Historic Hood River
Lunch Break
7-16-2013
Notes
These linemen took a quick break on their way to place a utility pole in the valley. You have to admire the ingenuity. Note how the poles and wires are uses to frame the shot.
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charlott
My question is, how on earth did they get that pole around the curves on the roadway.
The house right above the two men would be the Collie home.
Two things I noticed right off. First you can see the water tower on the Mason place, now owned by Walter Wells and Sons. I also noticed all the trees on top of Van Horn Butte.
Buzz
Charlott, my guess is those old boys hooked up the trailer as far from the towing rig as they could to negotiate whatever curves they had to get around. If there were sharp curves they would have had to move the trailer forward and let the butt of the pole swing out over the edge of the road. Old timers were like a lot of old loggers I worked with, they weren’t smart enough to know something was impossible, so they just got it done.
Rawhyde
What’s surprising is the car that’s pulling that pole. Must have been quite a load. Appears they brought it up from town (based on their direction). That poor clutch…
Jill Stanford
This is, I think, not far from where my grandfathers ranch and house was. Good view of Van Horn Butte with trees still on it.
charlott
Jill, where was his house located? This photo was taken close to Panarama Point on Eastside.
Jill Stanford
Charlotte, the house, which burned down in – I think – 1935 or so – was located on the road from Panorama to Pine Grove. His orchards went up the hill and the packing house (still there) was at the foot of the orchards, on the road. I was very little but i remember a thrilling roller coaster ride in a wooden packing box along the rollers. I have driven up to where the house used to be and only the concrete steps are there. The orchards belong now to a conglomerate. The view of Hood and Mt Adams in breath taking.
Buzz
Rawhyde, maybe granny gear all the way?
l.e.
Is this considered Upper or Lower Valley?
Is Parkdale area the Upper Valley?
Amazing the number of orchards by the 1920’s.
Charlott
Okay Jill, I know exactly where you are talking about. In fact when my mother first came to Hood River she worked in that packing house. I have photos of her and some of the others employed there outside that packing house. In that era the packing house proper was run by a local man named Bill Gibbons.
Parkdale is in the upper valley and this is the lower valley. When you get to what used to be Hanel’s Mill is the poximity that you go from lower to upper.
Charlott
Jill was that house that burned across the road from the packing house? There was a house that burned there prior to the Clymer family having it, I think.
longshot
Did Model T’s have clutches or just bands?
The pole looks to have been hand peeled.
Jill Stanford
Charlott, the house was up the hill from the packing house and the road went by another farm-style house. The house was called Far View. When it burned, my grandfather was playing golf at the Hood River Country Club with Dorothy Pooley. She spotted the smoke and said, "Al, I believe your house is on fire." it was. Much was gotten out of the house before it burned completely. The Peters moved to town. I have my grandmothers piano that was saved from the fire. She died shortly after that and is buried, along with her mother and her aunt (and now my mother and aunt) in Idlewilde. My mother Marguerite and aunt Betty went to Pine Grove School.
Charlott
Alright, then there were two houses that burned fairly close to each other. I know the road very well there, by the packing house.
Bill P.
The Peter’s house that burned started in the attic and burned so slowly that the friends and nieghbors were able to remove most ov the interior including many of the plumbing fixtures. My parents arrived with me and put me in a box under an apple tree while they went to work in the house. Jill’s grand mother was my God Mother. All this sez my parents.