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Old Old City Hall

12-12-2012
Old Old City Hall

Notes

I’m usually more interested in the people in a photo than the building, but this is a special case. This is the only image I’ve ever seen showing the pre-1920 Hood River City Hall building. This building was on the west side of Fourth Street just below State Street.

This building was constructed after 1902 next to the Knights of Pythias Building. In 1905 storage for the chemical fire apparatus of Hood River’s new fire department was added on the north (right) side of this building. This narrows the image to a 1903 or 1904 date.

All these buildings are long gone. Here’s a more recent view.

The occasion for this photo was a GAR convention. Some of Hood River’s early prominent citizens were Civil War veterans, and several of them are identified here:

  1. 1) Mr. Hayes
  2. 2) Ed Calkins
  3. 3) M.V. Rand
  4. 4) George Prather
  5. 5) Oscar Stranahan
  6. 6) H.H. Bailey
Category: Downtown Hood River
Tags: 1900s, 4th Street, Calkins, City Hall, Civil War, GAR, Prather, Rand, Stranahan

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. charlott

    A wonderful patriotic photo to say the least. This one would have been taken at the same time of the one we saw earlier down by the trail station with the big welcfoming signs.

    I have a hunch that the drum is actually a Civil War drum that every regiment marched to. Though not identified I have a feeling that the man holding the drum sticks in his hand may very well have been a drummer. They were generally very young men and in some cases even boys of 12 or so.

    These men named would have definitely been in the Union Army as for those who might not know GAR stands for Grand Army of the Republic an organization that was started after the war. In many areas there were different what they called posts. Generally they were named after someone within that area who was of note locally or gave their life for their cause. My great-great uncle who was killed had a post named for him in New York state. Hood River’s post was named after General Canby.

    There were a few southern soldiers that ended up in Hood River also and have been honored in various ways for their part and beliefs at that time.

  2. l.e.

    I see Hood River was on a steep hill even back then.

    A few canes being used and I see Mr. Calkins is missing a leg, which was a debate in a previous photo.
    Both the building and people make this an interesting photo. Wish we knew a few more names.

  3. charlott

    If you look at # 2 Ed Calkins you will notice that he is minus his left leg. He was in the 6th Wisconsin. For any Civil War history buss they know that the 6th was a part of the famous Irish Brigade, who fought so gallantly. Calkins took a shot in his leg that shattered it beyond hope at Antietem/Sharpsburg..

    Oscar Stranaham was in the 5th Minnesota and later in their Signal Corp.

  4. Arthur

    I’ve added a tag for "Calkins" and "GAR" in case you want to see the related images mentioned above.

  5. charlott

    George Prather served in the 16th Kansas Cavalry as a private. Once he came to Hood River there was a time he served as the post master and was also a judge.

  6. l.e.

    The June 18, 1904 Daily Capital Journal of Salem Oregon has an article titled "VETERANS MEET AGAIN" " A Large Roster of Old Soldiers at Hood River Encampment"
    The names of those who registered are listed.
    Not all of the six listed below are registered as Hood River. Calkins is Oregon City and Rand is Portland. I couldn’t find Stranahan and there are many more HR names listed.
    Not proof that it is the same meeting, but I’m guessing it is.

    http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn99063957/1904-06-18/ed-1/seq-6/;words=River+Hood

  7. l.e.

    So….does this meeting coincide with photo #145 which shows the Mt Hood Hotel all decked out for the GAR?
    According to a War Dept. book, 1904 was the only year HR hosted the GAR.

  8. nels

    I count at least 6 of the blue hats of their uniform. Wonder if that was an everyday custom or a special occasion thing? At the cemetary at Tucker Rd and Indian Creek Rd there is a confederate grave in the first row of stones as you enter off of Tucker Rd. And usually someone has placed decorations on it on Memorial Day.

  9. charlott

    From other historical things these men at least at one time all lived in Hood River. I think the blue hats were with the GAR emblem on them, as they certainly were’t the type or the actual hats that they wore in the war. To my knowledge there was only the one "encampment" ever held in Hood River and that would have been the state encampment for that year. There was also a national encampment held in different places over the years that the GAR was in existance. Quite probable was that some of the other men not identified in this photo were GAR members from H.R. and other places for that matter. The majority of the men do seem to appear old enough to have been in the Civil War. Now that I really look at this picture there is a possibility and I say only a possibility that the man on the downside of the dri, might have been my great-great uncle, who marched off in an Illinois regiment, buried his own brother under a cedar tree at Stone River, later moved to H. R. and was a member of the Canby Post of the GAR.

  10. charlott

    Checked it out and those are definitely GAR hats with the emblem of the GAR on them…..Another thing is the older women, probably wives or family members that belonged to the Woman’s Relief, which was like the auxilery to the GAR. They were quite a strong organization doing a number of charitable thing relating to veterans of all wars, their families, etc. They were still in operation in Hood River in the 1950’s as I knew a few old women who still participated. This was some years after the actual GAR had disbanded.

  11. charlott

    Mr. Hayes was a brother-in-law of Oscar Stranahan.

  12. l.e.

    Arthur…perhaps photo #70 should have the GAR tag.

  13. Jill Stanford

    Charlott, my great-great grandfather, Col. Minor Millikin, was killed at Stones’ River. A.W. Peters, my grandfather, married Millikins granddaughter, Marguerite Millikin. She is buried at Idlewilde, next to her mother and aunt.
    I lived near Canby, Oregon for over 25 years.

  14. charlott

    H. H. Bailey served on the city council in 1905.

  15. Jeffrey Bryant

    There are nearly 100 Civil War veterans buried in Idlewilde Cemetery. Grave markers for Samuel Koplin and Cortes Handy were obtained via Veteran’s Administration a couple of years ago.

  16. Jeffrey Bryant

    The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War website lists Civil War veterans buried in Hood River County

    http://www.suvcwdb.org/home/

  17. charlott

    Hood River does have numerous burials of Civil War veterans, both north and south. I imagine there are those buried that are not known to have fought for either side. Many men, wished to just bury that ugly time of their past and not even mention it.

  18. Ellen Dittebrandt

    What is the Brick Building to the left? is it gone too.

  19. Arthur

    Next door was the Knights of Pythias building, which I think also had a movie theater in it. It was lost in a spectacular fire which will be the subject of a future post.

  20. charlott

    There is a possible chance that Capt. Francis Jackson just might be in this photo. He was a Confederate soldier, who ended up in the Pine Grove area of Pine Grove. Naturally, he was not an official member of the GAR, but they somewhat considered him somewhat as such, as he was such a close friend to many of them that had fought against him.

  21. Arthur

    i found City Council minutes indicating this building was contracted to be built by John Wallin in March of 1903 for $675.

  23. Betty Rand Lathrop

    Will have to do some research! MV Rand maybe from my line! Very interesting! Betty Rand Lathrop
    10 February 2015 @ 6am

  25. L.E.

    I thought HHR had a photo of the "cannon" but I can’t find it, so I will put this here.
    From the July 6, 1900 HR Glacier pg. 3
    "The glorious 4th was ushered in by R.M. Hunt firing the national salute of thirteen guns from the big G.A.R. cannon on the hill. A collection was taken up to buy a keg of powder, which was enough for only ten shots, and T.C. Dallas contributed the powder for the other three charges…..
    "

  27. Jeffrey Bryant

    Hood River Glacier, 1928-02-09, page 5
    Storage Space Provided
    City crews have been busy the past week making alterations at the old city hall structure on Fourth street. The old building will be utilized for storage of materials and equipment of the various city departments.
    https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1928-02-09/ed-1/seq-5/

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