CORBETT, Ore (KATU). — Vista House is set to reopen to visitors
in the Columbia River Gorge this coming weekend.

While the viewpoint and parking lot have remained open, Vista
House and its gift shop and café will be back open to the public.

The historic Columbia River Gorge attraction has been closed for
most of 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Vista House opened in 1918 (above) as a glamorous rest stop and observatory for those traveling the new highway. This “comfort
station” was a rest stop like no other, featuring marble floors,
stained glass windows — and, of course, a stunning view. In the
words of The Oregonian, it was “the finishing achievement for the greatest highway in America.”

Architect Edgar M. Lazarus designed the building to be functional, beautiful and commemorative: the rest stop served as a memorial
to the settlers who had traveled the final stretch of the Oregon Trail
along the Columbia River. Inside, stone panels are carved with the
names of settler families. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the building fulfills Lazarus’s vision as a “temple to
the natural beauty of the Gorge.

Edgar Marks Lazarus
(June 6, 1868 – October 2, 1939)

February 23, 1945: During the bloody Battle for Iwo Jima, U.S.
Marines from the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th
Regiment of the 5th Division took the crest of Mount Suribachi,
the island’s highest peak and most strategic position, and raised
the U.S. flag. Marine photographer Louis Lowery was with them
and recorded the event.

Americans fighting for control of Suribachi’s slopes cheered the
raising of the flag, and several hours later more Marines headed
up to the crest with a larger flag. Joe Rosenthal, a photographer
with the Associated Press, met them along the way and recorded
the raising of the second flag along with a Marine  photographer
and a motion-picture cameraman.

Louis R. Lowery
(July 24, 1916 – April 15, 1987)

PORTLAND, Ore. — TriMet is honoring civil rights activist Rosa
Parks on Friday, February 4 on what would have been her 109th
birthday.

Officials said no fares will be collected for bus, MAX, WES or LIFT.

Portland Streetcar and C-TRAN will also provide free rides as an
annual tribute to Rosa Parks.

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks
(February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005)

Betty Marion White Ludden
(January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021)

Martin Luther King Jr.  (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)