Historic Hood River
Cooper Spur Ski Area, 1926
1-10-2012
Notes
The Hood River Ski Club is enjoying this fine day up at Cooper Spur ski area. The photo is dated February 28, 1926. We saw a more recent photo of Cooper Spur just a few weeks ago.
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Charlott
I am not totally convinced that this is actually Cooper Spur Ski area. Yes, I think it is in cloxe proximity, but I think it is actually at Homestead Inn. Like I say, I don’t know, but my father was a "chore" boy at Homestead in the winter of 1931. He never made any mention of an actual Cooper Spur Ski area. Up above Homestead on what would become known as "Jump Hill" later on when Cooper Spur was developed was a rickity jump, constructed by some of the "Finn"s. They would fly off the top of the jump, hit the top of the hill and fly out into space. A number of accidents occurred in the early days of Jump Hill. The trees had been cut, leaving stumps and in one instance the snow was not actually deep enough for them to be jumping and a young man by the name of Howell flew off there and when he landed fell on a stump just covered by the snow and was killed.
Bill what do you think. Doesn’t this look like the front part of Homestead, you know out over the hill where we traced the foundation that rainy day.
I have another question in relationship to this picture. In 1926 there was NO electricity into that area., Other, than my Dad wrote, that he had to go down and get the generator going for Homestead. That is definitely a telephone or light pole. So I question as to that date on this photo. I could be wrong, as have been before.
Arthur
Charlott, the date on the print seems to be contemporary to the print, but the "Cooper Spur" label was added much later. I trust the date more than the location. This is from a collection of Hood River Ski Club photos, and we have several other views which might clear up the exact location. I’ll show Homestead Inn tomorrow, and maybe another view of the ski hill next week.
Arthur
One blurry shot, dated a week earlier, shows someone coming off a small jump right between the building to the left and the pole in the center. It looks like those people on the porch would have a perfect view of the action.
Connie
We have a pretty good view of several of the cars in this shot. Maybe one of our auto experts can weigh in and help clarify the date issue. I think I’ll show this to Virginia Baldwin and see what she can enlighten us on with the location….or Bill?
Dan
Had a fire gone through this area? Interesting how bare the trees look.
Charlott
The jump at "Jump Hill" was at that time no where near actual buildings. There may have been a smaller jump where ever these buildings were. Homestead Inn was actually some distance from where the Cooper Spur Jump Hill is.
Also if you look under what appears to be power lines or whatever, you will over in the trees see a building that is in my opinion more of a cabin. There were a number of cabins spread around Homestead Inn.
I have numerous photos of Homestead Inn and the surrounding area looks much like the area of this.
Exactly when was this Hood River Ski Club organized? Is someone credited with this photo, as that would help.
Arthur
No credit on the photo, but part of a numbered series. The jump I mentioned is a small temporary thing. I’ll post what I think may be the "jump hill" you mention next week.
DMT
Definately can see the fire snags, etc. may be 20+ years old since there is established regen away from the edges. The far hill looks either cut or burned over.
Bill Pattison
In the early days the Cooper Spur Ski Area comprised a whole geographic area which included Cooper Spur Junction, Hutson Brothers Rope Tow, Jump Hill (today’s Cooper Spur Ski Area) and Homestead Inn including the flat area below Homestead where many "snow games" were played. I think the upcoming photos Arthur has will help identify the above photo.
I remember the small "jump" to the right of the Inn, because my mother went off that on a tobaggan and fractured her back. We still have the tobaggan.
The Hood River Ski Club was primarily organized for the purpose of having organized ski jumping events that were held on Jump Hill using the above mentioned elevated jump structure. The contests were also held at Government Camp and in Washington.
Some of the wood from this structure was used by Jack Baldwin to buid the Crag Rat, Cloud Cap Inn display cabinet in the Museum.
The Hood River Ski Club was reorganized in the 1950’s into the North Slope Ski Club.
Jim Gray
The cars look era correct to me, early 20’s to mid 20’s plus or minus a few years.
My uncle, Norm Severson was an early ski jumper but I would guess his jumping days would be in the early to mid thirty’s. My grandfather taught skiing & jumping at that time, and was from Norway.
Connie
Good input Bill and everyone else…maybe the generator use for was during heavy snow, etc when power was out??
Charlott
Okay, definitely Homestead Inn. Just found a picture of it taken on that side where the people are standing, shows that deck and everything. Those cars are sitting on what would now be the Cloud Cap Road, just a little ways from the "out" road of Cooper Spur Ski Area.
The road that went up to the back side (which would be where guests would unload) from the Cloud Cap Road started just downhill from where the cars are, made a sweeping curve up and around this closest side of the building.
Randy Nickelsen Clark
Are you sure this isn’t the old ski hill that was just east of Cooper Spur Junction where Cooper Spur Inn sits today? The view faces west. The house on the right sits approximately where Cooper Spur Inn would be.
My great grandparents owned and operated the Mt. Hood Tavern which is directly southwest across the road from where the old Cooper Spur Inn sits today. They owned the tavern and 80 acres behind it. It is know owned by the See family who purchased it from my great grandparents, George and Jennie McMullen. My dad used to go up there when he was a boy and stay with them at the Tavern and he said he learned to ski on the hill that is directly east of the junction — just as the road turns north to head down to Hwy. 35. Dad might know, Bill.
I don’t think he looks like Cooper Spur Ski Area terrain — it isn’t steep enough.
BTW, it was Vic Howell who died on Jump Hill — landed on his chest on a stump. His brother George Howell owned Cooper Spur Ski Area with Jack Baldwin beginning in the early 50’s. Howell sold his interest to Baldwin in 1970.
Charlott
Definitely Homestead Inn from the configuration of the building. I cn see exactly where the current cloud cap Road would go through the area.
Charlott
Vic Howell died years prior to there being a Coop Spur Ski area. There was just the jumping hill there at the time. The snow wasn’t deep enough to be jumping at the time.
Tim Gibbons
Hi All:
I am working with the Deschutes Historical Museum as curator for a ski history exhibit called, Winter Comes: Oregon’s Nordic Ski History. I am researching "lost" ski jumps throughout Oregon. Your discussion and newspaper accounts have a ski jump near Homestead Inn. Was this in Parkdale? Was there also a jump at Cooper Spur ski area? Any specific details on the jump such as the number of years it was active would be very helpful.
Thanks, Tim Gibbons