Until about 1923, all roads on the Grand Ronde Reservation were “improved roads.” They were originally trails used for horse and buggy and then later graveled and some were planked. The improved gravel roads were cheap to produce and maintain but would get muddy and worn down quickly in the winters. Native people were always fixing the roads. in about the 1880’s was installed plankroads, where wooden planks were placed in especially muddy sections so the new automobiles could navigate the thick and deep mud. Elder accounts suggest that these planks were slippery when wet, and sometimes individual planks … Continue reading When the Roads in Grand Ronde Were Paved