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The Hood River Glacier, Hood River, OR., November 21, 1907, page 3

BINGEN BOOMING ON NORTH BANK

The Glacier man dropped into Bingen one day last week and found that lively burg making great plans for the future, and optimistic in regard to what the North Bank road was going to do for the place. Tuesday, November 12, marked the date of the first train into Bingen, following the machine which lays tracks as fast as a slow walk. It was a great day for Bingen. The whole country turned out to celebrate the event, and it did certainly look good to the old settlers who have waited for a railroad for thirty years. White Salmon was in evidence and shared in the joys of the community. The schools of White Salmon and Bingen closed for the day and allowed the children to watch the wonderful machine lay track.
At Bingen a mile of side track was laid first and then followed the main track, after which the track laying was continued to Underwood, which was reached Friday afternoon. The crew was held up for a day by not having timbers for the culverts. Temporary timbers and trestles are being put in over culverts and streams, the steel bridges to be put in after the road bed in ballasted, so that the work can be handled more economically.
While waiting for the temporary bridge at Underwood, a number of side tracks will be put in at Bingen. It is said that about twelve miles of side tracks will be laid at that place. This leads the residents to believe that great things are in store for Bingen. This will give Bingen more trackage than any place between Vancouver and Pasco. The situation of Bingen is ideal for a town. The land is practically level, there is good spring water in abundance, and is one of the few places on the North Bank where the railroad company have room for tracks and buildings. If anyone outside of the officials of the company have any knowledge of the intentions of the company, however, they are not saying much, but from the moves that have been made around the town a number have either positive knowledge or great faith in the future. One instance is the big prices recently obtained for choice business property. J.E. Reynolds last week purchased the corner lot west of his present store building, and the consideration named in the deed is $1800. This gives Mr. Reynolds six business corners and in all he is now the owner of fourteen choice lots.
The Joslyn Improvement Co. have also spent a large sum of money in the purchase of the Byrkett property, have built a fine sawmill and either have unbounded faith in the future or have inside information that would warrant them in investing so heavily.
While it is not expected that a through regular schedule of passenger trains will be run through until spring, arrangements are being made to get ready for the business that will come with the establishment of passenger traffic. M. Morris is a newcomer and has purchased the new store building of the Swan-Hamman Lumber Co., which was built last spring but never completed. Mr. Morris is finishing up the front and will put in a stock of furniture and hardware as soon as completed.
L.E. Fisher, who owns a couple of business lots, but is now in Seattle, expects to return in the spring, put up a building and start a newspaper. Mr. Fisher is an old printer and newspaper man from St. Paul, Minn., and a hustler.
Penn Conser, a barber, who recently arrived here from Bulfrog, Nev., has opened a barber shop in the old bowling alley building. Mr. Reynolds is putting up the new building at the rear of his store building, one room of which will be occupied by Mr. Conser with his barber shop and bathrooms, and the other store room will be used as a butcher shop.
Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Cooper, of Manitou, Colo., arrived in Bingen a week ago and are investigating the proposition of putting in a sanitarium on the first bench back of town. It is an ideal site for a new institution of this kind. There is a large level tract at an elevation of a hundred feet or more above the town, and but a quarter of a mile from the depot, where fine grounds could be laid out, and cold spring water piped into the building. A magnificent view can be of Hood River and Mt. Hood, while the mountain at the back rises up shear 1700 feet, an imposing sight, and sheltering the place from the north and west winds.
Dan Mears has been working steadily putting in concrete foundations and plastering new buildings, and has become an optimistic shouter for the new metropolis.