Historic Hood River
Just a Few Years Later
Notes
Just a few years later the UCM Ranch had a producing orchard framing their view of Mt. Hood. The upper valley became a cohesive community with events reported in The Hood River Glacier. Newspapers in that era had “correspondents” who would send in reports on local happenings. From about 1911 to 1913 the upper valley correspondent’s reports appeared where labeled as coming from “Blodgetville.” For example, there’s this account of what appears to be a progressive dinner party in October 1911,
A party from the U. C. M. ranch Thursday with Coach and four made a sight seeing tour of Blodgetville, Ward Cornell handling the ribbons and also acting as megaphone man. Luncheon was derved a la carte en route. The first hand-out consisting of soup was served hot by the chef at the G’wan G’woff ranch, crackers being included in the course. The next course consisting of “Ham and” was served by the Mayor himself at the White House at Blodgetville Center. The wind-up feed occurred at the Browns’ where delicate salads and dessert were dispensed. The long wait between courses brought the sight-seeing party back to the U. C. M. ranch still hungry but greatly pleased and enlightened as to the tremendous developments going on in the Blodgetville section.”
Blodgettville was regularly referred to as a city with a Mayor, an elected Treasurer and a “White House” at city center. Yet, despite the Blodgettville correspondent’s conviction, no such city ever existed. It did not appear on the 1911 county map, and there was never an incorporated city of Blodgettville in Hood River County. Instead, there was a strong social group promoting the upper valley, with Ward Cornell at the center. He did have real estate to sell!
In 1913 The Hood River Glacier lifted the veil a bit when they announced their Blodgettville correspondent was moving. Given the satire of the Blodgettville reports, I was suspicious of their claim Mr. Green was to be the editor in chief of The Boston Journal. But in fact Major Walton Green was a real man who lived in the Upper Valley and then went on to a storied career, including a stint as editor and published of the Journal, as well as a chief prohibition investigator for the US Treasury Department, and author of a book which was made into a motion picture. His obituary lays it out in detail.
This small photo album which we have been enjoying for the past seven days lays out the story of the real estate boom which populated the upper Hood River valley. In one corner of the county a group of young men of similar backgrounds from the northeast were attracted to try their hands at growing fruit trees. Some of them, like Mason and Euwer spent the rest of their lives at that pursuit. Others, like Uptegrove, Cornell and Green returned to their east coast lives, but we know they held some affectionate memories of their time in the Hood River Valley. Cornell’s album includes images captured after he left the area, so the album must have been prepared in his later years.
Ward Cornell’s son apparently visited what remained of the UCM ranch in 1947, when Walter Mason’s widow was selling the property. Virginia Euwer remembers the ranch house with its distinctive fireplace, so we know it survived for some time after. We also know the orchard land cleared and planted by those who came during the real estate boom of ~1909 to 1915 is still in production, and the irrigation systems and packing houses enabled by that population boom still play an important role in this valley’s commerce.
BethH
My grandpa Gordon and his 2 older brothers came from the east coast to the Upper Valley through the years of 1908-1912. They bought land, cleared, planted, built homes also. I’m sure they all knew each other. I’d been told how their wives tried to create functions that were more the east coast life style.
The 2 older brothers both left in 1934- back to “civilization! Their children were here during their formative years and loved coming to visit. Obviously, my Grandpa Gordon stayed.