Historic Hood River
Alf Shepler, 1882
Notes
This tintype is a bit blurred, but it’s one of the best documented tintypes we have. This is Alf (A.J.) Shepler in 1882, and the margin of the photo is inscribed, “Dec 1st 1882, Commenced Nursing the Bottle in Care of P. J. Heider.”
Wondering how far back baby bottle go? Of course there is a website and museum! You can read all about how dangerous and unhygienic these bottles were. Fortunately Mr. Shepler survived this child-rearing and lived a full life in Hood River. We’ve seen him logging in this image and this one.
This is probably a good time to let you know I will be giving another lecture based on the Museum’s collection as part of the Gorge Owned “Sense of Place” lecture series. My lecture is entitled “500 Yards: The Ghosts in Our Backyard,” consisting entirely of photos taken within 500 yards of the lecture (Springhouse Cellars). This is my clever device to reduce the number of images I need to sort though from 14,000 to just a few thousand. We really had fun last time I did one of these, so I hope you’ll drop by. Details here.
l.e.
I had no idea what that thing was.
Today, we take for granted the convenience of baby bottles and formula or saving mother’s milk to put into a bottle so the mother can go to work.
There was a time, when if the mother died, so would the baby unless a "wet" nurse could be found.
I read once about a family on the Oregon Trail. The mother died after giving birth. The older siblings would take the baby around to other nursing mothers to get a few sips from each one.
nels
Lots of detail in such a simple picture. Bandage on the big toehintsat running around barefoot, pinkie toe already deformed from wearing too small shoes. Holder of baby has ring on index finger. Wonder why.
Looking forward to your picture show.
Jeffrey Bryant
Alfred James Shepler was born 14 April 1882 in Indiana. He was living at Chenowith, Skamania County, Washington in 1900, Fruit Valley, Klickitat, Washington in 1910, and was in Hood River in 1920 & 1930.
Arlen Sheldrake
And thanks to previous pictures we know about the mill at Chenowith WA that was sending lumber to Viento OR via flume & raft…….
Charlott
Maybe she has arthritis in her fingers and that is the only finger it will fit on.
Jeffrey Bryant
Alfred and Clara Shepler are listed as living at 282 Columbia St, Hood River in 1940. He died in December 1964.