Historic Hood River
Second Street Stairs Circa 1915
3-23-2012
Notes
The “modern” concrete Second Street stairs date from the 1940s, but this earlier wooden version provided convenient access to a handful of cottages on the hillside above downtown, as well as the new residential neighborhood on the Heights. I believe this section is just downhill from Hazel Street. I walk it almost every day.
Category: Downtown Hood River
Tags: 1910s, 2nd Street, Davidson, Fun Friday, Second Street Stairs, stairs
Tags: 1910s, 2nd Street, Davidson, Fun Friday, Second Street Stairs, stairs
Charlott
Shows how many trees were up on that hill at the time. Bet that photo would have been so impressive in color with the trees, dark stairs, etc.
Dan K
I walked those stairs many of time growing up.
l.e.
Wooden stairs would have taken a lot of maintenance.
Arlen Sheldrake
Never did the original stairs but I believe the HRHS football coaches had some type of evil association with the concrete ones as we always "got" to include them in our August preparations. Arlen
Charlott
Oh yes, my husband was well versed on those stairs over the years when it was football time.
l.e.
I thought perhaps this was old Charles Davidson. He was the father of Horatio Davidson who started the Davidson Fruit Company.
Around 1901 Charles moved from Ohio to HR to help with the business.
I can’t find that he lived on the hill, but his daughter Amanda Davidson Whitehead lived at 410 Hazel Ave in the 1910 census.
By 1920, Charles, Ella Mae and Amanda are all living at the Davidson Building.
Charlott
On a very hot August aftenoon that was a long hike from Moore Electric (on Oak) up those stairs and across to the refreshing water of the swimming pool. Even for teen aged girls it was quite a trek.
Dorothy
I was probably 3 or four when those steps were taken out and they didn’t get the new ones in until after we had gone a winter without steps. I can remember walking to town with my mother in my little pink snowsuit and we had to sit and slide down the hill where the steps had been taken out! I loved the cement steps and walked them to and from the library every Saturday until I graduated from HRHS in ’61.