Historic Hood River
Hood River Heights, 1941
12-5-2012
Notes
We don’t have nearly as many images of the Hood River Heights as we do of downtown, but this is a nice Alva Day image looking south on 12th Street from the corner of Pine Street. A few signs you may not be able to read: One Hour parking, Pinkney’s Cafe, Home Bakery. Here’s a current view– some of those buildings are still around, though they have all had a few facelifts over the past 71 years.
The image was shot at noon on Friday, December 5, 1941. Two days later the nation would be shaken by the attack on Pearl Harbor.
l.e.
Isn’t the big fir in the back ground still there?
charlott
A man by the name of S. F. Gilmore was drilling for water in the L.A. area to water his cattle, when he struck oil. He soon became the largest distributor of gasoline and other oil related products in the west. The sign on the left reads Gilmore Red Lion, his brand of gasoline. In 1944 he owned 1600 gas stations, which became Mobile in that year.
We have come a long way with our Christmas Street decorations over the years.
Some one had a nice little convertible there I would say.
James
Interesting about Gilmore Red Lion gas, I like that better than Mobile. And Glenwood that big "PINE" in the background is still there I think. Ponderosa Pine…..
l.e.
Oooops. Sorry. That is a really bad mistake from someone from PINE country.
Very interesting about Gillmore gas.
rwf
Wow, been waiting for a good image of the Heights, you didn’t disappoint. The big pine behind the gas sign isn’t there anymore, but there is one just to the north of Pine Steet.
Arthur
As long as we’re talking pine trees, the Heights still has remnants of a dense pine forest, with good examples near Wilson Park and Union Street. Old photos show it stretched across the entire residential area. Can someone explain why this area was predominantly pine, while surrounded by doug fir forests?
Jim Gray
The valley is a transition area from Fir to the west and Pine to the east, add that reports of the indians sometimes burning areas to attract deer when new grass would sprout up and Pines trees been somewhat tolerant of low burning fire could account for so many Pine trees on the heights and of course Pine Grove.
I still haven’t figured what model the convert is but the coupe across the street is a highly sought after 36 Ford.
Arthur
Jim, I’m pretty sure it says "Mercury Eight" just below the rear plate on the convertible.
Jim Gray
Thanks Arthur, Mercury was my first guess but the vertical taillights threw me, looks like a 40 model, 39 being the the first year for Mercurys. Looks like the wind was blowing pretty good on this day. The building to the south of the Gilmore station use to house a place that made concrete pipes, culverts and other pieces.
hrweather
Good photo! Does anyone know if that part of town was called "The Heights" back then, or if that term came later?
Russ Frazier
I didn’t know there was a service station at that location. That is where my store is located now. I thought that when Connie Smith built the building that I have my store in now, that it was the first business in that location. Does anyone know if there was anything else at that location between the gas station and the smith building?
Jim Gray
Russ the Concrete business started at the alley where your place is now to the street to the south, the service station would have been part of where the Knoll / E&L building is now.
hrweather when I was a kid 50’s & 60’s, it was called a combination of "The Heights" and Uptown, you lived on the Heights or the residential section, you went Uptown to do business, thus Uptown Texaco, the historic service station that was torn down where this picture was taken.
Russ Frazier
I guess after looking closer the picture was taken from the old uptown texaco location and not the Knoll location. That was kind of a sad day when they tore that old texaco station down. Had a lot of memories of that place. My dad ran that station for quite a while when I was a kid. Remember walking up there after school every day from may street school to work for him.
l.e.
Any idea what the dome shaped roof is south of Paddocks?
Jim Gray
i.e., the dome building housed Tonn Auto Parts & Machine Shop when I was a kid, they also had a downtown location.
Jim Gray
Russ; I was saddened also by the loss of a historic building, worked there during my high school years. The building was a Walter D. Teague design, updated in the late sixties to the Matawan series, few examples of these buildings left that haven’t been really face lifted, don’t know if the city has a committee that looks at buildings before they are demolished, but it could have been saved/ moved easily.
brian murray
i believe the the mercury is sitting in front of a building owned by my uncles Warren Murray starting in 1930, and then Elmer Murray until he sold it while overseas during ww2. they ran "murrays wrecking house" and "murray auto parts" there. i was told the building had earlier been used for some sort of grain or feed storage. after the war elmer relocated the business to the old hwy west of town. that old building was torn down and i am not sure but i believe the 12th street site later became a dodge dealership which had earlier been on the west side of 12th.
Jim Gray
Brian; the Dodge dealer before the Knoll building was at the current glass shop, later was the Rambler dealership when the Dodge dealer moved to their new location, before that the Dodge dealer was where Andrews Pizza is now, it was a Chevrolet Dealer after Dodge moved Uptown.
Van
Your images look wonderful !!!