The Hood River News, Hood River, OR., January 19, 1913, page 10
CITY WAS WRITTEN UP 25 YEARS AGO
To those who are comparatively new residents of the valley
it will be of interest to note that Hood River's fame was beginning to be
heralded abroad a quarter of a century ago. A write-up of the city was contained
in the West Shore, an illustrated magazine published by L. Samuel in Portland
25 years ago. This was probably the first bit of publicity work done for
the valley and it is evident that the city then took second place to Paradise
Farm, Dr. W.L. Adam's beautiful home. Oak street was the only one of consequence
and Hon. E.L. Smith's residence the only large one in the city.
The residence on Paradise Farm had just been completed.
The store building of George P. Crowell, then owned by Mr. Smith, was the
only two-story business house, another one was being erected on the south
side of Oak, all the other business houses were little shacks, nearly all
of which have since been removed.
While a few may have read the article, the News reprints
a part of it, which follows:
It is generally conceded, by those whose travels render
their opinions valuable, that the mountains of the Pacific Coast, from Alaska
to Mexico, do not hold in their embrace a more beautiful, salubrious and
fertile valley than that of Hood River. No more delightful or healthful place
of residence could be hoped for, and none where nature more willingly lends
her aid to the efforts of man to surround himself with the beauties, luxuries
and food products of the vegetable world.
The river is a stream of pure mountain water, flowing
northward from its fountain head amid the melting snows and glaciers of Mt.
Hood, and uniting with the Columbia about midway between the Cascades and
The Dalles. Along its length, right through the heart of the Cascade mountains,
lies a valley of remarkable beauty and fertility, one of the most charming,
healthful and enjoyable summer resorts of the Pacific coast.
The mountains abound in large and small game, and the
river and its associate streams are noted for the excellence and abundance
of their trout. Many an invalid has restored his health, and many a man infirm
with age has almost renewed the vigor of his youth, by surrendering himself
to the full enjoyment of the pleasures the mountains and streams afford,
and by breathing the life-giving atmosphere.
The railroad crosses the river near its mouth, and a
short distance above is the charming little town of Hood River. This is the
shipping and supply point for the many prosperous settlers in the valley,
and enjoys a good and increasing trade. The valley is renowned for its fertility,
for the size and quality of its vegetables, and the superior excellence of
its fruit, and in humidity is about midway between the moisture of the Willamette
valley and the dryness of Eastern Oregon. Peaches are superior in flavor
to those of California. Soft shell almonds are equal to the famous ones of
Chili, and apples are of such superior size and flavor, that even the Willamette
Valley, that famous land of the "big red apples," has to take a back seat.
Among the most beautiful homes in Oregon is that of Dr.
W.L. Adams, at Hood River. The doctor is an old pioneer, having driven his
own ox team across the plains in 1848. After nearly three years of travel,
through North, Central and South America, taking in the Sandwich Islands,
he selected Hood River Valley as the most desirable place for a home he had
yet found.
The air is of such a crystal clearness that Mount Hood,
22 miles southwest, and Mount Adams, forty miles to the north, both glistening
with eternal snow, and both in plain view of the house, appear as though
they are only a few miles distant.
The doctor's place is located at the forks of four wagon
roads, half a mile west of the railroad depot. A beautiful road, smooth and
slightly ascending leads to it. It contains three hundred and twenty acres
of excellent land, mostly under fence, one hundred acres in cultivation and
one hundred and fifty in pasture, with a fine wagon road running on three
sides of it. The whole surface has a gentle slope to the Columbia River,
where steamboats, flat boats and pleasure boats, with Indian canoes, paddled
by "Native Americans," after the swimming deer, or who fish for sturgeon,
salmon and trout, all add to the interest of the view.
To the north across the Columbia, can be seen White Salmon
River, heading among the snows of Mount Adams, and winding through tortuous
ways cut through the mountains, and lashing itself into foam over huge boulders,
till it enters the Columbia.
Here hundreds of Indians often camped to fish and dry
salmon for winter use, while as many as two thousand are busy gathering
whortleberries at the foot of Mount Adams.
Besides what they dry, the squaws visit the white settlers
for fifty miles around, selling whortleberries, cranberries, salmon and trout,
and bear, elk and deer meat.
On either side of White Salmon River, running up from
the Columbia, are mountains rising from two to three thousand feet, with
large patches of prairie, dotted with farms and pastured with stock. The
scene is grand, and to a poet, simply indescribable.
At the railroad depot, half a mile from the doctor's
home, Hood River empties into the Columbia. It rises in Mount Hood snows,
and goes roaring over the rocks with a voice that can be heard from the mountains
above, till it finally sinks to rest in the bosom of the Columbia.
Hood River is noted for its trout, many of which are
from 20 to 28 inches long. The waters of Hood River and the White Salmon
River, fed by the snows of the mountains, are so pure and cold during the
whole summer and the fish taken from them are hard and delicious.
During the summer, the wind comes in strong, mild breezes
up the Columbia, direct from the ocean. Hot, relaxing weather is not known
here. The country and climate seem to be fascinating. People sometimes settle
here for a time, when their migratory instincts induce them to go somewhere
else; but they almost invariably return.
The doctor has a large orchard, and will this fall set
out over one thousand more trees. His place is supplied with numerous springs,
two of which are strong enough to turn a small turbine wheel -- all cold,
sweet water. One spring dashes from the hillside about 80 rods back of that
house, having a fall of about 80 feet, and serves, through iron pipes, to
supply the house with water. It also furnishes abundant water for his carp
pond and a sturgeon pond immediately below it. Besides this, there is enough
for irrigating purposes, and to supply the barn lot and all of the fifteen
buildings on the place. No mineral can be detected by the taste, but it turns
all wood with which it comes in contact to stone in a few years. In front
of the house is a marble fountain, imported from France at a cost of $2,500.
To sum it all up, in the words of an intelligent lady
artist just from Australia, "I have been all over the world and I never saw
as beautiful a place as Dr. Adams has in Hood River."
The tourist seeking a few days of rest in the paradise
of nature, the over-worked business man, seeking a relaxation from mental
toil, the sportsman and the invalid, will all find all that heart can desire
in Hood River Valley; while the immigrant, seeking a place where patient
toil and intelligent industry may build a home for himself and family, will
need to look no further for the golden opportunity.
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© Jeffrey L. Elmer