Historic Hood River
Home Sweet Home
8-12-2011
Notes
All road trips must come to an end. As our 1921 travelers neared home they would have seen the year-old Columbia River Highway bridge over the Hood River. This would be the first pavement their tires encountered in a long, long time. Though they did not stop to take a picture at this spot, it’s a safe bet they saw something very much like this image.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this two week road trip through central Oregon. We have no way to know how long our travelers actually spent on the road, but I’ll venture a guess they were happy to be home in Hood River.
James Holloway
Any ideas on what the Buttons(?) grew on that flat spot due east of the east end of the new bridge? And what is that large barnlike building due north of the bridge, near photo center? Nice shot of homey Hood River…..glad to be home…….
l.e.
My first thought when I saw this photo was, "doesn’t look like the same photographer."
Could they not have come home via highway 35?
Like you James, after learning about the Button Farm from Arthur’s photos, I have wondered what they grew on that rocky bench.
Arthur
Good questions. I went back to the 1934 map of Button farm. It identifies the structure just north of the bridge as the residence, and the other large structure as a barn. The small square building is a frame tank house, and there is a service station below it at the junction (across from the billboards). Unfortunately no indication of what crops they grew.
Charlott
Balya Button was no doubt the original owner of "Button Farm" having been born in Oakland, Michigan and dying in H. R. in 1920.
His son Frank would have been the next owner of the farm., whos son Ralph Button would have no doubt been the next owner.
The Button house sat up there pretty much by itself when I was a child, sort of in a rundown state as I recall.
Bill Pattison
We should recall that this was the refuge for many in Hood River during the Indian uprising on the north side of the Columbia River
Brian Carlstrom
Harry English, who bought the house from the Buttons (and sold it to my wife and me in the late 80’s) used to tell us that the Buttons grew asparagus on their farm.