Before the railroad era, mail transportation and interstate travel depended on public roads. The federal government encouraged the development of early post roads used to distribute U.S. mail, then shifted its interest to railroads as a better means of interstate travel. Interest in public roads returned with the coming of the motor car. By 1906, the need for better organization in road building was recognized, and the state legislature established what is now the Department of Highways. Stagecoach and covered wagon trails gradually gave way to dirt roads passable in dry weather, followed by macadam roads and, in some places, fir plank roads. In this area, the first roads were constructed about 1918 and followed the contour of the hillside down to a ferry landing. Remnants of those early roads can still be seen in the valley below. An improved highway was constructed in 1930.