Before the rails were up and running along the stunning Columbia River
landscape of Oregon and Washington, 19th-century westward travelers
faced treacherous conditions. Many emigrants perished before reaching
Oregon Territory. Only recently have railways bridged the wide gap
formed millions of years ago. Today the gorge remains the major
commercial route through the Cascades, and the tracks are a shining
example of human engineering and a mecca for rail enthusiasts. Mount
Hood, Union Pacific, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains seem to
connect in a magical way with the land, blasting out of raw, rock-faced
tunnels, gliding under bridges, snaking along the edges of towns and
along the big river, always rolling somewhere distant, symbolic of our
national connectedness--and our restlessness.