Appliance repair was the name of the game for John Milne in The Dalles, pictured in 1954.
The Dalles Chronicle/archives
1921 — 100 years ago
Labor has been no problem at all to growers so far this year, except during that period when thinning was actively carried on. There is a greater demand made on the man’s ability when thinning is being done than in most phases of orchard work and growers report that it is necessary to pay higher wages than the average for men who could do this work well. However, the general scale on labor this year has been between $1.50 and board to $2.75 and board for men who have previously established a reputation as orchard workers. — Hood River News
A county fair that is “different” will be held in Wasco county October 6, 7, and 8, E. F. Van Schoick, member of the fair board, last night told directors of The Dalles-Wasco County Chamber of Commerce. Van Schoick asked permission to go ahead and make arrangements for holding the county fair. He explained that it is his plan to hold the fair upon a large vacant lot which will be completely enclosed. A number of high class vaudeville acts will be booked to appear at the fair grounds each night, for which a charge can be made, he said. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
1941 — 80 years ago
Hood River’s contribution to the aluminum drive amounted to 910 pounds, according to L.R. Freygang, county chairman. Drives in other parts of the county netted the following amounts of metal: Parkdale, 460 pounds; Pine Grove, 220 pounds; and Barrett and Oak Grove, 255 pounds. The grand total, which was weighted in here before shipment, amounted to 1,850 pounds. The metal was sent recently to the Federated Metals division of Portland, state headquarters for the aluminum drive, and from there it will be reshipped to San Francisco. — Hood River News
“That’s some goin’” declares a local advertisement promoting a 22-miles-a -gallon trip through the Gorge in 1921.
The Dalles Chronicle
Carnival rides today were set up on Federal street, beside the civic auditorium, in advance of the opening of the 17th annual Old Fort Dalles Frolics, scheduled for Thursday night under the auspices of The Dalles American Legion Post No. 19. As another forerunner of the three-day show, thousands of copies of the annual “Old Fort Dalles Times,” published once a year at “Old Fort Dalles Times,” were being distributed by mail and carrier throughout the Mid-Columbia district. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
1961 — 60 years ago
City school maintenance crews kept hopping this summer on a series of projects that were vital parts of a $10,000 maintenance and improvement program in District Three this fiscal year. At May Street, a new storage addition for grounds equipment and athletic supplies was projected and the school’s flagpole got a new paint job. At the high school, new outside doors and new hardware on other doors was added. A new stage curtain went into the auditorium. Park Street school got needed roof repairs. — Hood River News
Youngsters were flocking to the fair today under conditions pleasing to both young and old. The annual Family Day, first day of the Wasco County Fair at nearby W.E. Hunt park, began with weather so pleasing that one fair official exulted “It couldn’t be any better.” Accent was on youth today, exhibit space was overflowing with livestock and other produce of 4-H and FFA members. Special contests and other events for all children were to begin in the arena at 1:30 p.m. Carnival rides were being offered at reduced prices up to 5 p.m. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
1981 — 40 years ago
There’s a small and carefully planned revolution in progress here right now at United Telephone Co. of the Northwest. Yet, when it has run its course, the public won’t be able to see any obvious difference in the red brick headquarters at Sixth and State. What’s happening is that the Mid-Columbia area is taking a big step into the digital future for telephones, away from bundles of wires in switching equipment and to the computer “chip.” Equipment is already in place, and crews are in the process of programming, testing and getting the potential “bugs” out of computerized switching equipment. — Hood River News
For the first time, a federal judge has set a commercial salmon fishing season on the Columbia River — a significant victory for four Indian tribes who fish the river. U.S. District Judge Walter Craig Monday granted treaty tribes almost everything they requested for fall Chinook regulations in the Indian fishing area upstream from Bonneville Dam. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
Beth-El Shalom is getting a new look, with sod laid last week in the center yard of the senior citizen complex, a paving project underway to add more parking spaces and also plans for landscaping much of the area. The work is being paid for under the same federal loan that paid for two new units at the White Salmon complex last year, plus some local donations, said Gene Gladder, president of the Beth-El Shalom board of directors. Work started May 28 on the sod and paving projects and should be finished in the next few days, Gladder said. Much of the flowerbed area around the units has already been fixed up by residents there, with some shrubbery and a variety of flowers now in bloom.
2001 — 20 years ago
PARKDALE — The award came value-added at a festive, sun-soaked celebration Saturday. “She is a great friend,” a tearful Juanita Dominguez said of Helen Halliday. “She doesn’t ask for anything in return.” Dominguez and others hugged Halliday, now 90, one of the first volunteers with Parkdale Migrant Head Start program. Both women received honors from the Oregon Child Development Coalition (OCDC) for their long-time work for the Parkdale program. — Hood River News
Comfort comes in two languages, courtesy of Hospice of the Gorge. Hospice now has three full-time employees who are fluent in Spanish, including two who are bicultural as well as bilingual. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
Local fire crews were kept busy last week, and fireworks appeared to be to blame. The upshot may be a restriction on where fireworks can be used in the future. The most serious fire was at Rowland Lake, five miles east of Bingen. A wildland fire got started early in the evening and burned approximately 80 acres just west of Rowland Lake. The fire reported at 9:45 p.m. burned grass, ponderosa pine, and oak stands — and a lot of poison oak too. — White Salmon Enterprise
Commented