Historic Hood River
Summer Bedroom
1-31-2019
Notes
This tree house is identified as the summer bedroom of Dr. E. E. Ferguson’s “Alameda Ranch” on Alameda Way. The caption offers a few details: the photo was taken in 1912, that’s Dr. Ferguson and his daughter Ruth, and the “summer bedroom” was 26 feet from the ground.
Charlott
Name was Elmer Elswoth Ferguson. He was married to a widow, who like himself was a doctor. Her name was Emily Belle (Cooper) Rienhart. He apparently only lived 3 years after this photo, as he died in Pendleton in 1915.
Ruth the daughter was born in 1901 and died in 1997 in Seattle, Washington. She had a few half-brothers and sisters from her mother’s first marriage.
Charlott
More information…….His wife was married first to Dr. Wilbur Ellis "Wilis" Rinehart, who was a doctor in The Dalles. With the help of her mother, after her husband death she went to school, became a doctor herself and back to The Dalles where she re-opened her husbands practice. While in school she met Ferguson, who was a classmate. Eventually, they married, went on to learn more in the medical profession and were the first to open and operate a hospital in The Dalles. After Ferguson’s death she did traveling to Europe for more instruction and eventually back to Portland and opened an office.
While married the first time she was in a stage coach accident which left her crippled from a very bad left his injury, but she went on and followed her dreams.
L.E.
I want one!
Arthur
I agree, L.E.! There are so many great examples of tree houses. I wonder if the appeal to us is left over from when we were primates living in the trees?
Beth
This picture looks like it could be in the yard of the miss identified Euwer house from last Friday.
Jeffrey W Bryant
The Hood River Glacier, May 29, 1913, page 7 – The "Bird Nest," a unique and rustic structure built by Dr. E. E. Ferguson in the tops of some pine trees on his place in the Belmont district, recently appeared in an issue of Leslie’s Weekly.