ROADS TO AIMS
Because I have a lot of time on my hands as many folks do being really confined to home my mind keeps running so decided to approach the subject of how roads in the area got their names.

Thinking of our own families properties will start with our roads which are private but used by many. The one that is gated by the Aims Fire station has no name except we say to go across the canyon that is the way to go. However past Johannsen road, beyond the field and barn, is another gated road. That we call the Dump road. Now, that is really confusing to many because it is a bit odd. Well, the reason it is called that is because we so called pioneer folks were not always environmentally correct. The way to dispose of trash...including large and small items was to start a dump pile somewhere out of sight. After equipment such as tractors with blades and buckets we did dig big holes and when it was full bury the debris. Before that they were just there and we let nature take care of it. So, that is our Dump road but no one gets to go in and dig up anything to collect old stuff...ok ?

That road originally and is still useful to reach the Younker property which was originally Will and Maggie Thomas property settled in the late 1800s. Will Thomas was Jeannette Granberg's great uncle. Sometime back in the thirties when my Dad purchased property bordering their land, on part of their original acreage he and my brothers built another road into the property that goes off Hogg Mill Rd. They did that with horses and fresnos so it was a big job. Both roads are now used by those private persons owning property involved.

Now I will start with Gordon Creek Rd which I have no idea how it got its name. Very likely the creek was named that first and if anyone really knows how that got its name it would be great to know. It has been a road for a very long time and was quite rough in the early years. My parents told of walking to Springdale or riding horseback when they moved here in 1920. My Uncle Bob Kerslake had a car and could bring them back to the top of Gordon Creek Hill and then they walked the rest of the way because it was too difficult to drive if the weather was wet at all. My Dad would tell how coming up Gordon Creek Hill if gas was a bit low in his Model T he would turn around and back up so the gas would go to the outlet. When I was a kid it was so different than now...but that is another story.

Trout Creek Road I assume was named after the creek which has two branches that come together in the main stream prior to getting to Trout Creek Camp. That road was just a dirt type until late thirties...early forties when it was taken as a county road and improved. I had an old map that showed at one time the plan was to connect it to Hogg Mill Road. Can you imagine that?
The next real road is Johannesen and that was obviously the original owners. I do not know if they were the ones who had the still during the prohibition days and were hauled off to jail because somehow I think it was another name that my folks told about when that happened.

Groce Road is the next in line and it was named after Arthur Groce who owned property here for his relaxing time but was the owner of the Springdale Store that was located just east of the Springdale Chapel on the Columbia River Highway. They were lovely people and helped all of us get through the depression with their generosity. We charged and paid what we could and were very grateful. Not sure why it was not named Lowe for they were the first people to settle on property at the far end of the road. There is even a family burial plot on the place.

Hogg Mill is next. That of course was named after the owners of Hogg Mill which was a vital part of the area for many years. The mill burned down in 1928. The Hoggs moved to Washington State and he was involved with a bank there. He left a wealthy man in those times but the 1929 crash came and the bank failed. Mr Hogg distributed his personal wealth to the account holders who lost theirs. They lost their beautiful home and came back to Aims. They moved into the old cook house - a "rustic" building - which they filled with their lovely furniture. I have special memories of them. There are questions as to why some people think it is Hogue and that is what the original sign for the road stated. Those of us who knew the Hoggs objected and got it corrected.

So, we come to Bull Run Road and obviously it was because Bull Run was the place to go on that end of the community. It was a thriving place then with the Power Plant in full mode and the Portland Water Bureau hiring many people to do jobs that probably are done by mechanical devices now. There was an entire village thriving there which could be another story.

The first road to the right that has a sign is that Hog Bone one which makes no sense at all to me. If anyone had asked me...which they obviously did not I would have called it the Oscar Woods Road. Those were the ones I remember as an entire family grew up there. But, that was a long time ago and no one asked.
Next on the left is Connett Road. Of course that is appropriate, but Nettie Connett had made her own sign and put it up before the county got around to it so they had no choice. Of course Netties colorful lifestyle is well known and while some of it may be enhanced a bit one can read a lot about her at the Sandy Museum. Worth the trip to go there anyhow.

When we come to Warriner Road I really have no idea about that. We always called it the Walker Prairie Road. Suppose there was someone by that name lived there but Walkers prairie was really a prairie...now a forest and had wild horses in it that was weekend sport for young would-be cowboys to try to catch. Some did too.
Whoops....forgot off of Connett Rd apparently there is a Wilkinson Rd and it was named after some folks that had Ayshire cattle that had huge long horns and with free range laws they traveled around the area and was something we avoided if they came around. They were a sweet old couple as I remember but probably not nearly as old as I thought they were at the time,

Then comes Elsner Road. The Elsners were very early settlers and owned a lot of land which was only divided in the fifties so that was definitely well named. Laughing Water Road down the hill was no doubt named after the Creek and it is a happy Creek I guess or it would not have been named that. Perhaps that was named by Gus Elsner who was an early resident on property there.

So, I have whiled away a lot of time and now who knows what I will do with this. Killing time is theme a lot of the time at the moment. April 1, 2020