a good grade and the other was a free road which was on a much steeper grade. Many thought the bridge was still a toll bridge because of the toll road.

In 1905 Wasco county replaced the old wooden structure with a Pratt through truss bridge. The bridge had a clearance of 20 feet above the river and was 150 feet long. Including the approaches the bridge was 200 feet long. The new bridge was made of steel with reinforced concrete piers and cost $18,000 to build. In 1912 the Free bridge was mysteriously dynamited and it collapsed into the river. Today 2 of the piers are still standing on the east side of the river and you can still see the old free road and toll road on the east side using a satellite map. The road going down to the west side is also visible and it is still a county road though it is rough in places and a 4wd with a high clearance is recommended. The town of Kloan was established at the west side of the bridge in 1910 after the railroad came through.

The Columbia River Highway

After 1912 the Moody (Miller) bridge, at the mouth of the Deschutes river, was the only bridge north of Shearer's crossing. In the beginning the Columbia River Highway between The Dalles and the Deschutes river continued over the old road because the highway commission had not yet determined which route they were going to use. So in the meantime the highway continued to use the old road and cross the river on the toll bridge. The Oregon Sunday Journal issued on August 12, 1917 says that Moody was making between $50 and $100 a day from the tolls. That $50 in 1917 today would be equivalent to $1,179.

On March 14, 1917 Zenas Ferry moody would pass from the Earth at his home in Salem, Oregon and his son Malcolm Moody inherited the property and bridge at the mouth of the Deschutes. Malcolm Moody was a businessman and served 2 terms as a representative of Oregon in Congress from 1899 to 1905. Moody owned the land on both sides of the Deschutes river at its mouth and in places up the river for a few miles.

During the summer of 1917 Wasco and Sherman counties were in negotiations with Moody to obtain a right-of-way so they could construct a concrete bridge for the new Columbia River Highway. In 1905 Moody had acquired a water right from the state for a power project on the Deschutes river. This work called for certain work to be done in a certain amount of time, and they had imposed other conditions. By 1917 Moody had not yet constructed the power plant.

That year Moody hired an engineer to prepare a prospective plan for the power plant and he had asked that the concrete bridge be built over the top of it. This plan would have added about $15,000 to the cost of the new bridge. It was suggested that Moody depress the conduit making a siphon in order that the bridge could go over on a lower grade. This would have added to the appearance of the structure and make the bridge less expensive. Moody countered that the counties should build their bridge farther up the river near his home.

This would have made the cost $10,000 less but that would have been offset by adding a quarter mile to the highway and increasing the grade. Plus before the road reached the bridge an overhead crossing over the railroad would be needed. It was understood that when Moody gave the right of way to the railroad he reserved a sandbar. Moody had claimed that an overhead crossing would prevent him from getting to some of his sand. The county said that the supply of sand was unlimited, and that a 20 foot strip taken up by the bridge would never be missed. To get around the sandpit they would have had to make a new alignment in the highway and go under the railroad at some other point. Moody for reasons unknown never proceeded with his plans to build a power plant.

Construction work on the bridge began in the spring of 1919 on the basis that the cost would be shared by the state and the 2 counties. Wasco and Sherman counties contributed $25,000 each and the rest was paid by the state. The total estimated cost of the bridge was approximately $100.000. When construction on the bridge began the location of the highway between Seufert and the mouth of the Deschutes river still had not been determined. The route of the highway was decided on in the spring of 1920, and the route would follow along the river and canal.

This route was was selected in preference to the bench above along the old road as was suggested by Moody and others. The contract for the grading was then let, but some time elapsed before it was executed. While they waited for the construction to begin on the grading work, the building of the bridge was started and the structure was ready a year before the new grade would be finished. All that was needed for autos to use the new bridge was a temporary road to connect with old road on the west side of the river.

On July 11, 1920 the state of Oregon announced that the new $100,000 concrete bridge across the Deschutes river was completed. But the road crews had not completed the new highway along the river to connect with the new bridge. The delay in construction was due to the work at Cape Horn which had slowed. This was because a tunnel could not be bored through the bluff and the crews had to remove the rock to make room for the road between the bluff and the railroad. They had to remove the rock carefully as not to damage or block the railroad which slowed the work down considerably.

It would take another year for the new road to reach the bridge so the county wanted to build a temporary road from the old highway through Moody's property and connect it to the approach on the west side of the new bridge. Moody objected to this temporary road so travelers had to continue to use the old route and pay the $1 toll. The toll included a return trip back over the bridge if the driver remembered to get a ticket from the gate keeper.

In the summer of 1920 the state highway commission decided to force the issue and had their engineer make plans for a temporary detour road through Moody's land and have the attorney general institute condemnation proceeding on behalf of the state. In August of 1920 the state offered moody $250 for the 4 acres of his land which was needed for the detour road. Moody promptly refused the offer.

On August 19, 1920 L. H Gregory of the Oregonian said the following about the Miller bridge; "This bridge shows all the signs of great age. Its old joints creak as you drive across it, its supports quiver from the load, its decking is warped and wavy. At the east end of the bridge, which is some 500 feet long, a wood gate bars the way. Here stands the taker of toll, who exacts a fee of $1 round trip rate to let the car go through. This old bridge is the celebrated Miller's toll bridge across the Deschutes about which has waged one of the most picturesque legal controversies in the road history of Oregon."

"On the one side in this battle of law is the state highway department. On the other is Malcolm A. Moody, owner of the bridge and once a representative in congress from Oregon. The purpose of the state highway department is to open to travel a new concrete free highway bridge, half a mile downstream from the toll bridge. The purpose of Mr. Moody is to prevent the opening of the free bridge and thus continue to collect tolls from the many travelers who each day now have to use the toll bridge in crossing for Central Oregon to the south via Wasco, east to Pendleton, Baker and Idaho, north to Spokane and west to The Dalles and Portland."

"By virtue of his owning the only land which the new highway bridge can be reached from the present road, the battle, until Thursday August 16th had swung in favor of Mr. Moody. On that day Circuit Judge Wilson at The Dalles dissolved the temporary restraining order which was obtained by Mr. Moody to prevent the state from building a detour road across his land to the new bridge. Whether he will fight further remains to be seen."

Earlier the highway department had put a crew to work and began building the detour road from the present road to the new bridge, right through Moody's land. Moody promptly brought injunction proceedings and stopped the work. The problem would soon remedy itself when work crews finish the new grade making the temporary road unnecessary. But the highway department desired to open the new bridge and let the public enjoy its benefits. The only way they could do so was to build the connecting detour road through Moody's land but Moody was determined to prevent the state from doing so.

Gregory said; "Moody has, in short, paraphrased the famous rallying cry of the French, holding the line at Verdun from, "They shall not pass!" to "They not pass for less than $1 per head, with round-trip privilege." Gregory was on a trip to the bridge to write his article and was accompanied by Fred A. Routledge, who was the pictorial map artist for the Oregonian. They drove to the historic old toll bridge in a Chevrolet on August 13th and paid the gate man a dollar for the experience of riding across the bridge, through the gate and back again. On that day a crew was working for the state highway department building a grade for the detour across the Moody property.

But that same evening the restraining order was served on them and work stopped. The old road to the Deschutes from The Dalles is a scenic one and affords a truly wonderful view of the Columbia at Celilo. This is a view that the new highway, which passed beside the canal and river, a little above its level, did not have. The old road at the time was not in perfect condition but it wasn't very bad either. It was rough and considerably cut up by heavy truck travel and had a steep grade of 18% on the east side going down to the river, but travelers could make fairly good time driving over it.

Moody claimed that the commission had no power to build a temporary route across his place, but Judge Wilson decided in favor of the highway commission and dissolved the injunction. Work on the detour quickly resumed and on September 21, 1920 it was announced that the detour road from the Miller bridge to the new concrete bridge would be open for traffic the following day. This would accommodate those who wanted to visit Pendleton for the Round-up.

The new highway between Seufert and the Deschutes river and was opened for traffic in October of 1921. Around Cape Horn crews were still widening the roadway but a single lane about 100 yards long was opened so cars could pass. The construction was completed early in November. This new route along the river with its new concrete bridge across the river brought an end to the era of toll bridges on the lower Deschutes river.

Today the "bench" road which now called Old Moody Road still has a gravel surface until you cross under the railroad, but it is in great shape and the grade has been reduced from the steeper 18% of the old road and cars can now drive over it comfortably. Gregory ended his article by saying; "As to Miller's bridge, let it be said in conclusion that this historic toll bridge has in its day served a most useful purpose, but its day has passed." 

Sources;

Pacific Christian Messenger - February 11. 1881

Oregon Sunday Journal - Randal R. Howard - September 17, 1911

Oregon Journal - August 29, 1920

Sunday Oregonian - L. H. Gregory - September 19, 1920

Morning Oregonian September 22, 1920

Sunday Oregonian - December 12, 1920

Oregon Sunday Journal - R. C. Johnson - March 5, 1922 

Sherman County Milestones - Sherman County, Oregon

History of Wasco County, Oregon by Wm. H. McNeal - https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~westklic/howcoc7a.htm