Historic Hood River
Faces of Dee Mill
Notes
We have many great panoramic views of the employees of the mills of the Hood River Valley, but they really don’t fit this format well. This pair of details from a panoramic view of the Dee Mill employees should let you get a good view of their faces. We have a couple of names, too. In the top detail the second man from the right is Wally Peck. In the bottom detail, the second man from the right is John Warrick or Warnick. Based on the clothing and the photography, I believe this is from the earlier days of the mill’s operation, circa 1915.
In 1920 Wally Peck was working for the Mt. Hood Railroad, according to this account of his battle with the influenza. Fortunately he survived, as he was mentioned in a 1924 story about his daughter’s illness.
L. E.
Great detail of suspenders and pocket watches.
Thorn
Agreed L.E., and the mustaches, hats, the visages, wisened and green. I also admire Hood River’s history of diversity and seeing different people with shared experiences. And, I was intrigued by the “No Smoking” sign, which struck me as oddly early in history, which made me wonder, maybe wood mills were among the first to implement smoking bans. According to research, other than some temporary tobacco bans for religious or monarchical reasons circa 1600-1900, gas stations get credit for the first widespread use of signs, but that would be fairly contemporaneous. I’m curious if Dee Mill had a fire prior to 1915, that “sparked” their progressive smoking signs.