Historic Hood River
New Collection
Notes
My heart always starts racing when the museum calls to let me know someone has dropped off something new, especially when they mention glass negatives. Sitting in the museum was a cigar box with 14 glass negatives in it, all of them of interesting subjects, including some fine logging images. They were dirty, but I was able to clean them to get good scans. We’re not sure all the images are local, but the collection includes a view of Parkdale so at least part of it is local. Some of the images seem to be a bit east of here.
This is a fine view of the pond at a lumber mill. The “pond monkeys” look very young, but that seems to be the case in many of our logging photos. The hills in the background look like it might be the west side of the Hood River valley, but I’m not yet 100% convinced.
Charlott
Unlike so many boys today that sit on the couch poking buttons, boys in that age frame way back then did a large amount of work per day. Girls, also. Many of the logging outfits were family owned and operated and the boys went to work very young, right Buzz?
Could they be rolling them into this pond to line them up to a flume to head off somewhere to a mill? Just an idea, as I don’t know that much about logging operations.
L.E.
The tool is a peavey, right?
I am surprised at the size of the timber in the background. Not very big.
Second growth?
And the logs in the deck look like they have rotted in the center.
Thanks for cleaning up glass negatives Arthur, so we can enjoy.
Buzz
My dad quit school, left home, and went to work at a small sawmill when he was in the sixth grade. During the depression. Big family and said there wasn’t enough food to eat at home. We moved to Hood River from Siletz right after 8th grade graduation. Didn’t know a soul and was bored. My dad helped me get a job that summer working with a timber cruiser and on a logging engineering crew cutting brush and pulling chain. Good jobs for a kid. Started logging after I turned 18. Later that first summer I met some pretty Hood River girls at the swimming pool and was bored no longer.
Charlott
Probably a few Wy’east also.,……
Kenn
Two peaveys (sp?) and a pike pole?
Arlen Sheldrake
Charlott: Wy’East…..is that what the "W" stood for on the lettermen’s jackets worn by some girls in the HRHS hallways??……….some wars/battles will only end upon the death of all participants………..
interesting family history Buzz…..our parents and grand parents went through some real tough times and they did pretty darn good by us…..wish I could say the same for what I am leaving my grandkids…..
Longshot
Thick young forest, must have burned over not too many decades back. It is odd the way the centers of the logs are so dark. Seems too consistent to be rot, but don’t have a better idea.
Ranger
The logs look like Douglas fir with a red tinted heart wood, although some of the bark on a few in the deck could be P pine. I don’t think there is any rot in those logs
Arthur
Yes, I can verify from the original scan the wood is sound. I can’t tell you the color for sure, but my brain inserted red tint too.
Bill Pattison
My guess is the location is the upper end of the Kingsley reservior prior to the current day structure. This old mill pond served the Davenport saw mill. These "pond monkeys" were later replaced by Nichols Boat Works very small engine driven pond boat.
Bill P
L.E.
Probably not the case with these logs, but here is a photo of logs hollowed out for a water line.
They look similar to these logs.
http://www.washingtonruralheritage.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/klickitat/id/90/rec/105