Letter to the Editor Dear Welches Family, Friends and Neighbors, I am reaching out regarding a new project I am working on for St. John in the Woods Catholic Church. This July marks their 100th anniversary in Welches and I am part of a team working on creating a commemorative book to mark the occasion. St. John in the Woods is rich in history, not only as a place of worship, but also as a symbol of the region’s past. In 1937, Henry Steiner built a new log church after the ori

In late February, the Skiyente Women’s Ski Club marked 70 years of "badass" sisterhood on the slopes of Mount Hood, culminating in the annual Maryanne Cup race at Summit Ski Area. Named for the club’s legendary founder Maryanne Hill, the event celebrated both the club’s history and its thriving present. Founded in 1955, Skiyente began when a group of women decided they weren’t content to “putter around the bunny slopes.” They wanted to race – and race seriously. Seven decades

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the Great Flood of 1996, a natural disaster that reshaped the Mount Hood corridor and tested the resolve of communities of the Mount Hood corridor. The winter of 1995–96 had been unsettled from the start. Snowpack was thin through much of December and early January. Then a late-month Arctic blast buried the Cascades under several feet of snow, which turned to ice, setting the stage for what followed. On February 6, a warm Pineapple Exp

In late December 1964, as the Mountain was preparing for Christmas, the weather in the upper Sandy River valley began to shift quickly. A warm Chinook wind swept into the region, accompanied by days of heavy rain, melting a deep early-winter snowpack, while frozen ground prevented the water from soaking in. Creeks rose first, then the rivers. By the time people realized how serious it was, the water was already moving fast and carrying things with it — logs, boulders, and ent

Seventy-five years ago this winter, a city bus rose off the ground at Government Camp and began climbing Mt. Hood – not on pavement, but on steel cables suspended high above the forest. Packed inside were reporters, photographers, and radio announcers, all invited to witness the debut of one of the most unusual transportation experiments in Oregon history: the Mt. Hood Skiway. The January 3, 1951 preview run marked the arrival of what promoters called the longest aerial tramw

The call came through and the question was simple: were we interested? Why, yes. Yes we were! There was going to be an Irish festival in Boston, and we’d been invited to perform. The festival was supposed to have it all: plenty of music on several stages, Celtic dancers, vendors, specialty foods, events for children. They’d cover airfare and accommodations, which was standard, plus a nice check at the end of the day. Big names from Ireland and Scotland were flying in from bot

When people learned of Susan “Phoenix” Lane’s disappearance last November, the mountain community was shaken, even more so when she was found murdered eight days later on Nov. 29, and her husband Michel Fournier was taken into custody.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t because something like this has never happened on the mountain, but because of what Lane was to so many — a mother, a sister, a friend.  Dozens of people joined the search to look for her, adamant that she wasn’t a “mi

Who are we as a community? We may not be incorporated towns, but we have an identity  nonetheless - one built on shared history, hard work, and the unique beauty of this place we call home. Our story is one that’s been passed down through generations, and it continues to grow with every person who puts down roots here.  A community that remembers its past has an identity. A community with an identity has  pride. And pride leads to protection - protection of the forests, river

Mount Hood’s summit is a familiar sight for everyone who calls The Mountain their home. It’s the backdrop to our lives, a landmark that feels unchanging. Yet in geologic terms, Mount Hood is anything but quiet. Beneath the snow and glaciers lies the record of eruptions that reshaped the mountain and altered the valleys where we live. The story of Mount Hood stretches back roughly half a million years. Like the other great peaks of the Cascades, it rose where the Juan de Fuca

Over the last several years, Mt. Hood has rediscovered one of its most valuable cultural treasures: the Steiner Cabins. On October 18, the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum (MHCCM) in Government Camp will host an open house and raffle in honor of these once-forgotten marvels. Get set for fun, education, and some pretty enticing prizes when the event kicks off at 1 p.m. For any readers who may have missed our coverage of the Steiner Cabins, October 18’s event is the perfect

The chairs never matched, but it was a comfortable room. A wingback angled beside a few dining room chairs, a love seat pushed against the wall – it looked just like someone’s living room when extra guests were visiting. On a cold night in October 2009, Jon Adams took his place, guitar resting on his lap. No microphone. No stage. Neighbors leaned close, coffee mugs warming their hands. I was there, having brought my mother to see Jon play. The room grew quiet as he started to