Historic Hood River
Help Wanted!
Notes
We’ve been asked to help solve a mystery. This image was sent with some info: “This is courtesy of the Bill Kreps Collection. Bill’s forefather was the first superintendent at Northwestern Electric Company’s Condit Dam on the White Salmon River” The presumption was it was White Salmon school children about 1911 or 1912, but the experts in that area are unable to match this to any local terrain and don’t recognize any of the children. They are wondering if it might be from the Hood River side of the river. What do you think? Can you match the terrain, town, or children to anything local?
I did try a Google photo search and it suggested some similar looking images from pamphlets for teachers which provided instruction in starting school gardens. While the images were similar they were not from the same place.
Dale Nicol
Interesting to note some of the rakes have extra long handles while the hoes in the back look to have normal length handles.
Pat A
I could sure use a clean up crew like that.
The Rowena fire devastated my neighborhood, I have my House some of my neighbors don’t.
Roger Sheldrake
I agree with Dale however a hoe would not chop or dig a planting row very well if it had a long handle. A long handle rake could smooth nice topsoil. But not in this picture!! Some of the children seem to have all the clothing they own. While others are lightly dressed. And it’s not a nice spring day.
LWH
The long handle rake could be a good roof rake in the winter…I would use one when needed!
Stever
My hunch is it’s in WS looking westward at Strawberry Mt. – The white home on the left may be on the west side of Estes.
Ralph Brown
Thanks to all who have commented. We have enough other pictures to stare and compare with in the 1910 to 1915 time frame and there is no place with the background or the structures that match up. We have drove around as well, and have looked at the Condit Dam and Pucker Huddle area for clues, but nothing. It is a very interesting picture. I am glad that they made the rake handles shorter for us non pioneering folk to use though.
Chase DeBoard
This is the old PowerDale generator building and powerdale construction camp during maybe the second dam construction 1915ish? ,before the money ran out. This is at MP 1.0-1.25 of railroad.
You can see the tall windows the wooden generator building has on the left., and the White House on the left in front of the generator building is the same house in another photograph.
Oh also you see the old PowerDale pipeline heading towards Johnson’s cut, in the top center of photograph.
This other photo shows the same area from the opposite directions.
https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org/old-pipeline-above-powerdale/
And here’s two examples to show the tall windows of generator building, the roof with two angles of slant , and plain wood siding.
https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org/surge-tower/
https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org/horatio-davidson-mad-scientist/
Frankly this is really cool to see how many buildings were in what is now completely bare of buildings.
I had never seen a good photo of the 1915 ish Powerdale construction camp along the railroad.
Chase DeBoard
Whoops I’m wrong about the the specific houses I mentioned being the same one.
Still Old Powerdale Building for sure
The “Grey House” to left of generator building in this photograph https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org/old-pipeline-above-powerdale/
That grey house close to the generator station and just outta view in the mystery photo.
I’m still 100% sure this is the Powerdale construction camp though.
The generator buildings roof, windows, and siding match.
You can see the old Powerdale pipeline in the top center of photograph heading towards Johnson cut,
looks like it maybe goes into a Wooden Portal (shack looking thing) for entry underground and then goes under the railroad at Johnson’s cut.
Chase DeBoard
One more clue this is Old Powerdale construction camp, if you follow the pipeline seen in the top center of picture, if you follow it towards the group of kids, you can see the open end of the pipeline not far behind the kids.
Another whoops,
Looking closer the generator building, either I’m wrong about the Generator building, or I do see fire damage.
I think fire damage, there’s a lot of soot on the the building and looks like a burn hole is back, along with burnt boards peeking off the roof.
I’m pretty sure there was fire or some other disuse of old generator building, and the building got rebuilt as much as was left.
There’s no water surge tower, cause I’m pretty sure it probably burned too.
Long story short, those kids are planting a garden in the previous location of Old Powerdale’s Surge Tower & Near End of pipeline.
During the era of perhaps peak size Old Powerdale Construction Camp.
Chase DeBoard
Third minor whoops,
You can’t see the open end of pipeline behind kids, but that it’s still old Powerdale construction camp.
Side note, it almost looks looks like another pipe line crosses on top of the straight one.Nope it’s a rake handle.
No extra mystery, this be Old Powerdale construction at some point during a larger population of construction camp.