Historic Hood River
Naval Battle at Koberg Beach
12-6-2013
Notes
There seems to be no end to fun pictures of Koberg Beach. This one is captioned “Red Devil Day, 1933” on the reverse. The combatants seem to have long bamboo poles capped with boxing gloves or some other device to lessen the likelihood of putting each other’s eyes out. The action on the water has certainly captured the crowd’s attention.
charlott
Just think of all the fun we missed, by being born too late to partake of all of this. I noticed all the trees across the river where SDS is now. Is Reeves the one who took the picture?
l.e.
Must be modern day jousting using boats instead of horses.
The sand bar is quite impressive.
Dan K
ahhhhhhhh trying to keep us thinking of warmer weather I see
connie
The museum has tried several times to find someone somewhere that knows something about the "red devil days"….alas, we have had not luck. Maybe the viewers of HHR will help? A summer day picture when outside it’s cold and snowy. A bit of irony Arthur?
Arthur
Yes, Reeves is the photographer. He took many of the best postcards of the era too.
I know this image doesn’t match the weather outside, but a few times every winter it’s a good idea to close your eyes and imagine warm sun on your skin…
scott cook
I was at Koberg just the other day poking around. Arthur had emailed me a detailed map of the Koberg area that the Army Corps had prepared before the Bonneville dam flooding happened. This map showed a water reservoir I had never seen, and sure enough, just up the steep hill behind the pavilion site, a huge cement-walled rectangular reservoir still exists—like a swimming pool kind of. I had never seen it before because in summer the leafed-out shrubs hide it, but right now it’s easy to see. Also, the map showed the exact position of the 1930s Airway Beacon which I had unsuccessfully searched for previously atop Stanley Rock. Turns out the Beacon site was on the rock outcrops ABOVE Stanley, accessed via the HCRH at MP 69. Since I’ve said all this, maybe it’ll nudge Arthur to post that map as a link so y’all can "pore over it" as well. hahaha Mr Mayor, your work is never done!
Norma Jubitz Simpson
That beacon brings back memories. It shined in my bedroom window every night. Was thinking about it a while back and wondered when it was taken down.
Arthur
Norma, if you miss the beacon they have one at WAAAM for you to enjoy. I don’t think it was the one from Stanley Rock, but it was part of the same system.
s
Any chance that "red devils" might have been a local school mascot?
steve
Hummm….. I see no way to slide your way down that wooden slide… do you ?
Perhaps the wooden looking "boat" in the lower part of the picture was the method of riding or rolling down – then into the water… early day "like log flume" ride- ??
Or…. do I see a person on a bike near the bottom ? ?
Chew on that …
Arlen Sheldrake
That ramp has me also wondering how it was used. An impressive structure.
I had forgotten the beacon.