Historic Hood River
Goodbye, Oak
Notes
For 10 years I’ve flipped past this image thinking it was another Alva Day photo of a power pole, but today I took a closer look and realized it was a minor treasure. This image shows the removal of one of the last Oak tree in the Oak Street right-of-way. One by one the grand Oak trees downtown were removed in the name of progress. I don’t know for sure this was the last one, but if you look at photos from the 1920s there weren’t more than one or two left.
The photo was taken from just south of the corner of Oak and 4th, looking north. You can see the PP&L building on Oak, as well as Bennett Bros and Emry Lumber on Cascade. You can orient yourself in the intersection with the reflector bump right in the middle of Oak. The tree was on the NW corner.
I can’t tell from this image if the tree was diseased or if they just got tired of steering around it.
This is also a reminder why museums don’t just save “important” images. You never know what might have been captured in a frame which might mean something to someone else.
nels
HUGE. Wonder how old it was. Have never seen an oak that large.
L.E.
Alva didn’t stop at the top of the tree. He had to make sure he got the entire power pole into the photo.
It appears the street and sidewalk were moved up against the building on the right.
basaltgrouse
It looks to me like they may be preparing to string north/south lines at the pole tops and the tree was in the way.
Kevin
I like to hope that that oak was milled and turned into some wonderful furniture that still exists in someone’s home here in the Gorge.
Jeffrey W Bryant
The Oak Tree was still there in 1923. See:
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1923-03-22/ed-1/seq-2/
Another newspaper item recommended adding lights to street trees, as they tended to stop cars.
L.E.
My goodness…sounds like the tree saved Mr. Boardwell.
Jeffrey W Bryant
Old Oak Tree Felled.
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1924-04-10/ed-1/seq-6/