1918 — 100 years ago
Hood River schools opened Monday after their two weeks’ vacation for aiding in the apple harvest. Before being admitted to school, all pupils were required to have a certificate of good health, signed by the county health officer or their family physician. This step was taken as a part of the campaign here against the spread of Spanish influenza. This move was deemed advisable by the city health officer and the Red Cross committee for the suppression of influenza in Hood River.
Oak Grove fruit grower Rob Hukari has plenty of apples and pears. Now he needs a pumpkin.
As president of the Hood River County Farm Bureau, Hukari’s looking for a huge pumpkin to take with him to a state convention. His hope is to bring new recognition to the county not only as a fruit tree growing mecca, but also as a pumpkin capital.
“Anyone who offers to lend me the pumpkin will be assured that it will be jealously guarded and returned,” promised Hukari.
Seeds of the pumpkin campaign were first planted a few years ago among Farm Bureau leaders in Douglas County, when the president took a huge pumpkin to the FB convention and promptly challenged all the others to a pumpkin growing contest. Since then, the prize has gone mostly to Douglas, Clackamas or Multnomah county — the current titlist. Last year, the winner supplied all Farm Bureau presidents with seed reputed to be from the champion. Hukari got his, and duly put them in the ground.
“But we ran short of water in Oak Grove this year,” he explains. “I decided to use every drop of it on my crop.”
The result is that his official contest pumpkin is about the size of a gourd. So he’s going to the public with his attempt to uphold the honor of this fertile valley. The convention will be November 16 to 18 in Salem. “Anyone with a huge pumpkin they’re willing to loan should contact me, or the Farm Bureau office,” said Hukari.
— Hood River News, October 17, 1968
1928 — 90 years ago
Formal consummation of the gift of Ellen D. Baldwin of a tract of land in western Wasco County for a scout camp site took place this morning at the Boy Scout headquarters at The Dalles. The deed was signed by Mrs. Baldwin in the presence of John Will, George F. Newhouse and H.R. Francher, members of the Mid-Columbia Deschutes area council of the Boy Scouts, W.W. Belcher, scout executive, Attorney Paul Childers and Ned Baldwin. The land consists of 160 acres about 12 miles south of Mosier, not far from the Hood River county line and near the boundary of the Mount Hood National Forest.
1938 — 80 years ago
Those who have a hunch that they may get into trouble and be placed under arrest during the next few weeks are urged, by local law enforcement, to forget it — if they have any regard for their own comfort. For the local jail, which accommodates city and county prisoners, is now filled to overflowing, and in spite of doubling up and other pretexts to make a small jail appear larger, there is now little more than standing room in the local bastille.
1948 — 70 years ago
The Roads and Highway Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, in meeting last week to form a long-range program of county road maintenance and betterment, were unanimous in the opinion that a fireproof bridge should be constructed across the river at Dee as soon as possible. It was pointed out that the condition there could become serious at any moment. The present wooden covered bridge is the only avenue to the valley and town for a large number of residents of Dee Heights and the Lost Lake road.
1958 — 60 years ago
Residents of the City of Cascade Locks, who last year paid the county’s biggest millage, get a tax break this year — though they still stay above Hood River city residents in combined millage. Cascade Locks has two taxing districts. They are 1Cl, which pays taxes to the city, the county general fund, the county school and the Port of Cascade Locks. The other is 1PC, just outside the city limits. They pay all the above except for the operation of the city of Cascade Locks.
1968 — 50 years ago
Key personnel for Fiber Tech, a new industry taking over the Fibre-Mold plant, came to Hood River last week to initiate plans for production. Watson Eastman, company president, said production would start as soon as possible in the plant, which will produce fiber shipping pallets. “The company plans to launch a new industry, molding wood-like, material-handling pallets and produce containers presently of nailed wooden construction,” Eastman said.
1978 — 40 years ago
Three downtown Hood River stores were digging out Wednesday morning from a “flash flood” that struck State Street in the pre-dawn hours. At the same time mop-up operations were underway in the stores, city crews were busy repairing a six-inch water main that had caused the deluge. Hardest hit was J&R Furniture, which stretches from Second to Third streets along State. It was at the corner of Third and State that a plug blew from a T-joint on the six-inch main sometime about 4 a.m., it was reported.
Also hit by water, but to a lesser extent, were Hood River Stationers and Keir’s Drug. Damage in both stores was pretty well confined to the storeroom and basement areas.
1988 — 30 years ago
There was some concern about Harvest Fest attendance when a change in location became necessary this year. All fears were quickly resolved at the new location Friday night, when the hometown crowd packed the new location to overflowing.
Bob Johnson, who headed the organization effort, couldn’t enough superlatives to express his feelings. He started with “fantastic” and figured the largest Friday night crowd on record opened the three-day festival in the “blue metal building” on Industrial Avenue.
1998 — 20 years ago
Rosauers Supermarket, the anchor of the Hood River Center shopping mall on Tucker Road, is planning major remodeling and expansion. The renovation project is the result of the sale of the shopping center as part of a seven shopping mall package to Pan Pacific Retail Properties of Vista, Calif. Remodeling and expansion of the Hood River store has been in the works for three years; 16,000 total square feet will be added to the store’s current 30,000 square feet of floorspace, and the current store will be completely remodeled.
2008 — 10 years ago
From citizen to city hall, efforts are underway to improve safety at one of Hood River’s busiest and most complicated intersections, 13th and May streets. A Hood River woman has started a petition supporting safety improvements at the intersection, which is owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The petition targets ODOT but will be first submitted to the City of Hood River, according to Tamara Roberts. Meanwhile, the City of Hood River is close to taking its own steps to improve safety, following a period of inconclusive negotiations with ODOT regarding 13th and May, which the city and Hood River County School District have told ODOT is unsafe.
Compiled by Trisha Walker, News staff writer
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