Historic Hood River
“Cooper”
5-23-2022
Notes
Here’s a small mystery courtesy of Alva Day. On May 11, 1939 he visited a place he called “Cooper” and took five photographs. One has Mt. Hood in the background, so I believe this was in the Hood River valley, but I can’t figure out what sort of animals were raised in this structure. Guesses?
Rawhyde
It appears to have a hay loft. Add that information to the apparent low fence pieces, and I’d have to guess sheep or goats?
Will
I would guess mixed stock/chickens and perhaps the lower section allows access to eggs. My father in law has a similar two story stock/chicken coop structure of brick (minus the lower sections.
L.E.
What is in the wheelbarrow?
ArthurB
It looks like there is a tarp or some other cloth on the front of the wheelbarrow. Nothing to solve the mystery.
lee
It may be Dave Coopers turkey farm it was located across from the Mt Hood town hall and to the north a short distance.
Rawhyde
Many large round boulders in the foreground. Missoula Flood remnants I suppose that may help locate this?
Peter
Is it possible this is a building for a cooper, i.e., a person who makes barrels?
ArthurB
I like the turkey theory. We have a series of photos from 1941 on a turkey farm. I can’t find any definitive evidence this is the same spot, but it’s a possibility.
L.E.
It is a beautiful building.
Because of the low fence panels, I think turkeys is a good guess. I did some searching for Hood River Turkey farms, but information is limited. I did come across a 1930’s news clip in an Illinois newspaper that Hood River had formed a Turkey Growers Association.
I am going to make a guess that the floor waste was pushed over to the bump outs on the side of the building, where it slid down to fall into carts under the building. They could then be pulled out to disperse of the waste.
I have seen something like that for sliding hay down to feed dairy cows.