Historic Hood River
Rats Before Rats
Notes
Before there were Crag Rats there was the Hood River Guides Ski Club. The Ski Club images are mixed in with the Crag Rats images in our collection, with good reason I believe. The Guide Ski Club was organized in December 1925,  and many if not most of the Crag Rats charter members were members of the Guide Ski Club. Matching these happy skiers with the Crag Rats charter member image there are several likely matches: to the far right is Harold Blackman, then Paul Hoerlein. Third from the left I think is Arne Hukari (though Arne Annala has similar glasses and a similar shaped face). I think I also recognize Don Lamson, Percy Bucklin and John Annala.
Ski Club events were generally at Hannum’s Homestead Inn, which was managed by future Crag Rat Percy Bucklin. While the Inn was closed in the winter, Ski Club members had access for their events. Their events included ski races, snow softball, and an event where motorcyclist Wells Bennett pulled a string of skiers around the slopes.
The Hood River Guides Ski Club in turn appears to be an outgrowth of the Hood River Guides, which was a civic organization engaged in local promotion.
The subset of the Guides Ski Club who formed the Crag Rats focused on the serious business of mountain rescue, while they continued to attend the Guides Ski Club events for fun. The Crag Rats also left their wives out of club, even though we know many of their wives were skilled skiers.
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