McAuley's Road
Coming west with Ezra Meeker in 1852,
Thomas McAuley decided to build a road
to let emigrants bypass big hill.
Worst of all Oregon Trail descents, Big Hill
needed replacement. Eliza McAuley reported
that her brother Tom "fished a while, then took
a ramble... and discovered a pass by which the
mountain can be avoided by doing a little road
building." With an emigrant crew, he opened
a wagon toll road that followed current
Highway 30. After 1852 no one maintained
the new route and it fell into disuse.
