Rest Stop and Toll Station on Santiam Wagon Road

By Steve Lent, Historian — The Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountain Wagon Road, commonly known as the Santiam Wagon Road was constructed from Sweet Home, Oregon to the Deschutes River in Central Oregon by1868. It was a privately built toll road. The first tollgate on the road was established on John Gilliland’s claim east of Sweet Home, with Gilliland the gatekeeper and road superintendent.

An eastern tollgate was established on Cache Creek south of Suttle Lake.

John McKee became the western gatekeeper and moved the tollgate in 1890 to a mile west of Lower Soda Falls. Jacob Nye replaced McKee in 1891. The road was heavily used in the 1870s and 1880s. Freight wagons loaded with wool from Eastern Oregon was transported over the road to the Willamette Valley woolen mills. The wagons were then loaded with vegetables and fruits to transport back east over the road. The road was also used by travelers between Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley. Numerous cattle and sheep were also herded over the road.

In 1898, George Geisendorfer established a post office at Cascadia in Linn County and built a bridge across the South Santiam River west of the tollgate. The toll company experienced people going around the toll gate to avoid paying a toll. The gate was later moved to Canyon Creek near Upper Soda Falls. A rest stop was constructed at the Upper Soda location and became a popular station for wagon road travelers and was known as Mountain House. The station was located near the treacherous grade known as Seven Mile Hill that progressed up to Tombstone Pass. M.J. Nye became the gatekeeper in 1908; he continued in that position until 1914, when tolls were discontinued. A toll was briefly reinstated in 1921 to obtain funds to repair the road.

Mountain House remained a popular stopping place through the years. A highway was completed along the old wagon road route in 1939 and the popularity of Mountain House continued. A store, restaurant and lodge later was established at the location and known as Mountain House. Today the old site is a private residence.