‘How a town came to be’: A young local’s take on the downtown history tour

They first brought me to the flagpoles at Overlook Memorial Park, where Buck happily explained the pre-European influences.

“Around 1805, Lewis and Clark might have seen small villages or fishing communities, as they canoed past the mouth the Hood River,” said Buck, “which then was known as the Labiche River.”

Fran follows up by giving a better idea of how the town actually came to be and who was responsible for the incorporation of Hood River in 1895. Growing up in Hood River only the past 21 years, I find it surreal that this county was once a few small settlements in Odell and what is now 13th Street.

Buck noted that Celilo was the oldest North American continuously inhabited settlement until 1957. The construction of The Dalles Dam changed that by inundating the nearby villages and fishing communities.

The Japanese influence on this town was also emphasized. Whether it was helping build the railroad, cultivating crops, starting a hardware store and other businesses, the Japanese played an integral role in the development of Hood River.

I found it fascinating that the old newspaper was powered by water. What is now Wilson Park at the top of the Hood River stairs used to be a reservoir where water was brought down a pipeline to the newspaper headquarters on Second Street and then back up Cascade Avenue, where it helped power other businesses.

The tour concluded with Buck and Fran showing where the American Legion listed names of all the soldiers who left their families to fight in the wars. Shortly after the Legion posted the names on the east side of 301 Oak, a small group of locals demanded the names of Japanese soldiers be taken down. This controversy made national news until the Legion removed all the names permanently. Today, the names of those brave soldiers can now be seen at Overlook Memorial Park.

Growing up in Hood River, it makes me proud to know what and how it all came to be.