Historic Hood River
Carriage Ride in the Heights
9-14-2015
Notes
Horatio and Mary Davidson went for a carriage ride with their daughter Helen and some friends on this fine day in 1896. Notes indicate they were headed south, opposite the “F. Gills and Statens Store.” I’m not familiar with that store, but I think they’re at roughly this location on 12th Street, perhaps in front of the current location of the Pine Street Bakery.
You can read all about the settlement of the Hood River Heights in this 1902 edition of the Glacier.
This image is from a wonderful collection of Davidson family images which an HHR fan and descendant of Horation Davidson wanted to share with us. There’s a lot more coming, but I’ll be spreading it out. Thanks, Bruce!
Dan
What I wouldn’t give to go back in time for a while. Hood River must have been so beautiful back then. I mean it’s nice now, just too many people 🙂
Kenn
The slope of the street, the brow of the hill and the distant hills all line up in your great comparison photos, beautiful.
Arthur
It’s always nice when you have two hills at different distances in the background. That allows you to get a tight east/east line, as well as a reasonable altitude. Based on those hills I’m 90% sure this is the predecessor of 12th Street. The cross street could be anything from June Street to Union. Without knowing the focal length of the lens I don’t know how far the carriage is from where the hill drops off.
Longshot
The tree on the left overhanging the fence is the same in today’s photo as in the reference photo.
Is there a street map available for 1900?
Arthur
The earliest street map I have for the Heights is 1902. If I am reading it correctly 12th Street was called Mt. Hood Avenue, Taylor was called West Ave., and Pine Street was called Dig Street. By 1905 Mt. Hood Avenue became Stranahan Ave., Dig became Pine. Unfortunately the lack of structures in this photo makes it impossible to make a definite ID, but I think the cross street to the left in the image is what we now call Taylor. There were no other east/west roads noted on the 1902 map.
L.E.
1896 and there are already old fence posts on the ground.
As Dan says, HR must have been beautiful. But, also, its scenery must have been unique.
The Davidsons lived in a large beautiful home on the north slope with a view of the third largest river in the U.S. and Mt Adams. They could hook up a team to their carriage and just a short winding ride up the hill through the oak trees and they would break out on top where there were large pine trees, farm ground and a view of Mt Hood.
Jeffrey Bryant
An article concerning Twelfth street from State street to the city limits can be found at:
http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1910-08-04/ed-1/seq-1/
Even in 1910 there was "the jog at May street."