Decision at The Dalles

From 1841 until the early 1900's, more than 500,000 people traveled over 2,000 miles from Independence, Missouri, to The Dalles, Oregon. At The Dalles, they had to decide how to travel the last 100 miles to the Willamette Valley, either by floating down the treacherous Columbia River on log rafts or by taking the Barlow Road around the south side of Mt. Hood. Whichever route they chose, they faced grave danger from unpredictable weather and perilous terrain.

The Dalles, Oregon · United States