Historic Hood River
Pipeline Bridge
12-2-2020
Notes
Here’s nice winter scene from Arline Moore’s photo album. The caption says, “Pipeline bridge across Hood River. Winter 1915-16 was swept away.” The next image shows the lower carriage bridge on the Hood River, which she says was swept away in a March 1916 thaw.
Will
Would the cut for the rail line that was intended to be a tunnel be just out of view to the right?
L.E.
How did the photographer get to the spot they are standing?
starboard
Ahh, reminds me of winter steelheading on the Hood. this would be from or near the railroad grade which, as Will notes, would be off camera to the right, where the tunnel used to be and is now a thru-cut.
Andy B
It is impressive if you hike out on to the current structure, the top of the metal truss is all mangled. I can only imagine it was from a flood at some point with huge logs smashing into it. It must be 25 feet higher than the summer water level. It really gives you an idea how high the water gets and the force of the debris flow.
ArthurB
LE, the photographer would be on the rail line. Perhaps he was even in a rail car. And yes, the non-tunnel is just to the right.
I'm told the fishing spot is called “helicopter hole” though I suspect that wasn't the name in this era.
starboard
Helicopter hole was/is just upstream from here; from when a chopper went down long ago I'm told. We're looking at – wait for it – the pipeline hole.
Jeffrey W Bryant
The Hood River Glacier tells of the pipe line bridge being swept away in January 1923.
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1923-04-05/ed-1/seq-7/