An isolated mansion which resembles a palace and blends strangely with the setting of the wild gorge. Construction began in 1914 but was not fully completed until 1940, built by the late multimillionaire, Samuel Hill, advocate of good roads, international peace promoter, royalty’s friend, and the son-in-law of “Empire Builder” James J. Hill. It was originally selected as the site for a Quaker colony, but the younger Hill discovered that many of the colonists he imported from Belgium were reluctant to settle on the parched slopes of the gorge. Although colonizing ideas were abandoned, Maryhill Castle rose in desolate grandeur, named for his daughter, Mary. The mansion, planned by New York architects Hornblower & Marshall, includes large garages, spacious driveways, and electric and gas equipment. Hill decided to convert the building into a museum, and invited Queen Marie of Romania to dedicate it in 1926. Today, the castle is in use as the Maryhill Museum of Art.