Historic Hood River
Looking At?
7-9-2012
Notes
Here’s a good mystery shot. It’s July 9th (or possibly 7th) 1938, and there are quite a few people lined up on the sandbar to watch something. There’s also someone on the roof of the old Gerdes Hotel. Hopefully someone will do the research to figure out what’s worth looking at.
The Bonneville Dam had only recently been built. I can’t quite tell if the bridge has been modified for the new water level yet.
Another Monday mystery solved: An alert reader provided this excellent link which explains exactly what is going on. I suspect many in the crowd weren’t so sure the SS Charles Wheeler Jr. would make it under the Hood River bridge.
Charlott
Experimental wind surfing?
I don’t know, possibly arrival of the first ship coming up through Bonneville Locks.
Love the water tank for the old steam engines on the left. Good shot of Gerdes Hotel.
Ralph
Too many bridge footings to be like the current bridge. And the ramp to the Washington shoreline is too steep.
spinsur
doesn’t look like there’s lift towers for the center span yet. dredging the channel?
spinsur
actually this may be the story, the Wheeler and Onondaga : http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9883
l.e.
Ahhhh, spinsur beat me to it.
On July 9, 1938 the ocean going freighter "SS Charles L. Wheeler Jr." becomes the first ocean-going vessel to transit the lock at Bonneville Dam.
Arthur
Very impressive sleuthing. I never would have guessed this was such a big deal, but look at all those folks trying to get a closer look.
l.e.
I wonder, what were the general feelings at that time about their changed water front.
Were they sad about the change, or elated about the progress.
Evidently big cargo boats was a big thing for these people.
It seems like the view would have been shockingly different and would take some time, to get used to.
l.e.
I also wonder what the big white structure is on the hill in White Salmon.
Rawhyde
To answer what people were looking at….I believe that is FDR’s boat going up the Columbia.
Arthur
Big white structure is a house. My window is almost this exact view, and the house is still there though it has many neighbors. It’s also interesting how much less vegetation there was on that hillside. I can barely see Dock Grade now, but it is very clear in this photo.
Charlott
If that is FDR’s boat, was that when he came up to dedicate Timberline Lodge?
arlen sheldrake
Arthur, suggest tagging this photo, RR water tank……not too many pictures
of this steam era artifact. GREAT photo. Arlen
Ellen Dittebrandt
Arthur you were right about the railroad on 18 mile island.