From Digital Archives: Vintage pass views & autos

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(Photos courtesy of Washington State Digital Archives.)

Anyone who drives across the Washington Cascades gets to enjoy million-dollar views and recreational opportunities of mountain pass highways that are the envy of the nation. The passes also play a crucial role in Washington’s transportation system, connecting the western and eastern sectors of the state and providing speedy farm-to-market roadways. Our Digital Archives has cool classic photos that will get you in the mood for a roadtrip down memory lane! The top photo, taken between 1940 and 1960, shows the Snoqualmie Pass Highway (a precursor to Interstate 90) and Keechelus Lake during summer. Note that the highway was only two lanes back then. Snoqualmie Pass has an elevation of 3,022 feet.

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The middle photo features Cayuse Pass (4,675 feet), located on the east side of Mount Rainier National Park. Cayuse, which is closed during the winter, is where Highway 410 and Highway 123 meet. In this 1937 photo, cars are parked along the snow banks as skiers and others walk along the road. The bottom photo, taken around 1945, shows several people sitting beside a car at Chinook Pass (5,430 feet), with Mount Rainier and Tipsoo Lake in the background. Chinook, just a couple of miles east of Cayuse, allows Highway 410 to proceed east into Yakima County. Like Cayuse, Chinook is closed during winter. The Snoqualmie and Cayuse photos are found in the State Library Photograph Collection, 1851-1990. The Chinook Pass shot is found in the Digital Archives’ General Subjects Photograph Collection, 1845-2005.

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