Historic Hood River
Crowell Store
Notes
Here’s another fine interior. We’ve seen the George Crowell store at Second and Oak many times before, and thanks to the calendar we know this is April 1901.
Mr. Crowell is to the left. Perhaps those are his credit account ledgers next to the desk. Bert Graham is to the right, and Reverend Jenkins is in the rear. We don’t have any identification for the women.
Mr. Crowell’s store was a popular gathering place for evening discussions of politics. That stove and those stools witnessed many debates over issues of the era. The rear of the photo bears this inscription:
It was at this store that the corner grocery club formed, and was at its zenith when Bryan was trying to convince the people that the 16 to 1 theory was the only thing for the country. This question, and Bryan’s chances of becoming president, where the two burning questions among frequenters of the store. At times the sessions became so heated that Mr. Crowell became convinced that if Bryan’s policy were put into effect he would lose his business and the country would go into bankruptcy. So he told the debaters they could no longer use his store to discuss those theories, that he would provide neither heat, lights, nor seats for such discussions. This did not prevent a meeting of the Corner Grocery Club the next evening, but Bryan and his policies were not on the list of subjects discussed.
In case you don’t remember your history, at the turn of the century William Jennings Bryan ran for president several times. The major issue was monetary policy– gold standard vs. free silver. You can read about Bryan’s famous speech on the subject here. It was even made into an Edison phonograph record so people in remote parts of the country like Hood River could hear it in his own voice.
charlott
So many little items to see in this photo. Butcher paper with a roll of twine above. White shirts needed to be kept clean and that is why the man on the left has the black things up over his cuffs.
Interesting how that stove pipe goes up and over. I can’t see if there is wire or something supporting it. The ladders are on rails like the ones at Franz’s.
My guess is that the woman in the sun bonnet lives somewhere out in the valley, while the woman looking at the fabric is a town dweller. You can see the various bolts of fabric in the shelving.
Buzz
With a chimney like that they better be burning very dry wood. Looks like a good candidate for a creoste fire in the chimney and burn the store down.
Kate
There is a lot of information about George Crowell when studying Ezra Smith. Ezra hired George many years before coming to Hood River and George ran Smith’s first Hood River mercantile in 1880’s. At such an early Hood River date, there was not much to the Post Office or banks and the mercantile was a strong center of community. George was known to be as honest as the day is long. Broke out on his own, but went broke, came back as a manager.
Judy
They always wore the black cuffs in the County Clerk’s office and the banks. Basically anywhere the writer would be dragging their sleeves across the wet ink.
DeAnna
There was a double murder in a store on Oak Street early 1900’s I believe…was it at this store?