Curious about ruins below Brewery Grade when getting off at exit 85?

By Haley Mast

Overgrown and dilapidated stone buildings sit in the hills of Brewery Grade - they are at the front entrance to The Dalles when taking the Interstate 84, exit 84, near the Sunshine Mill.

What were they?

When you are headed south off the highway bridge, - you can’t miss them - just look ahead and a bit to the east.

We drive by them all the time. Built of basalt stone and mortar, the small houses have the roofs that are collapsing, and Himalayan Blackberry is taking them over. If they don’t poke you, the locust trees will.

Gary Conley, born and raised in The Dalles, and a Union Pacific Engineer for his career, was just the person to ask regarding the building's history.

Concrete poured over original foundation in June 6, 1979.

Although it is unclear the date the stone houses were built, Gary gave us some knowledge of a resident living there decades ago. A man working for Union Pacific Railroad (UP) lived in one of the stone buildings. His name was Roy Black. He moved to The Dalles from New Mexico where he was a section foreman. He was an Engineer with the UP while in The Dalles. Roy lived in the house with his wife Julia. It was uncommon for the railroad worker to be married. “Many of the guys didn't have a wife, or families, they just worked” Gary said. A flash flood on Dry Hollow Creek in 1948 caused 16 inches of mud to fill the base of the house, Gary said. The Blacks then abandoned the home. Consensus between Conley and Fort Dalles Museum’s Director Cal McDermit is that the stone houses were used to house railroad employees.

More on Dry Hollow Creek

Dry Hollow creek is sourced from the watershed in Mount Hood National Forest. The Creek goes into underground piping at the Corner of Dry Hollow Rd and East 14th St. and emerges below the Brewery Grade road. From there, it cascades into a small waterfall just above the stone houses. It then gets funneled back underground and flows underneath the railroad and Interstate 84 before entering the Columbia River.

Dry Hollow flows down the hillside above the stone building.

Correct us or tell us more

If you have information regarding these stone buildings please email Columbia Community Connections at news@columbiacommunityconnection.com to share your story.

Thanks to Brown Roofing

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