The historic highway was built between 1913 and 1922, as the first scenic highway in the USA. By 1960, a section, about 50 miles from The Dalles, had been replaced by the I-84. The twelve-mile section was abandoned and the tunnels filled with rocks. In the 1980s, an initiative was undertaken to restore and preserve the section of the historic highway as a series of three hiking trails and a bike path. During the restoration, graffiti that had been written by snowbound motorists in 1921, was discovered. In 2000, the historic highway was designated a National Historic Landmark and in 2002, the trail was listed as a National Recreation Trail.

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