Description of the Route

Before the Sunset Highway was rerouted over Blewett Pass in 1922 the original route passed through Ellensburg, Vantage, Quincy, Trinidad and then Wenatchee. This required three crossings of the Columbia River. Two were by ferry. One at Vantage and the other at a town called Columbia River.

This town is long gone today. If you were heading west to Wenatchee you would have crossed the river just south of the old town, then up the hill to the old Colockum Road and continue north to Wenatchee. 

This road turns into the Malaga-Alcoa Hwy. If you turned left after reaching the Colockum Rd it would take you over the Colockum Pass back to Ellensburg. 

The road over Colockum Pass was a rough road back in the late 1800's when it was built and it is a very rough road today. The state was considering designating this route as the Sunset Highway but declined to do so because it was such a rough road. It is still passable if you have a 4 wheel drive.

An old article from the Spokane Review July 27, 1915 by Frank W. Guilbert who said, (Frank W. Guilbert is the Secretary of the National Parks Highway Assoc.)

“We are advising people who wish to go to Wenatchee to double back re-crossing the Columbia River at Columbia River crossing near the mouth of Colockum creek, thence, southerly to the crossing above Beverly known as Vantage terry, thence westerly through Ellensburg and Cle Elum to Seattle.”

Before Hwy 28 was built, there was no way a traveler could pass along the east side of the river to Wenatchee from the town of Columbia River north to Rock Island due to the steep hillside. There was just enough room for the Great Northern mainline from Seattle to Spokane to pass through.