Historic Hood River
Road Construction
7-29-2013
Notes
Here’s a good scene of heavy road construction in the age of steam power. I believe this is along the Mt. Hood Loop Highway (now Highway 35). Does anyone recognize the location?
[Ed. note: Turns out this is not Hy. 35, but probably 12th Street in the Heights. Check the comment stream for the explanation.]
[Ed. note: A reader has provided this link showing this construction happened in 1918.]
Category: default
Tags: 12th Street, 1920s, Alva Day, Heights, Indian Creek, Mystery Monday, road construction, steam engine
Tags: 12th Street, 1920s, Alva Day, Heights, Indian Creek, Mystery Monday, road construction, steam engine
charlott
If someone recognizes that big old house off to the right, that would give the location. Looks like buildings up the road on the left.
That looks like another steam engine way down the road???
Dan K
Looks to me that it’s just south of the Pine Grove store where it cross Neal Creek.
Buzz
Have always enjoyed old steam donkeys because of the different ways they used them in logging. This right of way seems rather narrow for a road. Are we sure this isn’t in preparation for laying a railroad track? And I am not sure what application the steam donkey has in this project. Maybe used as a pile driver for bridge/trestle or stringing utility lines??
Arthur
I assumed this was a road because it looks like the houses are facing onto it.
charlott
I thought about that Pine Grove area, but don’t recall anyone ever saying that there was a huge house there. In that time I think all the buildings that were called Pine Grove were over on the railroad track where the Grange is.
Can’t figure out what that big board fence would be around.
James
Maybe Indian Creek crossing, Indian Creek road looking north, that large house is up near where the big church now sits (forgot which/name of)! That sand pit is still there today, only don’t dig any sand, due to erosion of the hillside, and houses above!
Arlen Sheldrake
While it sure may be a road….did they go to all that work, cut/fill, for roads back in these days? and would the trestles (bridges) be that substantial? I am thinking this is a railroad grade. (of course I have a bias)
and that is a interesting fence in the background.
l.e.
Could the board fence be for stopping drifting sand?
Did the Mt Hood RR have any spur lines?
There are already power lines running alongside, so it must be an established road or railroad.
Is that a pipe running from the creek into the oak barrel?
Arlen Sheldrake
LOTS of interesting detail in this photo. Yes, the pipe going from the oak barrel down to the creek even appears to be pouring water into the barrel. and if you enlarge the photo, there is another dark pipe going from the barrel to the "donkey".
also running along the giant board fence seems to be another large pipe. this seems to be a rather large community….some major buildings to the left of the right of way be it highway or railroad.
and there seems to be some sort of sign at the end of the fence….any idea Arthur what it might say?
the idea of a sand fence has merit but why would it have been built in advance of the highway/railroad…….
Arthur
Arlen, the signs are not in focus so I can’t read them. There seems to be a very large borrow pit right in the middle of the frame, and it is surrounded by hay bales. I think the fence may be to screen the residences from the construction, or to keep cows and kids from wandering into the hole. I’ll have to check if there are any other frames of this project.
Arthur
OK, there are two other frames from this project, both showing a huge winch mechanism near that house. They show a set of three false front commercial buildings which aren’t as clear in this view– and one of them has the sign "Hubbard Taylor Feed" painted on the side. Maybe that will help place this frame?
charlott
Never heard of Hubbard Taylor feed. I think it actually looks more like Indian Creek, with the road going over the creek. That house would be close to where Valley Christian Church is today.
Dan K
Well Arthur put in the heading that its along Hy. 35 so it can’t be Indian Creek
l.e.
Remember that baseball photo #73? The team had their photo taken up against a board fence.
I know most board fences have braces, but the braces look the same in both photos.
nels
If you want to check one of the possibilities, Go out Tucker Rd and turn R at the cemetery on to Indian Creek Rd past the sports club and the golf course. At the stop sign at the bottom of the hill, turn right and pause right there to see if this is the site we have been looking at. But one of the keys is, was there such a house where Valley Christian Church now sits?
Arthur
Dan, the "Hy. 35" comment was just a guess. The negative has no indication of location or date.
Buzz
Maybe this is an old wagon trail that they are in the process of widening into a road. That could be a steam shovel on the far end working its way down the hill. The poles on the far end seem to be offset by the shovel. And they are getting ready to to widen the bridge, offset more poles as they get to them and restring the utility lines. One more wild guess. The only problem with that guess is that is one fancy bridge for an old wagon trail.
longshot
No cars or trucks in sight, or any horses and wagon either. Nice long straight section of road that appears to line up fairly well with what I think is the White Salmon River cut to the north. It could be 12th street or Hwy 35, but the distance from the Columbia would indicate Hwy 35. The only real straight section of Hwy 35 today is Pine Grove northward, but maybe there used to be other straight sections? They could be quarrying Missoula Flood deposits which do show up in the Pine Grove area, and maybe they have just leveled the original land surface out by now? Don’t know where the creek is, just doesn’t look right for Neal Creek to me, the road isn’t that straight where it crosses Neal Creek today and there should be a pretty good grade in the background where the road today crosses the tracks.
The quarrying could make it at the intersection of the Odell Hwy and Summit Drive, all the buildings to the west of the road today are cut into the bank. The bridge would be over Odell Creek. The roof isn’t right for last Wednesday’s picture, but the chimney in the left of the photo is in the right place for the Crosby house. Just a wild guess.
Brian
Hubbard Taylor b. 1871 in Indiana, 1910 at 1305 12th St in Hood River. 1920 at Park Precinct; daughter Jewel Revis Taylor married Arthur Whitcomb 1915 in Hood River.
longshot
1305 would be about where the US Bank is today assuming that the numbering system is the same then as today, so the Taylor house could be one of the houses in the picture. Maybe Arthur can better explain where the sign for Hubbard Taylor Feed is, which side of the street, etc.. If it is 12th street in the picture they must have done a bit of quarrying there over the years to level out the west side of the road.
Arthur
Bing bing bing! Longshot and l.e. made me look at the "Hubbard Taylor" image in a different light, and we have a strong answer: Look at http://flic.kr/p/fjYdhF , and you’ll see a closeup of the house and the feed store. Note the detail on the "fence". Compare it with
https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org?showimage=541, and you’ll see it’s the backstop for the ball field which was on Belmont at 12th. So I think we’re on 12th Street looking N where it crosses Indian Creek, looking up towards the Armory property and the 12 Street Dry Cleaner.
l.e.
Good job Arthur. And thanks. It is always nice to get a Mystery Monday solved.
This makes me wonder what the original road out to Idlewilde Cemetery was like.
longshot
Being the 12 Street crossing of Indian Creek explains the number of utility poles and the fairly major bridge and road work.
The large house to the east side of the road, could it be the present Lutheran church on Pine St behind the present location of E & L Auto Parts? Another wild guess.
Bill P.
Great work ! ! I also agree on the location. The lone pine in the center would be on Nix Dr. The bridge over Indian Creek was later removed and filled, known as "the Dip". The fence was the ball park, circus site and later WW II family housing. The utility lines are greater proof of the importance of the road. The eastern sloping skyline is right on. So what about the large home on the right?
Arthur
The 1916 Sanborn map shows a Hay and Grain store on the NW corner of 12th (previously Stranahan) and Union Street (previously Country Rd.) About the house on the right: Don’t see a 1 1/2 story house in that area until the next (1928) map, so I guess this must date after 1916, which makes sense since the earliest dated Alva Day photos are 1917.