The White River drainage begins on Mount Hood's southern flanks, with its headwaters draining the White River Glacier and flowing through White River Canyon, the steep canyon between Mount Hood's Timberline Lodge and the Mount Hood Meadows ski areas. The White River flows southeast before turning east. As it reaches the Tygh Valley the river travels again in a deep canyon with steep banks on both sides.
 
The emigrants loosely followed the White River into the Cascades. Early Barlow Road pioneers stayed north of this deep canyon as they headed around Mount Hood. The White River was named after its color, at times appearing white with glacial silt.
 
Most travelers on the Barlow Road who were headed west drove nearly eighteen miles on their first day in the Cascades. They pushed on from Gate Creek to Emigrant Springs and descended to the torturous White River. The second day they fought the soft gravels of the river, fording it several times as they moved north toward Mount Hood. By the 1880s many camped at White River Station where in the summers, a trader operated a small store to sell supplies to travelers.

Credits and Sources:

http://focus.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/92000334.pdf
 
http://thebarlowroad.com/barlow_road_white_river.html
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_River_(Oregon
 
Barlow Road Historic Oregon Trail Map  [Brochure]. (n.d.) Mt. Hood National Forest. Sandy, OR.
 
Photos:
 
Oregon Department of Transportation. [sign]. (n.d.) White River Station Sign, Barlow Road, OR.
 
National Forest Service.(n.d.) White River, Barlow Road. from National Forest Service collection.
 
Risberg, Erica Ph.D. 2014. White River, Barlow Road. Portland, OR. Private collection.
 
Audio:
Diary excerpts:
 
Amelia Stewart
John L. Johnson