I just read in a 1927 Oregonian that one could drive from Portland all the way to Olallie. That is earlier than I imagined. Cars have been deep into the Clackamas for some time. I'll bet that was a hell of a drive down some nutty roads!
Nowadays it is hard to sort out the historic roads from the logging maze, which is a shame because they are pretty cool and historic themselves. I'd imagine most of us here are more trail-centric and forget about those narrow forgotten lanes. Wouldn't it be something to take a 1920s car back up there again?
P.S. just found out that the rails were pulled up off 224 in 1937.
Where did you find out that info? Any articles or anything you can share? Stuff like this fascinates me, and articles or photos (even better) are great.
I always wonder if the bench on 224 just south of the reservoir is a remnant of the rail line or if it is something else. It certainly looks like a track could have been on it at one point.
The early access to that country was down from Blue Box.
A remnant of that can be enjoyed from Trapper Springs and Warm Springs Meadow area to near Lemiti. I don't have a map in front of me so I can't tell you the number. It is very primitive.
The road history is pretty clear studying the maps.