Historic Hood River
Hauling Crates
6-4-2018
Notes
This image is identified as Bill Clark in 1910 near the Lage barn and house on Eastside Road and Wells Drive. I believe this is the site viewed from the other direction. While the barn still has the metal plaque seen in the earlier photo, it looks like it has been significantly rebuilt since this era.
Charlott
Jim and Bess hauling a load of my great-grandfather’s fruit to the steam ship for shipment to Portland. I am not certain that that is my Uncle Bill (William Berrian Clark) but his brother my Uncle Bliss (Bliss Lucius Clark) because of the cap pulled down so low. I will have to pull out the original which I have to make certain and see what is written on the back. I do know that neither of them especially enjoyed having to haul fruit to town as they didn’t like going down that Eastside Road at the other end. They always stopped for a rest and water for Jim and Bess at the watering trough down there somewhere where Whiskey Creek Road now takes off. Jim and Bess were given excellent care as they were Grandpa Clark’s life line. They hauled the fruit, hauled the sprayer around the orchard, plowed, pulled the hay cutter and rake. He took as good of care of those two as his children believe me. They also took a much needed rest on the way back there after that long haul up the hill. The building on this side of the barn is now that metal shed you see. The first house is Hans’s house. I am somewhat confused about the next house. The next house on the road was the home of Ed and Mabel (Riddell) Lage. I thought it sat much much closer to the road than this appears to be.
This is definitely looking north from the corner of Wells Drive.
L.E.
Thanks Charlott. I always love your first hand history.
Is the photographer standing at a homesite?
Look at those wooden wheels. Did Hood River have a local wagon wheel maker?
And is there a good reason why the front wheels are smaller?
Charlott
No there would be no homesite where the photographer was standing. The photographer was one of two people, my great grandfather or the other son.
Wouldn’t have a clue about the wheels or a wheel maker. I would imagine with so many farmers and wagons there would have been one, or possibly they had to go to The Dalles. I would imagine there was a good reason for big wheels in back and smaller ones in front.
Arthur
It’s always fun for me to post a Pine Grove photo and see what details Charlott can provide. I never expected to learn the names of the horses!
Kenn
Twelve spoke wheels in front and fourteen in the rear with three spokes to the fellow, this is common but was not curious why until now, my project for today ~
L.E.
Could smaller front wheels be for ease of turning?
spinsur
Hah! The things we pick up on here! The curb along a bridge is called a felloe guard, and now I know why!
L.E.
Well, I did my homework:
From Hansen Wheel & Wagon Shop:
Why are the front wheels smaller than the rear wheels on wagons?
As the diameter of the wheel increases, the draft size of the animal needed to pull the vehicle decreases, hence making it easier on the horses, mules, and oxen to pull the wagons and carriages. So, a wagon with 48" wheels will pull easier than a wagon with 24" wheels. Now for the second part of the answer; if all wagons had 48" wheels front and rear, we would have an engineering conflict. When we try to steer the wagon, the front wheel would strike the body and reduce the turning radius. Also, the assembly of the fifth wheel would lift the body high in the front. So, to overcome this conflict, we lower the height of the front wheel just enough to level the wagon and increase the turning radius. The results are a maneuverable, easy pulling vehicle.
L.E.
@Kenn or Arlen…This has nothing to do with this photo. I am trying to type up the memories written by my husband’s grandmother. Her spelling and grammar are atrocious. She grew up on Government Island. 1890’s. She is describing how they traveled to Portland. They crossed the slough by boat, then walked up to the ORN railroad tracks? They walked to Clarney Station where there was a water tower.
Have you heard of Clarnie or Clarney station?
L.E.
Sorry Arthur for taking up space with this wonderful photo, but I found this about Clarnie:
Bill Miner holds up his first passenger train near Portland, Oregon, on September 23, 1903.
On Saturday night, September 19, 1903, the bandits intended to rob the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company (OR&N) passenger train to Chicago. They chose Clarnie, a small town 10 miles east of Portland, for the heist, theorizing that after the robbery they could hide in the big city of Portland. But nothing transpired as planned and the train sped on by the intended site of the robbery. Undaunted, the trio made a second holdup attempt on Wednesday night, September 23, 1903, this time near Troutdale, 15 miles east of Portland. The gang used several sticks of dynamite to blow the doors off the express car.
Arlen Sheldrake
and Clarnie is the name of a relatively new siding at the location of the former community on the UP (former OR&N) Graham line…"¦…thus preserving the name….
walking to the Clarnie station from government island would make sense….quite the walk even today but back in the day….I would say hike
Mary Gallegos
I have just discovered this site and have been browsing the pictures, looking for glimpses of the Robertson family. We always visited Pine Grove at least every memorial day if not more times per year growing up. It gets less often now. My grandfather was born and raised in Pine Grove and this photo is actually near where their farm house should have been on the east road – it burned down in about 1911 or so which appears to be after this photo was taken. Thank you Thank you