The Oregonian, Portland, OR., August 31, 1913, section 1, page 8
Includes photographs
HOOD RIVER AND APPLES ARE FORMIDABLE COMBINATION
It Is Impossible to Think of One and Disregard the Other
By Fred Lockley
Hood River, Oregon, Aug. 28. -- Possibly Eve, who picked
apple in the Garden of Eden, had not heard of Hood River. Probably if it
had been a Hood River apple she would have eaten it herself and not handed
it over to Adam. Be that as it may in this day and age, everyone who eats
apples knows of Hood River, for it is hard to think of Hood River without
thinking of apples, and equally hard to think about apples without thinking
of Hood River. When Lewis and Clark came to Hood River in 1805 they named
the sparkling, ice cold stream that flowed from the base of the snow clad
mountains less than 30 miles distant, Labieshe's river. The Indians had their
own name for the mouth of the river. They called it Waucoma, "the place of
the cottonwoods," and for a while Hood river was called Cottonwood Landing.
On some of the old maps you will see this stream marked down as a Dog river.
"How did they happen to name Hood River, Dog river?"
I asked E.L. Smith, who helped select the side of Hood River and who has
seen the town grow from a single house to a modern city.
"Certainly, the Indian name Waucoma is more beautiful
both in sound and meaning than Dog river," said Mr. Smith. "In the days when
coming to Oregon meant coming by wagon across the plains a party of emigrants
camped on the river late in the fall. A heavy snow storm over took them and,
being out of provisions, they ate the dog that had followed them faithfully
across the plains. They referred to the river after that as the river where
they ate the dog and soon it was known as Dog river.
"In 1852 W.C. Loughlin settled on the present site of
Hood River, but next year removed to The Dalles. In 1854 Nathaniel Coe, with
his wife and four boys, settled on the claim that Laughlin had abandoned.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Coe were educated and cultured people and Mrs. Coe thought
it a shame to give so beautiful and picturesque a river such an ugly name,
so she changed its name to Hood river.
When Settlers Were Few.
"At the time of the breaking out of the Civil war the
Hood River valley had less than a dozen settlers.
"W.C. Laughlin and Dr. Farnsworth had come in '52, but
had removed to The Dalles. The Coe family, who came in 1854, put up a good,
substantial home in 1855 -- the first house to be built where the city of
Hood River is now located. Nathaniel Coe's brother-in-law, William Jenkins,
came in '54. N.S. Benson and James Benson settled in the valley of the same
year. Several new settlers came in 1858, including Arthur and Henry Gordon,
S.B. Ives and family, A.C. Phelps, George Roberts, Mr. Stadden, Amos Underwood,
John M. Marden and a Mr. Cowperthwaite and Mr. Wilson. During the next year
or two the Butlers and Whitneys, Peter Neal and Jerome Winchell, William
Moss and H. Corum, William Odell, Loban Stillwell and D.A. Turner and some
others arrived and settled in the valley. D.A. Turner is probably the only
one of these pioneers who still lives at a Hood River."
Mr. Smith bought a police of 480 acres three miles west
of the present city of Hood River in 1874. "I did not come to live here until
March 1, 1876," said Mr. Smith. "Where the Mt. Hood Hotel now is was an Indian
camp when I came here. A man by the name of Allen started a store in 1877
near my place. He became discouraged and turned his stock over to his creditors.
They sent a man up to dispose of the stock. He wanted me to buy and run the
store, but I did not care to have the worry of a store on my hands. He told
me to make him an offer on the goods which invoiced about $1100. I thought
I could use most of the stock on my ranch so I said, 'I don't care to give
33 1-3 per cent of the value."
"It's yours. Make out your check," said the man. I decided
to keep it open for a while till I sold some of the articles I didn't need
it. The result was I continued to run it, ordering new stock and I had soon
built up a profitable trade. I sometimes smile when I think of the first
few months. I determined not to continue it so I would not start any book
accounts. A few people whom I knew were gild-edge sent in for goods to be
charged, so I wrote to their names and their accounts on the smoothly planned
inside door of my wardrobe, but I soon had my door full of accounts, and
had to get a day book.
"In 1880 Dr. W.L. Adams put a little building where he
sold drugs and notions. This was just outside of the present city. The first
store to be built inside the limits of Hood River was a general merchandise
store built by John Parker, an Englishman, in July, 1881. His widow lives
here. She is a very capable woman. She and her son are in business together.
The second building to be put up was the Mount Hood hotel. It was built by
T.J. Hosford in August, 1881. That same fall, G.M. Champlin put up a general
merchandise store. Next spring I bought a block of H.C. Coe $250 and put
up a well built and substantial two story wooden building. It has been moved
to another location and is still in use. H.C. Coe and his brother, E.F. Coe,
platted the townsite of Hood River on their father's farm in the spring of
1881. Mr. Watt, the right-of-way man for the railroad, and myself, had already
selected the site for a depot, which was the reason for their platting the
townsite.
"The first time I saw what is now Hood River it was
surrounded by an old rail fence and a pasture. You could buy land anywhere
in the valley for $10 an acre. The first election I voted here there were
22 votes cast and that took in the entire Hood River Valley.
"What Hood River is now the whole world knows. In writing
about Hood River be sure to give credit to Nathaniel Coe and TR. Coon, who
is the father of Hood River's strawberry industry, and to Frank Davenport
and David Sears and others who helped show the world the possibilities of
Hood River."
School Established in 1863
The first school house was located two miles south of
the present site of the city. It was built in 1863 and B.A. Lilly taught
the 15 pupils who attended. Not until 1881 was another school house built.
It was located at Frankton, near the present city. In 1882 a subscription
paper was passed around and $800 was raised with which a school house was
built within the city limits.
Hood River has beauty of surroundings, abundant water
power, a cultured and intelligent citizenship, and is an ideal section for
the growth of strawberries and apples. It also has excellent transportation
by rail and water, proximity to markets and there is no reason why the town
will not continue to grow and prosper.
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© Jeffrey L. Elmer