Historic Hood River
Port of Hood River Project
Notes
This week we’ll be doing something different at Historic Hood River– we’ll be talking about both the past and the future. The Port of Hood River is in the midst of a planning process for their “Lot 1” property on the west bank of Nichols Basin, as well as the Basin itself. HHR will present some images of the history of this place, and provide a forum to discuss how this history informs your thoughts about its future. If you’re free at noon Wednesday, you can go down to the Port building to listen to the third of a series of roundtable discussions on this subject.
This spectacular aerial view comes from the 1962 report on the completion of the Army Corps of Engineers Port of Hood River Project. It shows the creation of the basin at the mouth of the Hood River, where the historic delta was flooded by waters behind the Bonneville Dam. Congress authorized the project to construct a boat basin in 1946, but it wasn’t until 1961 that construction started. The Army Corp of Engineers spent about $300,000 on the basin, while the Port spent $75,000 of bridge toll proceeds to develop the basin facilities.
Here we see the project in the middle of the construction, which seems to be going on around the existing marina facilities. We saw a later stage of its construction in this earlier post.
l.e.
Kind of ugly looking. What happened to the cottonwoods?
Dedilee
Ah, the lovely "old" bridge over the Hood… Where you could see the river as you drove over it. Is that the Banning in the boat basin?
Buzz
Ah, yes and the rock wall beside the cutbank on the road coming down the hill to the bridge from the Y where a smart/dumb kid could shift down into second gear and your glass-paks would wake up half of the old people in Hood River.
l.e.
What is the barn shaped building by the freeway exit to downtown?
This is an example of nobody could put more mud and silt into a river than the Army Corps of Engineers.
Arthur
The barn shaped building is a boatworks. You can see the tracks leading into the water. Not sure is Nichols was the operator in 1962, and not sure when it was moved to the south side of the basin.
Buzz
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t the Army Corps of Engineers dredging mud and silt out of the river and putting it up on the land area to create the port area and the marina. I am not a fan of a lot of their projects, but right now the fishermen and canneries in Chinook and Nahcotta, WA by the mouth of the Columbia are begging the Corps to dredge out the approaches to their facilities so they can continue to pursue their livilehoods and support their families. I remember in the 50’s falling down on water skis in what seemed the middle of the Columbia off the mouth of the Hood River and only be standing in water up to my chest.
l.e.
What are the buildings at the Button place? Is that still a private residence in 1962?
It looks like there might still be a house with trees.
Norma Jubitz Simpson
The Banning does bring back memories. Right after the Cuban Missile Crisis my brother, a friend of his and I made a large sign the said "Cuba or Bust" and snuck on the Banning and hung it facing the highway. Oh for the days of good clean fun!
Buzz
The Banning mudt have arrived in Hood River after I was off to college and army. Was it a decommissioned navy ship? I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis as being a scary time, so good for you. Never expected that out of one of the original saints from HRHS. Your mother must have had a near heart attack!!
Arthur
I’ll be posting the entire story of the Banning with another photo in a little while.
Charlott
There was a house on Button hill, one story made of brick. I think I had left Hood River when it disappeared. Haven’t a clue who lived there. May have been some of the Button family.
Arthur
Isn’t that house still there? It’s just north of Windance.
Charlott
Yes, that house is still there. Saw it the other day when I went to The Dalles. There is so much stuff in front of it that it is hard to see…..