Historic Hood River
Powerdale Construction Camp
2-15-2022
Notes
Arline Moore’s album may not have the best photographs but the captions make up for it. This caption gives full context: “Powerdale Construction Camp Winter 1915-16. The construction on the Hood River power plant was shut down fall of 1914 and was not resumed until after World War I. Only caretakers and workers at old plant were in the projects.” I think Max Moore was one of those workers.
Other pages in the album show a snowstorm which left up to six feet of snow on the streets downtown.
The reference to “World War I” means this album was assembled sometime after World War II, which explains some of the errors in details.
Jeffrey W Bryant
The camps used for various phases of construction of the Hood River power plant housed up to 800 men in 1922.
See: Hood River Glacier, November 15, 1923, page 3. The old buildings of Phoenix Camp at Powerdale were sold to Walter Well, who removed the lumber for other buildings.
Kenn
Was the camp on site?
ArthurB
I think so, Kenn. The photos don't have great perspective, but it looks like they were down in the flood plain of the HR.
KENN
AT POWERDALE I HEARD THE PRESENT RR BRIDGE REPLACED AN EARLIER TRESTLE, WAS THE RR BRIDGE MOVED IN OR CONSTRUCTED ON SITE ?