Historic Hood River
Ireland’s, 1920
10-13-2016
Notes
It’s the height of the harvest in 1920, and early trucks are lining up at Ireland’s to sell their apples and pears. Just 10 years earlier all the fruit would be arriving downtown by horse drawn wagon, and 10 years before that there were no refrigerated packing houses. Orchardists were quick to adopt (and invent) new technology to get their fruit to market faster, cheaper, and farther away.
This photo of Ireland’s makes me wonder how many competing fruit wholesalers were in the valley during this era. We usually only hear about AGA (Apple Growers Association). Articles in the Glacier suggest Louis Ireland specialized in shipping fruit to the California markets, where he would spend his winters.
Charlott
He was known more for his restaurants than the fruit business in Hood River. He and his wife Annabelle came to Hood River in 1910 from Indiana. In 1923 they went to Portland where he owned and operated two restaurants and later another one added in Lake Oswego. He turned those over to the management of his son in the early 1930’s and re-located to Gold Beach were he owned and operated Ireland’s Rustic Lodges.
Kenn
Ireland’s restaurants were well known in Portland and Oswego but I had no idea the name had a tie to Hood River. Thanks to Arthur and Charlotte for "bringing the name to life".
Arthur
It seems the restaurants were a second chapter to the Ireland story, after they left Hood River. Some good additional info on this building and Ireland’s fruit business from the last image I showed of this building: https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org?showimage=1125
Lance
Ireland also had the restaurant in the club house of the Lloyd Golf Course in Portland’s Sullvan gulch at NE 12th.
L.E.
An Ireland was one of the first publishers of the Morning Oregonian. I wonder if they were related?
Darlene Boggs
Ireland’s Rustic Lodges in Gold Beach was one of my parents favorite places to stay on the coast. They went there many time, including for their 50th anniversary in 1988.