Historic Hood River
Laura Turner Tending Her Garden
3-25-2014
Notes
As a reader noted yesterday, David Turner’s first wife, Mandy, passed away in 1887. The notes accompanying these images apparently confused Turner’s first wife with his second wife, Laura (Frost) Turner. This Ethel Rand image, dated 1912, probably shows Laura Turner tending the garden at the Turner’s home. The date is consistent with the 1907 railroad bridge in the background.
charlott
Laura was the daughter of Elam and Samantha Frost. Never married prior to marriage to David Turner. They were married in The Dalles in June 1897, so she was 41 when they married. She died in Hood River in 1939.
Is this taken across the river from Button’s?
l.e.
This wouldn’t be the house on 12th street. Wrong view. However, it is a beautiful view.
Reading about David Turner, there were several references about his garden and deep love and caring about the birds.
You would think someone living in HR in the early 1900’s would not have a concern for the song birds. That they would be everywhere. I wonder if he saw enough change in their habitat that he was concerned, or if he just simply enjoyed his garden and birds.
l.e.
Arthur, is there a different photography process here that makes the photo look more like a painting?
Longshot
This looks like a superimposed picture to me, along with other possible doctoring.
Arthur
This photo was printed on textured paper. Scanning textured paper often causes highlights like we see here, giving it the "painting" quality.
I think this is the far east end of State Street, or possibly E. Sherman/Bluff Road directly above E. State Street. I’ll walk down this afternoon and try to line up the bridge and Strawberry Mountain.
Jim Mason
Looks like Windance house perspective.
l.e.
On your walk, look for the possibility of the little creek that her bridge crosses.
nels
Does anyone recognize any of the garden flowe rplants other than the castor bean plant in bloom on the right?
l.e.
I would love to get my hands on this:
In the catalog of manuscripts at the University of Oregon is:
[1048] Turner, Mrs. Laura E.
Household account book and weather record, Hood River, Ore., 1885-1918. 3v.
The household accounts, in one volume, 1885-1913, are a daily itemized statement of expenses. Two volumes contain weather information from 1892 to 1918. The weather is recorded systematically only so far as temperature is concerned.
Other observations are
limited to general statements about clouds and rain.
charlott
I think that quite possibly the house where this photo was taken is still there at the east end of Hood River….
l.e.
The 1910 census has them living on Sherman St. Possibly 107.
Other streets on the same page are Second St and McKinley St.
Arthur
Concerning the location: first, I’d like to thank Ethel Rand for taking the picture with a steel truss bridge in the background. It is the ideal structure to guarantee an accurate placement of the camera in three dimensions based on how the various structural beams relate to each other. I did a quick driveby on E. Sherman today, and the bridge lines up very well at the Gaulke dental clinic. In fact, the yard has terracing from a previous residence which probably matches Laura’s fence line. I need to return with my iPad to be 100% sure, but it’s within a few feet of that spot.
Ellen Dittebrandt
She is wearing the same dress in Tuesdays post.
l.e.
From the Inventory of Historic Properties… Hood River County.
"Turner, David A. and Laura
David Turner was listed in the 1908-09 and 1910 Polk’s Directory as a farmer residing at 107 Sherman Street. His wife was Laura Turner. By 1917, Laura was a widow, residing at 309 E. Sherman St. The Turners at one time owned 311 E. Sherman and 411 Twelfth Street in Hood River."
Dayne
I’m always amazed at how all of you "regulars" pick out EVERYTHING in these pictures. But nothing has been mentioned about: the apparent flag pole, the expansive roof below the property, and is that a fig tree or a large philodendron on the far right? That plant has almost tropical sized leaves! Probably Miracle Grow.