Historic Hood River
Packing House
10-4-2022
Notes
This packing house image is from the album Benjamin Gifford prepared for the Hood River Commercial Club, circa 1910. Based on the small totes the kids are carrying I think this is a strawberry packing operation. There’s a great horse drawn wagon to the left, fully loaded and ready to head to market.
Category: default
Tags: 1910s, agriculture, fruit packing, Gifford, horse, packing house, strawberries, wagon
Tags: 1910s, agriculture, fruit packing, Gifford, horse, packing house, strawberries, wagon
nels
How many people do you count in that picture?
L.E.
I have a couple of those wooden flats, saved by my in laws.
So, they must stand in line and weigh in their pickings and then someone sorts into the boxes?
ArthurB
It looks to me like those flats already have the little pint containers in them, so I’m guessing the pickers were paid by volume? The pint containers could be transferred to a box for shipping by horse drawn cart to the steamer dock, then by steamer to Portland.
Barbara parsons
I picked into those little containers. They were called hallecks or hallocks. We were paid a nickel apiece the wooden carriers were called carriers. I picked for Harold Dykstra in Parkdale.They were pleasant employers. Margaret Christiansen was our field boss and picked right along beside us. She kept us orderly and motivated.