Historic Hood River
Mischief?
5-27-2021
Notes
I’m not quite sure what to make of this image, but there’s a lot to look at. The blackboard is dated May 31, 1899 and “Class of ’99” so perhaps this was the final day of school. The lesson is interupted with a tic-tac-toe game and it’s been tagged in a few places.
There is a peculiar poem as part of the lesson: “There’s always a river to cross, there’s always a woman to boss, there’s always some work to do, that keeps me in a stew.”
One of the boys is Ralph Laraway. He was born in 1881, so I’m guessing this is either a high school graduation picture or perhaps he’s enrolled at a university. We’re not sure who the other boy is.
Roger Sheldrake
Must have been one of the taller kids that wound the clock every few days.
andyb
Are those juggling pins behind the boys?
kmb
Interesting picture, must have been a math class with the algebra equations on the blackboard. I was also wondering about the juggling pins and the clock high on the wall. I had no idea the practice of “tagging” with graffiti goes back over 120 years. I wonder if these two pigeon-toed boys belonged to a local “gang”.
L.E.
The June 1900 census says Ralph is living in Glenwood, Iowa and in school.
Since there is some similarity in looks I wonder if the other boy is Ralph's older brother Seth. He is 3 years older than Ralph.
Comparing a photo on Ancestry.com, I would say the boy on the left is Ralph but it is hard to tell.
I also wonder what the bowling pin looking things are on the desk behind the boys.
JEC
The “bowling pins” were known as “Indian Clubs”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_club
L.E.
Thanks JEC. And they are available on Amazon.
L.E.
According to the 1913 maps, Ralph Laraway owned land in White Salmon area.