Historic Hood River
Powerdale Pipeline Crossing
10-13-2020
Notes
This was the original pipeline crossing for the early Powerdale hydroelectric generator, circa 1905, probably taken by Horatio Davidson. I’m told the fishing spot at the base of the crossing is now known as “helicopter hole,” which we can be pretty sure wasn’t what they called it back then. We recently saw a photo of the dam which fed this pipe. It was not very far upstream from this point.
Will
Is the site of the mystery “tunnel” just out of frame to the right? How much further up river was the dam past the present termination of the pipeline trail?
Peter
The log crib structure in the foreground here looks to be the same type of structure (or the same structure) as is visible in the very bottom of the photo of the dam – to protect the railroad in high water or from the channel shifting?
ArthurB
Yes, I believe the tunnel/cut is just to the right, and the photographer was standing on the tracks just upstream from that spot. I think Peter is correct that the structure in the foreground is the one we saw just downriver from the dam in the previous photo (#2509). Basically, the old dam was where the pipeline trail ends today.
nels
A possible house/ structure up on the hilltop in the tees?
ArthurB
nels, I looked carefully but what I think you suspected to be a structure is acually just a few horizontal branches. I was hoping we'd find “Shushula”, but no.
Barbara Parsons
The helicopter crash has been mentioned several times with the Powerdale vicinity. Do we know anything more about it, such as whose helicopter was it, who was in it, why were they flying there, was anybody killed, is there any remaining wreckage?