Historic Hood River
Calkins Farm
8-19-2015
Notes
This view is captioned “Tom Calkin’s Father’s Home.” We saw Ed Calkins homestead in 1888. The trees have grown just a little. This can’t be more than 10 years later– 5 would be my guess.
The farm was on the “Old State Road” out by the intersection with Frankton Road. That’s E.L. Smith’s house in the background (orior to the one at State and 6th). O.B. Hartley and son are in the wagon.
Do you think the photographer was in a tree?
Category: Downtown Hood River
Tags: 1890s, Calkins, Frankton Road, Hartley, horses, State Street, wagon
Tags: 1890s, Calkins, Frankton Road, Hartley, horses, State Street, wagon
Charlott
My first thought was it was not an easy life in the Hood River area in those days. Just thinking of all the hard work to clear a piece of land to get a garden and any type of paying crop in. We take our lives too much for granted here now.
Kenn
I see the flume in the first picture is gone, I assume it bought water from a spring. Wonder if it was replaced by a well or pipe.
Great comparison, I like before and after shots.
L.E.
Above the roof on the right, I think you can see a fence. Would that be the cemetery?
I think E.L. Smith’s home was on the west side of Frankton Rd. I wonder if that is also where he had his store?
Since he was one of the first settlers in the area, why do you suppose he chose that spot? A spring?
I am guessing the photographer is up on a rock bluff. There seems to be a few rocks in that area.
Norma
I can remember when every year my mother bought her plants from Tom Calkins. Off the left side of this picture there were cages with small furry animals in them. Minks? Does anybody know?
Charlott
Yes, my Dad always went to Calkins for plants as well. I do remember animal cages and I think they were mink, as know of a couple of other mink farms in the Hood River area, during that time frame.
L.E.
If I would take the time to look at the before shot, I could answer some of my own questions before I ask them.
This Nov. 04, 1915 Hood River Glacier has an article about a Thomas D Calkins, "progressive farmer". But his dairy farm is down on the river.
Might not be the same Calkins, but it is interesting reading.
http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1915-11-04/ed-1/seq-1.pdf
Kenn
The water flume in the before picture reminds me of one my grandfather built for household water. After the house burned and a new log replacement built he replaced the flume with a pipe, he could now also have a sprinkler on the roof. Another use for this water pressure was a six volt generator and battery to establish the first electric lights in those hills.
Bonnie Crown
Oscar Adams,who was my boys Grandfather, had a place called the "Fox Farm" in that area. I am not sure just where or when. I would say 1930 or 1940’s.
Kimberly
My grandma lived right next to frankton school. She said the house at the lower part of the road (across street from vet) was where my great grandma Milker bought plants every year and there had been a fox farm there at one time. Same area?
L.E.
Hood River Glacier May 31, 1917 page 3.
"T.D. Calkins,…..rancher of the Frankton district, Friday brought to the city the first box of strawberries for the season. The fruit, despite the recent cool weather, was well colored and highly flavored. The berries were large.
Mr Calkins has been the first to deliver the earliest berries in Hood River for a number of years."
Barbara Parsons
My dad also went to Frankton to get bedding plants. Always pink and white petunias. Seems to me they had much sweeter and stronger scent than ournnpetunias. Could it be because they were fertilized with mink manure?