Historic Hood River
Where Am I?
10-21-2013
Notes
This “Mystery Monday” is a test to see if you’ve been paying attention. Usually my “Where am I” posts are houses which still exist. This one does not, but if you’ve been carefully digesting your morning HHR you should recognize the location. You should even know the owner of the house.
charlott
It is the Button House, with the bridge crossing the Hood River, where the girls are walking. Quite a snow fall to say the least. You can see the outline of the bridge…
l.e.
First glance as the picture was unfolding was the Button home on Button Hill. Then as I stared at it I wasn’t sure, so I will let the locals take a guess.
Whoever lives there, they have quite a view don’t they?
Must have been one of those years when HR got a good dump of snow.
Charlott
The hills behind are across the Columbia. That is where the name Bingen used to be written on the hillside in rock.
l.e.
Thanks Charlott. I wondered if that was the bridge, but didn’t think it was that close to the house.
There must have been electric lights at the approach?
I guess your site is educational Arthur. I have gotten smarter about the landmarks.
Still lots of unknowns though.
l.e.
Ahhhh, thanks again. That is what had me unsure. I thought it was Button Hill but looked like the White Salmon hills in the background.
Not quite sure how you get that view from the bridge.
The Davidson Family must have had someone living up this hill. They sure seem to take a lot of photos of people walking up or down the east side grade.
longshot
The road appears to have been plowed before the end of the dump and perhaps only a single car has been over the bridge since the snow stopped. Wonder how long the snow hung around? How did people feel about snow and winter back then, was it something to be enjoyed or an onus to be borne?
Arthur
Interesting observation about the hill in the background. That bridge didn’t follow the same alignment as the current bridge. Its western landing was similar, but take a walk over there and look at the eastern landing. That is why the background is Washington instead of the Oregon hills.
Buzz
Just wondering–are the three pretty Button girls from my time–’55 to ’60– related to the Button’s from this location?
Bill P.
Compare this image with the previous 10-10-2013 image. Not too much difference.
Bill P.
Lorraine Carlstrom
The house still exists! My husband and I currently live in it and it does have an amazing view of both the Hood River and Columbia River. It is the Button House (Button Bridge). In 1959 Harry and Alice English remodeled this house. They took off the 2nd story(fir floors are still in our attic). They also took off the verandas and put up brick siding. If I tried to take a photo today, I could not get this exact angle in the photo because the bridge in this photo was taken down in 1983. Nancy Moller and few other forward thinking individuals, tried to save this bridge to no avail.
Brian Carlstrom
One of Harry English’s favorite stories to tell was removing the second storey from the house and burning it over the bank. He also took the top off the barn. When Hwy 35 was put in, the barn was moved to its current location: (present location of Mother’s Marketplace). There is still a floor above the ceiling of Mother’s, and even a scattering of hay up there. The structure on the right side of the photo may be the barn.
Brian Carlstrom
The oak tree in the foreground on the corner of the house is still there. When Harry remodeled the house, he moved the beautiful front door into the basement to access the basement, and put a boring solid core door as the main entrance door. I installed the original main door as the entrance door to Windance, where it remains today. The handle is quite nice on that door..