Historic Hood River
Central Avenue
3-20-2014
Notes
Here’s another image Matt found in Cove Oregon. I was a little perplexed about where this “Central Avenue” might be located. In the horse and buggy era there weren’t many cities on the entire west coast with five story buildings. Fortunately we can read “H.F. Collett Real Estate” in one of the windows, which leads us to Great Falls Montana. Great Falls does indeed have a Central Avenue, and it is very proud of the electric trolley which started running there about 1900.
The banner down the road says “Labor Union’s Picnic, Labor Day Sept. 5th”. Great Falls was a big union town, with a major copper smelter in this era.
Image courtesy the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon
l.e.
Big Sky Country!
In my visits to Montana I have yet to see Great Falls. It is on my bucket list. Now I can add Central Ave. to the sights to see.
I’m curious about the building on the right. Almost looks like a train station. Lots of chimneys for the cold winters. I wonder what they burned.
Longshot
Looks like stacks of bricks or building stones on the left side of the street and workmen doing some work on one of the lower buildings. I wonder what the very tall looking pole is behind the power pole and house to the right?
l.e.
It is the Park Hotel on the right and I think Bach-Cory & CO on the left.
The name Paris Gibson, one of the founders of Great Falls, good friend of railroad man James Hill and member of the Unitarian Church caught my eye, but probably no correlation to Paris Fair.
nels
l.e. just want to say thank you for the research you do on these pictures. Really fleshes out the story. And makes them more meaningful.
Charlott
Paris Gibson had quite a tragic life. Supposedly his wife either fell or jumped off a roof/porch as she had mental issues. Both of their sons ended up in mental insitutions He had a lot in common with James Hill and Sam Hill in that department. Sam Hill ‘s daughter Mary was James Hill’s grand-daughter and she was manic depressive. Sam’s son wasn’t all that stable, but some of it came from his fathers pushing. Poor kids……….
Mel Hasbrouck
A bit confused as to origins of this photo of Great Falls, Montana because another web site lists it as the property of EDOC Oregon but may have an answer as to "why."
Mel Hasbrouck
For whatever reason we do the things we do, I thought i was still in that EOEC web site rather than the Hood River museum and I apologize to the lady who responded re Perkins. Contact me @ mellndnna@gmail.com and we’ll straighten out the history for all concerned.
Mel Hasbrouck
E-mail change: Mel_N_Dnna@outlook.com