Historic Hood River
Florence Clark
4-24-2025
Notes
With fruit trees throughout the valley at or near full bloom let’s meet Florence Clark, daughter of Lucius and Ada Clark. We met most of the Clark family in this image and saw their Pine Grove home in this image.
You can read about Florence Clark’s 1926 wedding to Cecil Thrane in this issue of The Hood River Glacier. The companion article contains the perfectly outdated line, “Principal Gibson began checking up on his list of lady teachers to find out who were single.”
You can read a biography of Florence’s father and a bit of family history here.
Jeffrey Bryant
I’m sure Charlott Wells Jones would have something to say about this picture, since she was part of this family.
Thorn
If only this photo was in color.
William C. Seaton
Yes, I really miss Charlott’s comments.
Arthur Babitz
I’ll bring forward some of Charlott’s comments on the Clark family:
“Oh my goodness………………..This definitely was the home that my great-grandpa Clark built in about 1903, as the family moved down from Wasco in 1904. I don’t know the exact date of this photo, but it is an early one, apparently soon after its construction. Eventually he would build a long uncovered porch on this side closest to us. On the north side would be a beautiful drive through portico. On the back, which would be the east side a porch would be built along the entire side with glass windows from floor to ceiling.
First floor, you entered off the front porch into a foyer where stairs went up. Parlor where bay window is, with dining room to the east. Kitchen was in the northeast corner.
Second floor, master bedroom with bay window, plus three other bedrooms and full bath.
Full attic and what a wonderful place. When I was a little girl my great-aunt Florence (Clark) Thrane let me build my own personal play house up in that front dormer. Another aunt lived across the road and I could spy on her from there and though I hadn’t seen her that day could later tell her what she was wearing and what she was doing. She never could figure out how I knew all those things until many years later.
A remarkably built home and years and years of love and memories connected with it….
Sadly this house burnt when Bernie Wertgren had the property. I actually stood and watched this greatly treasured home burn to the ground that night.”
Arthur Babitz
and:
“He had had many business ventures. He initially was at Biggs, where he was the first postmaster, owned the ferry and had the grain receivership from Sherman County. He then went to Wasco where he owned and operated Union Lumber, while still owning the ferry. Went into partnership with 3 others and built Wasco Milling, only to have the railroad punched in to make it cheaper to ship wheat to Portland than have it milled locally. Purchased the 160 acres in Pine Grove and from about 1902 until after 1904 floated between Union Lumber and setting up his orchard and building his home. He sold Union Lumber and farmed, but in later life wintered in Long Beach, where he found another profitable endeavor, the newly found oil off Long Beach. He had grown up in severe poverty and said very early in life his family would not know the terrible trials he had had in his youth. Very true to his word.”
L. E.
Yes Charlott was quite knowledgeable about the Biggs-Maryhill area, because of family ties.
And boy….she let you know she was not a fan of Sam Hill. I always chuckled about that.