Historic Hood River
Train Stations, Circa 1915
12-22-2014
Notes
Here we see both of Hood River’s train stations circa 1915. The station in the foreground was for the mainline of the OR&N Company, predecessor to today’s Union Pacific. The Mt. Hood Railroad station is in the background. By this era it served the valley all the way to Parkdale.
The image is a bit blurry, but I suspect the photographers fingers were a little cold. Remember, this was an era when you actually had to focus your camera.
Charlott Jones
Does look a little on the chilly side.
Longshot
Is the cirque on the hill above the Mt Hood RR train station the beginnings of quarrying in that area? or maybe just a road cut for a turn on the Scenic Highway? Looks like the snow came with a pretty good wind.
Probably much quieter back then after a snow storm, today you would hear the sounds of the plows grinding away at the ice and road surface, while the slap of chains and howl of studs is ever present.
Jerry Larsen
In the 1940’s, when I was 5 or 6 years old, my Grandfather Emory Davenport would take me by the hand, and we’d walk down to the station from their house at 709 Cascade Street. I remember the anticipation of waiting for the scheduled arrival of a train, as we stood under the overhang. The train was pulled by a large steam locomotive, with huge drive wheels, rods and pistons exhausting steam as it stopped. Pretty overwhelming for a kid of that age. Sometimes we’d continue our walk out to the "mole" and look at the Columbia River close-up. Really fond memories from almost 70 years ago.
Cliff McArthur
Jerry , I was born 711 columbia one block over sept 1933. Delphiens birthing home about three blocks west. its a B&B now My grand father Frank J Simpson was a Crag Rat & worked PP&Light for about 20 yrs from 1925 on. We moved to Cascade locks in about 1936 so my dad could work on The Dam.$5 a day. Then to Portland in 37. Lots of cousins and family there in Hood River for many years.
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