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The Hood River Glacier, Hood River, OR., July 9, 1925, page 4

TROUT LAKE VALLEY LURE OF TOURISTS

For more than 25 years the Trout Lake valley has been the favorite summer resort of scores of Portland and The Dalles folk. In earlier times they traveled leisurely to favorite camping spots in the shadow of Mt. Adams by horsedrawn vehicles. While other scenic northwestern regions have been a lure to thousands they have not gained the same hold on people as the Trout Lake section. To other places motorists have speeded, have taken a hasty view and on their next journey out have repeated the process at some other place. Not so, at Trout Lake; there is something there that takes hold of the visitor and makes him want to go there again. To go and linger awhile. And so annually vacationists to the Mount Adams section have been growing. Entire families, with all the children, go there to remain for a week or two, or perhaps for the summer.
The Trout Lake country, however, as a result of construction of the interstate bridge across the Columbia here, has received its greatest stimulus this season. Over the Fourth of July weekend, it was estimated, at least 500 cars visited Trout Lake and other environs of the Mt. Adams section.
Residents of Trout Lake have done much in making ready for the comfort of motorists. They have everything from a well equipped automobile camp to a summer hotel. Christ Guler, native of Switzerland, who as a boy came to America and settled in Minnesota but could not forget his native Alps, was lured to the district 38 years ago. He homesteaded a tract in the district and later purchased a large acreage from E.L. Smith, local pioneer.
Mr. Guler established a hotel at Guler, located on the outlet of Trout Lake. This he sold in 1912 to J.E. Reynolds and the latter now operates the hostelry, the goal of scores of fishermen and recreationists every week of the warm season. Mr. Reynolds has built a city of comfortable tents in the meadow adjoining his hotel, and on summer holidays his tents are all full. The Trout Lake valley is at an altitude of approximately 2000 feet. Although the days may get warm there, the nights are ever deliciously cool, and blankets are needed throughout the summer days, no matter how sultry it may grow in the lower levels.
Mr. Guler, a pioneer in the development of dairying in the Trout Lake valley, where now ranchers milk about 500 fine cows, shipping their cream to Portland, White Salmon and Hood River, has turned a wooded acreage, lying beside the cascading outlet of the lake, into an automobile park. Thode Bros., who have been connected with the development of the lake for many years, have erected comfortable cottages on property just below the automobile camp. Some of the cottages are at the very edge of the outlet stream, and the songs of the cascading waters are better than a sleeping potion for the tired fisherman or hiker. Many others of the neighborhood have added cottages or tents to their home places, which enables Trout Lake to take care of a sizable vacation crowd.
In no region of the mid-Columbia is fishing as consistently good throughout the warm season as in Trout Lake. There are days when the fish take a fly avariciously, and the taking of a limit creelful is an easy matter. Other days they are more fastidious, and the angler has to make a study of his flies or perhaps resort to some form of bait, to catch a mess, but it is a rare day at Trout Lake when one cannot catch a fine mess of trout. One may fish from a boat on Trout Lake itself, or he may lure the beauties from the riffles or pools of the outlet stream. The White Salmon flows down from Mount Adams's southern glacial fields and cuts across the level meadowlands of the valley further up toward the mountain. Fishing is fine in this river after the spring freshet waters have flowed off. The outlet lake stream and the main White Salmon river flow together toward the lower end of the valley. The river is one of the coldest in the northwest. It registers 42 degrees, just 10 above freezing during the hottest days, and trout taken there are always firm and fine for eating. They are gamey, too.
The Trout Lake valley is one of the best watered regions of the mid-Columbia. Ranchers installed their water systems in early days. The cost of constructing main ditches and laterals was very low, because of the levelness of the region and the general contour of the country. Cost of maintenance is nominal. Indeed, their water is all but free. Dairy farmers utilize the water from irrigation canals, flowing from the White Salmon river to cool their cream. The ditch water registers a temperature of 48 degrees. Ice is never a need in the Trout Lake country.
The building of the Columbia River bridge here has revived an interest in better roads from White Salmon to Trout Lake. Already a well-graded road extends for eight miles north of Husum. This summer an additional five miles of new highway grade is being cut through the heavy timbered area along the White Salmon canyon to the lower edge of the lake. The hauling of logs on motor trucks over the roads has rutted the surface badly, and steps have been taken by authorities to limit loading.
The Trout Lake folk express a determination to bring about a hard-surface road the entire 25 miles from the north end of the Columbia River bridge. When they do, the Mount Adams country will attract tourists by the thousand.
The scenery of the Mount Adams country is varied. It is a pine country. There is no underbrush there, and one thinks of a well kept park while motoring through the base benches of the mountain. Streams and lakes are numerous. Mount Adams is an easy mountain to climb, when one ascends from the south east side. A very tyro of a mountaineer can make the climb without a guide. The north side, however, where glaciers, cracked by crevasses hundreds of feet deep, drop from the very roof of the peak, is one of the most spectacular glacial peaks of the northwest.
In the immediate vicinity of Trout Lake are the ice and lava caves. A drive of 2½ miles from the hotel takes one to the lava cave, a cavern of considerable size and with interesting formulation. Six and a half miles away is the noted ice cave where great columns of ice glisten in the candle light as the sightseer penetrate the depths of the earth.
Thirteen miles from Guler on the southwest side of the mountain is famous Goose lake, the sides of which are lava rock. At one point there is the impression of a foot. Indians say this was made in early days when the law was soft.
Goose lake is a fisherman's paradise. It is planted with eastern brook trout, now of a large size. Following the great Japanese earthquake of two years ago, crevices appeared in the lava bottom of Goose lake, and forest rangers had to rush reeds and bags of earth to stop the outflow of water. Since then the lake has flown full of water, and this season excellent catches of fish have been taken.
Just to the west of Trout Lake a formation of forested foothills forms what is called "The Sleeping Beauty." It is the outline of a woman of heroic proportions.
One can spend days and weeks in the Trout Lake country, fishing or mountaineering, and after he has left there is ever a tug, when summer months come, to return again.
The writer on a recent Monday morning returned from Trout Lake with Charles Hall, who three time a week brings a truck load of cream down to the Hood River creamery. The big cream truck threaded the district from one end to the other, and when he was ready to start down toward the Columbia canyon, his double deck truck load reached about 250 gallons, valued at approximately $1.65 per gallon. It was an interesting trip, just after daybreak. Ranchers were out milking their sleek herds.
Other trucks also bring huge quantities of cream down from Trout Lake.
The local creamery sells much ice cream at Trout Lake. J.C. Jermann, who operates the Tourists Club there, handles the local products, which is sold in ever increasing quantities, as the number of tourists there increases.

The Klickitat County Agriculturist, Goldendale, WA., July 17, 1925, page 4

THE TROUT LAKE VALLEY, GULER & MT. ADAMS

For more than 25 years the Trout Lake valley in western Klickitat, has been the favorite summer resort of scores of Portland and The Dalles folk. In earlier times they traveled leisurely to favorite camping spots in the shadow of Mt. Adams by horse drawn vehicles. While other scenic northwestern regions have been a lure to thousands they have not gained the same hold on people as the Trout Lake section. To other places motorists have speeded, have taken a hasty view and on their next journey out have repeated the process at some other place. Not so, at Trout Lake; there is something there that takes hold of the visitor and makes him want to go there again. To go and linger awhile. And so annually vacationists to the Mount Adams section have been growing. Entire families, with all the children, go there to remain for a week or two, or perhaps for the summer.
The Trout Lake country, however, as a result of construction of the interstate bridge across the Columbia here, has received its greatest stimulus this season. Over the Fourth of July weekend, it was estimated, at least 500 cars visited Trout Lake and other environs of the Mount Adams section.
Residents of Trout Lake have done much in making ready for the comfort of motorists. They have everything from a well equipped automobile camp to a summer hotel. Christ Guler, native of Switzerland, who as a boy came to America and settled in Minnesota but could not forget his native Alps, was lured to the district 38 years ago. He homesteaded a tract in the district and later purchased a large acreage from E.L. Smith, local pioneer.
Mr. Guler established a hotel at Guler, located on the outlet of Trout Lake. This he sold in 1912 to J.E. Reynolds and the latter now operates the hostelry, the goal of scores of fishermen and recreationists every week of the warm season. Mr. Reynolds has built a city of comfortable tents in the meadow adjoining his hotel, and on summer holidays his tents are all full. The Trout Lake valley is at an altitude of approximately 2,000 feet. Although the days may get warm there the nights are ever deliciously cool, and blankets are needed throughout the summer days, no matter how sultry it may grow in the lower levels.
Mr. Guler, a pioneer in the development of dairying in the Trout Lake valley, where now ranchers milk about 500 fine cows, shipping their cream to Portland, White Salmon and Hood River, has turned a wooded acreage, lying beside the cascading outlet of the lake, into an automobile park. Thode Bros., who have been connected with the development of the lake for many years, have erected comfortable cottages on property just below the automobile camp. Some of the cottages are at the very edge of the outlet stream, and the songs of the cascading waters are better than a sleeping potion for the tired fisherman or hiker. Many others of the neighborhood have added cottages or tents to their home places, which enables Trout Lake to take care of a sizable vacation crowd.
In no region of the mid-Columbia is fishing as consistently good throughout the warm season as in Trout Lake. There are days when the fish take a fly avariciously, and the taking of a limit creelful is an easy matter. Other days they are more fastidious, and the angler has to make a study of his flies or perhaps resort to some form of bait, to catch a mess, but it is a rare day at Trout Lake when one cannot catch a fine mess of trout. One may fish from a boat on Trout Lake itself, or he may lure the beauties from the riffles or pools of the outlet stream. The White Salmon flows down from Mount Adams's southern glacial fields and cuts across the level meadowlands of the valley further up toward the mountain. Fishing is fine in this river after the spring freshet waters have flowed off. The outlet lake stream and the main White Salmon river flow together toward the lower end of the valley. The river is one of the coldest in the northwest. It registers 42 degrees, just 10 above freezing during the hottest days, and trout taken there are always firm and fine for eating. They are gamey, too.
The Trout Lake valley is one of the best watered regions of the mid-Columbia. Ranchers installed their water systems in early days. The cost of constructing main ditches and laterals was very low, because of the levelness of the region and the general contour of the country. Cost of maintenance is nominal. Indeed, their water is all but free. Dairy farmers utilize the water from irrigation canals, flowing from the White Salmon river to cool their cream. The ditch water registers a temperature of 48 degrees. Ice is never a need in the Trout Lake country.
The building of the Columbia River bridge has revived an interest in better roads from White Salmon to Trout Lake. Already a well-graded road extends for eight miles north of Husum. This summer an additional five miles of new highway grade is being cut through the heavy timbered area along the White Salmon canyon to the lower edge of the lake. The hauling of logs on motor trucks over the roads has rutted the surface badly, and steps have been taken by authorities to limit loading.
The Trout Lake folk express a determination to bring about a hard-surface road the entire 25 miles from the north end of the Columbia River bridge. When they do, the Mount Adams country will attract tourists by the thousand.
The scenery of the Mount Adams country is varied. It is a pine country. There is no underbrush there, and one thinks of a well kept park while motoring through the base benches of the mountain. Streams and lakes are numerous. Mount Adams is an easy mountain to climb, when one ascends from the south east side. A very tyro of a mountaineer can make the climb without a guide. The north side, however, where glaciers, cracked by crevasses hundreds of feet deep, drop from the very roof of the peak, is one of the most spectacular glacial peaks of the northwest.
In the immediate vicinity of Trout Lake are the ice and lava caves. A drive of 2½ miles from the hotel takes one to the lava cave, a cavern of considerable size and with interesting formulation. Six and a half miles away is the noted ice cave where great columns of ice glisten in the candle light as the sightseer penetrate the depths of the earth.
Thirteen miles from Guler on the southwest side of the mountain is famous Goose lake, the sides of which are lava rock. At one point there is the impression of a foot. Indians say this was made in early days when the law was soft.
Goose lake is a fisherman's paradise. It is planted with eastern brook trout, now of a large size. Following the great Japanese earthquake of two years ago, crevices appeared in the lava bottom of Goose lake, and forest rangers had to rush reeds and bags of earth to stop the outflow of water. Since then the lake has flown full of water, and this season excellent catches of fish have been taken.
Just to the west of Trout Lake a formation of forested foothills forms what is called "The Sleeping Beauty." It is the outline of a woman of heroic proportions.
One can spend days and weeks in the Trout Lake country, fishing or mountaineering, and after he has left there is ever a tug, when summer months come, to return again.
The writer on a recent Monday morning returned from Trout Lake with Charles Hall, who three time a week brings a truck load of cream down to the Hood River creamery. The big cream truck threaded the district from one end to the other, and when he was ready to start down toward the Columbia canyon, his double deck truck load reached about 250 gallons, valued at approximately $1.65 per gallon. It was an interesting trip, just after daybreak. Ranchers were out milking their sleek herds.
Other trucks also bring huge quantities of cream down from Trout Lake.
The local creamery sells much ice cream at Trout Lake. J.C. Jermann, who operates the Tourists Club there, handles the local products, which is sold in ever increasing quantities, as the number of tourists there increases.