One of the shorter US highways at 63 miles in length, US 197 entered the US Highway System in 1952, after approval by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) in November of 1951. The timing of the creation of US 197 was due to a new bridge being built over the Columbia River at The Dalles, Oregon, as US 97 to the east was still being served by a ferry crossing across the Columbia River between Maryhill, Washington and Biggs, Oregon until 1962. At the time of the highway's inclusion into the US Highway System, there were a number of dams being built along the Columbia River, including a dam at the Dalles just east of the US 197 bridge, which led to US 197's timeliness in being included in the US Highway System. Replacing what was OR 23 between US 97 at Shaniko Junction (south of Maupin, Oregon) and The Dalles, plus a route mostly along what was when part of US 830 in Washington State east to Maryhill, US 197 travels through a few towns, high desert terrain...
Because every road has a story.