Historic Hood River
Crag Rats First Rescue
Notes
This photo captures a seminal moment in the history of the Crag Rats. The Crag Rats incorporated in late 1926, describing themselves as a skiing and mountaineering club, as well as a mountain rescue organization. In January 1927 16 year-old Calvin White Jr. became lost while skiing out of Government Camp. After three days of searching, Crag Rat Bill Cochran found White, and with assistance of other Crag Rats brought him down to the Battle Axe Inn. He lost some toes to frostbite, but as you can see he survived. For many years after that rescue Calvin’s father would host a banquet for the Crag Rats in early January.
This photo includes (left to right): Earl Hammond, Dr. White (Calvin’s father), Harry Griffith (police officer), Mr and Mrs. Joseph Brownlee, William Cochran, and Calvin White Jr.
I’ve been talking with the Crag Rats for several years to figure out how to make sure their collection of images is properly preserved for the future. Most of their collection has now received proper archival treatment, and they are happy to share it digitally with HHR viewers. I’ll be working more Crag Rats images into our lineup in the future.
If you know of any other collections of photos which tell the history of Hood River county, contact the museum and we’ll help you figure out how to make sure that history isn’t lost.
Charlott
This no doubt was taken at Battle Ax Inn. I have heard the name Brownlee, but can’t place it right now.
Charlott
Calvin was the baby of the family of Dr. Calvin Stuart White and his wife Gertrude. Dr. White was a native of Pennsylvania and she was from Gervais, Oregon. Dr. White only lived three years after this photo was taken.
Young Calvin and his wife Margaret ended up in Honalulu, Hawaii, where he died in 1949.
L.E.
When I was growing up in the Camas/Washougal area, my dad spoke of the Crag Rats with the greatest of respect. He was not a skier, so I suspect it was the rescue portion that he respected.
Definitely an organization whose history needs to be preserved and archived.
nels
Any comments on the unusual outer wear by Mr. Hammond on the left? More commonly seen in pictures of polar exploration.
Buzz
Eskimos called an outergarment parka like that an anorak.
Charlott
For those that don’t know the Crag Rats are the oldest search and rescue organization in the United States.
I remember going with my Dad over to Government Camp a day or two after Battle Ax Inn burnt in 1950.
Jeffrey Bryant
Hood River Glacier, 1926-06-10, page 3 describes a rescue effort by members of a Hood River climbing party, carrying an injured person to Cloud Cap Inn. They were not the Crag Rats, but did an earlier rescue.
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1926-06-10/ed-1/seq-3/
BethH
All the founding members had these fur lined anoraks- I wonder if they were
WW 1 surplus.
Photos of each member wearing these are on the wall at the Hut in Pine Grove.
Jeffrey Bryant
Hood River Glacier, 1926-08-19, page 1 – “Crag Rats Find Child” – Hood River’s three “Crag Rats” L. M. Baldwin, Percy Bucklin and Jesse Puddy, who Sunday found little 7-year-old Jackie Strong in the wild region on the southwest slopes of Mt. Hood, returned home at 11 o’clock Sunday night.
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1926-08-19/ed-1/seq-1/
This rescue was before the Crag Rats were incorporated, and is the first mentioned I’ve found in the Glacier of the Crag Rats.
Jeffrey Bryant
Hood River Glacier, 1927-01-06, page 1 – Crag Rats Find Man
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1927-01-06/ed-1/seq-1/