Historic Hood River
Headed for Market
Notes
Now where were we before we were interrupted by all that snow and ice? Oh yeah, we were looking at a wonderful series of images Benjamin Gifford took for the Hood River Commercial Club circa 1910. We think the images were part of a promotional effort to boost orchard development in the valley. Several of them made it into publications which would have been seen by would-be orchardists in the east or midwest.
It’s a shame this beautiful view of a packing house has been attacked by mold. Boxes full of apples are being loaded onto horse-drawn wagons to head down to storage or shipment by rail out of Hood River. I’ll bet Charlott can tell us which packing house this was based on the glimpse of a building in the left corner. Is that the Pine Grove School?
There is some phenomenal detail in this image. I can make out the middle wagon is a Studebaker, with a custom label “Made for H.F. Davidson, Hood River, Oregon.” The man in the wagon to the left has let his top down, perhaps so he has better light for the photograph. There’s some good slop escaping from the packing house and draining into the puddle below. You can bet that dog likes to play down there.
Charlott
I am somewhat baffled here, but that is NOT the Pine Grove School. There were no actual packing houses or barns near it. I think that building to the left is probably another farm structure.
I am going to take a VERY wild guess on this. I think this might be a barn, now owned by one of my cousins. Looks an awfully lot like one of them. I would, if I could get there this morning go check it out, but couldn’t get near enough with the snow….
If this is the barn I think it might be it was built by the Dethman’s. As soon as the road permits I shall have to go check this one out….
L.E.
I am trying to figure out the horse with two tails.
Arthur
After seeing this photo I’ve noticed several other images of farm buildings with cupola/ bell towers on them (like the building to the left). Can someone fill me in on why barn buildings would have this sort of architectural feature? Was it just for style points or is there a functional purpose?
Longshot
If a barn is well vented, I would suspect that any cupola is mainly for looks, while if the barn is well sealed up the cupola would help vent moist air from the animals’ breathe and drying feed. Some cupolas have windows instead of vents and thus admit light.
L.E.
For the barn owls to sit in!!
Some say it helps with preventing wet hay from combusting, but I am skeptical on that.
Stever
As found on the web " One of the most damaging elements to a pole barn or garage is warm, humid, stagnant air. This moist air contributes to the growth of mold and mildew, which ultimately can lead to wood rot and jeopardizes the structure of the barn and maybe more importantly, the barn’s valuable contents.
Cupolas aid the ventilation by allowing the warm stale air to escape and the cool fresh air to enter the structure. Cupolas are also a necessity for horse barns and storage garages as they allow the temperature to remain cooler inside by recycling the hot air out while allowing the fresher air into the building."
charlott
Also noticed that this barn had some sort of stove in it, as there is a chimney.