Historic Hood River
“Judge Geo. R. Castner of Hood River”
Notes
This is a case where the info on the reverse is more interesting than the image itself. The reverse includes what appears to be publication details (likely for The Sunday Oregonian), as well as a newspaper clipping from 1966. The publication information states
‘Judge Geo. R. Castner of Hood River elected commander department of Oregon Grand Army of the Republic.’ I am mailing this picture early to make it available in case Judge Castner is elected Commander of the Oregon Dept. GAR at annual encampment held at Newport this week. Joe D. Thomison.
According to this site GAR encampements occurred in Newport in 1908 and 1922. I believe Castner was Commander of the local Canby post for many years, and was elected Oregon GAR commander in 1922. I was surpised to see how many GAR posts there were in Oregon and Washington (see map below). The last Oregon GAR member died in 1950.
The 1966 clip says
George Castner of Equitable says his mother came to Hood River in the 1880’s, his father’s family only a few years later. Mrs. Castner was the daughter of Lou Morse, an active citizen here for many years and first sheriff of Hood River county after it was taken off Wasco in 1908.
Mrs. Castner, skimming over the highway to Dee with George a few years ago (a trip of around 20 minutes), recalled that when her family came in 1888 with a group from the midwest, they were bound for Sandy Flat above Dee.
After staying at the old Mt. Hood hotel overnight, the party started out for their new home. The first day they made it as far as Tucker bridge. By night of the second day they arrived at Sandy Flat. Two whole days!
The George Castner in this clip must be George R.’s son.
Jeffrey Bryant
GROK tells me that W. Al Jones was elected commander of the Department of Oregon G. A. R. at the 1922 encampment at Newport.
Judge George R. Castner died 21 February 1929. his obituary follows:
Hood River News
Civil War Veteran Answers Last Call
George R. Castner, Civil War veteran, answered the last call on Thursday afternoon of last week, at his home on 2th Street, at the age of 88 years. Funeral services, in which the Masonic lodge participated, were held at Riverside church and at the graveside in Idlewilde cemetery. At the church, Dr. Heber S. Mahood officiated.
Born in New York, Mr. Castner later served throughout the Civil war with Co. H, 12th Michigan Infantry. He was a past commander of Canby Post, G.A.R.
Mr. Castner, who engaged in farming in Michigan, was employed with the Michigan Central railroad for a quarter of a century. The family arrived in Hood River in 1894 and purchased a ranch in the Belmont district. Here Mr. Castner set out a commercial orchard. He took a leading part in the affairs of this community for many years and was at one time county judge. Mr. Castner was a member of the Al Kader temple of the Mystic Shrine at Portland.
He is survived by his widow and two sons, Charles H. Castner, of Hood River, and John E. Castner, of Victoria, B.C.
Arthur Babitz
funny, Google AI says it was Captain I. W. Adams. I’ve been getting a lot of questionable AI responses lately.
I didn’t find a newspaper account in either 1908 or 1922, but I didn’t have time to look very carefully.
Thorn
Grok says. Pffft. Back in my day we spent hours and hours days and days years and years learning to write…with our hands! That’s right, hand writing! And we didn’t have AI, we had huge buildings filled with “books” organized in a crazy “decimal system” and after waiting for the “library” to open you needed a special “card” to get in and get out with the books, and if you didn’t return them on time they took your “money” made of paper and metal. That was the way it was, annnnd we liked it!
~Grumpy Old Man, ala Dana Carvey
On a more serious note, a plain old internet search found me this interesting history and picture of the Al Kader Temple of the Mystic Shrine in downtown Portland! https://alkadershriners.org/about.php
L. E.
This is a bit complicated.
From what I can tell, George Remer Castner Sr. never came to Oregon, nor did his wife Julia Ann. They were both born in New York and died in Michigan.
Their son George Remer Castner Jr. was born in New York in 1846. Served in the Civil War. Married Florence in Ohio in 1870. In 1890 they are living in Michigan.
They are in the Hood River 1900 Census. By then George and Florence are in their 50’s.
But their next door neighbors are Charles and Therese Castner. They are in their 20’s. Charles is the son of George Remer Castner Jr. and Florence. He was born in Michigan. In 1898 he married Therese Morse in Hood River. Therese came to Hood River with her parents Mr. & Mrs. Lewis Morse in 1880. Lewis Morse was early post master and Hood River county sheriff.
Charles and Therese Castner had a son George Remer Castner, born 1908 in Hood River. He died in 1974 in Portland and is buried in Hood River. This is probably the George Castner who is talking about his mother.
Jeffrey Bryant
The “Journal of the forty-first annual encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic Department of Oregon” is available on FamilySearch.org in Books. It documents that D. L. McKay received 110 votes and Geo. R. Castner received 104 votes. D. L. McKay was declared elected as commander of the department for the ensuing year.
I have updated the answer in GROK. Neither it or Google AI were correct.
Arthur Babitz
Thanks Jeffrey for the reminder that AI is still making up answers. My experience with AI and local history has been very poor.
Jeffrey Bryant
After I told Grok that D. L. McKay was elected in 1922 it added more information about him being from Portland Post No. 2, which was made up. I corrected it to be George Wright Post No. 1. I wish it would not make stuff up.