Gateway is located about 10 miles north of Madras and is currently a quiet farming community. It did not even exist until the Deschutes Railroad arrived in Central Oregon in 1911 but rapidly grew to a thriving little community that eventually faded to only remnant old buildings that stand as a reminder of glories of the past.
The locale around Gateway was homesteaded prior to the turn of the century but consisted of scattered homestead buildings, and water was scarce. Access was limited to the vicinity, but that all changed when the Harriman interests constructed a railroad up from the Deschutes River and through the valley in 1911. A railroad station was constructed at the site, and since it did not have a name, a railroad employee, George McFarland, christened the new station “Gateway,” since it was situated at the location that the railroad emerged out of the Deschutes Canyon.
There had been a post office located nearby earlier, and it was named Youngs, but when the railroad arrived, a new office was created and given the name of Gateway on March 12, 1913, and Noah Vibbert was the first postmaster. Gateway was never incorporated as a city, but it did boast a railroad station, general store, furniture store, lumber yard, a grain warehouse and a saloon. A school was established shortly after the railroad arrived, and the only building available for use was the local saloon, which required extensive scrubbing and cleaning to remove stains from missed spittoons. A newer schoolhouse was later built. There was a school at Gateway until the early 1960s, when the school was consolidated in Madras.
Over the years, railroad traffic ceased to stop at Gateway as automobile transportation replaced the use of railroads for passenger traffic, and the depot ceased to operate. Gradually, the businesses disappeared, but the little general store continued to operate until 1958. Only the old buildings and a few homes still stand to commemorate the once thriving little community. The railroad depot stood for many years but was eventually removed by the railroad company.
