Historic Hood River
Vinegar Plant
2-7-2022
Notes
I usually crop out the messy bits of the images so you can see more of the main field, but in this case I think the story may be on the edge. This was the apple vinegar plant on Railroad Avenue, across the street from the packing houses. We know it burned in a large fire in 1925. It looks like this image may have survived the fire, which is pretty impressive considering how total the destruction appear to be in this image.
L.E.
“Strewn all over the place”, is the phrase that comes to mind for those apple boxes.
So many of the lumber mills had a box factory. Can you imagine all the boxes needed for the HR, Mosier, The Dalles and WS orchards. Where I grew up at the west end of the Gorge it was prune boxes.
nels
Always wondered why there is no vinegar factory here to this day.
Such a logical secondary business. Do any of the other apple
areas of vinegar factories?
ArthurB
LE, the boxes caught my attention too. I would love a couple for the back of my truck.
Prunes were a major crop in Hood River through the 1920s. My neighborhood on the east side of the city still has prune trees left over from the days of commercial crops. I enjoy them every summer.
Barbara Parsons
RememberThe huge vinegar barrel building on the last street next to the river? My dad worked for Webster Orchards just west of tge barrel. Vinegar leaked a little out between the barrel steves, perfuming the whole neighborhood like a salad bar,aand we smelled it when we drove past to pick him up.
nels
Nice word picture Barbara.