Historic Hood River
“A Group of Hood River Valley Pioneers”
4-16-2025
Notes
This image is captioned, “A Group of Hood River Valley Pioneers, Sept. 20, 1916.” The men are identified as Hans Lage, ?, Dr. F. C. Brosius, T. G. Smith, Smith, J. B. Smith, C. Dethman, John Nickelson, Tom Wilkins.
This group of men had just witnessed the most explosive period of growth in Hood River’s history. City population tripled between 1905 and 1915. Almost all of the downtown brick buildings were constructed during that decade, sewer water and electrical systems installed, irrigation systems crisscrossed the valley, and packing houses developed national markets.
I find it striking that these “pioneers” were actually relative newcomers by today’s standards. Dr. Brosius had lived in Hood River for 25 years, Lage for 33.
Category: Downtown Hood River
Tags: 1910s, Brosius, Dethman, Hood River Pioneer Association, Lage, Nickelsen, Smith, Wilkins
Tags: 1910s, Brosius, Dethman, Hood River Pioneer Association, Lage, Nickelsen, Smith, Wilkins
L. E.
Maybe they are showing off their “tailored suits”.
I can’t find any history about a Tom Wilkins.
Arthur Babitz
Good catch, LE! These men might be the “influencers” of their day doing a favor for their friend the tailor shop. Though the tailoring doesn’t look so good on some of them.
Jeffrey Bryant
There was a Thomas Wilkins listed in the 1900 census for Hood River. That is the only source I could find for someone of that name in Hood River records.