Historic Hood River
Bridge Over the ?
10-3-2011
Notes
This family seems entirely unconcerned as they cross this bridge, despite what look like timbers from a previous bridge on the rocks below. Any guesses about where this fearless family is taking their outing?
Charlott
Really have no idea, but somewhat looks like the area around Punch Bowl, though I don’t see any water in the gully. Would not be the east side of the Hood River, as there was no access until 35 was constructed along it, much later.
All I can say is what a trusting soul to consider taking his car, much less his family across such a flimsy constructed bridge.
l.e.
The rocks in the creek bed look like east side, but the vegetation looks more west. Alder trees?
I wonder where the photographer is standing.
I would say it is close to town, because the women look like they are dressed for a summer outing.
Esther Smith
First Tucker Bridge, maybe? I don’t see the Hood River below, though, so probably not.
l.e.
In order for the bridge to be this high, they are spanning a much larger canyon. Not just the little, dry? creek bed down below.
Does it look like it has been there long enough that it was used for horse and wagon?
NancyR
I have no idea, but I don’t think I’d be in that car!
Arthur
Another mystery solved! Charlott’s comment on Punchbowl sent me back to our archives to look at the old Punchbowl images. Closeup examination shows a bridge of identical construction maybe a hundred yards upstream from Punchbowl. I thought it was just for pedestrians to view Punchbowl, but now we know better.
Jim Gray
Sorry I didn’t post earlier put, heard of a bridge at the end of Iowa Drive, west of Winens plotted town. that would put it close to Punch Bowl I believe.
Arthur
Jim, that sounds about right. I’ll do a ground check some day. A wood bridge like this could disappear without a trace after 100 years, but the roadbed should still be visible.
Charlott
It would have had of been used by horse and wagon, as not everyone in that era had automobiles. I am wondering if this isn’t where the current bridge is there above Punch Bowl, so the road bed would basically be the same.
All women of that era generally dressed that way when our in their auto. They wore the big hats, a lot of time with a scarf over the top and what my great-grandmother called her "duster", which was a coat that covered their good clothes underneath and protected them from dust. Remember no pavement in those days…….so lots of dust kicked up.
l.e.
Good job Charlott.
One has to be impressed by the engineering of building these bridges.
l.e.
Scott Cook, in his book Curious Gorge, talks about the Punch Bowl area and why it was a popular place in the 1920’s
I was wondering if this is the area of the Walker Trail which ran from HR to the Willamette Valley.
l.e.
This is what I could find about the Walker Trail. I don’t know if the description of this area is relative to the photo.
"The Old Cattle Trail was used by the missionaries in 1838. Also the emigrant trail known now as the Walker Trail. It runs across Hood River valley by Odell, crossing the east fork of the river above Dee, over Dee flat to Sand Flat, to the west fork of Hood River at Stone Bridge, up the west fork to Archway, the entrance way to the national forest, thence National Forest , events National Forest , then it’s National Forest , the, thence, a round Chitwood lake, down Bull Run River to Walker Prairies and over to Oregon City."