Items from the cornerstone of the old Methodist Church are removed after completion of a new church building May 9, 1953. Image was scanned from a black and white, 4-inch by 5-inch negative.
SCHOOL’S OUT! — These Coe primary students received no graduation ceremonies or diplomas this week, but the traditional end of school ride aboard the Hood River Fire Department’s gleaming red trucks was obviously a more delightful reward. Aboard the ladder truck to help the youngsters on and off were Firemen J.B. Coffey, left, and Police Chief Francis Woolston, right.
Items from the cornerstone of the old Methodist Church are removed after completion of a new church building May 9, 1953. Image was scanned from a black and white, 4-inch by 5-inch negative.
The Dalles Chronicle photo/file
1921 — 100 years ago
Another landmark in the development of Hood River County will be available for all to see when the Columbia Gorge Hotel, built by Simon Benson and to be operated by Henri Thiele, will be open to the public. It is expected that the hotel would be ready to receive guests this weekend, but it was decided to wait a few days and have everything in readiness. One of the big features of this hotel will later be its beautiful grounds. Today, the surroundings do not harmonize with the hansom building but they will soon transform into a park worth of the finest tourist hotel. — Hood River News
Barring the possibility of a hot east wind, the dread of all eastern Oregon wheat ranchers, Wasco county will this year have one of the biggest harvests of wheat in its history, according to E. R. Jackman, agricultural agent, who has just completed a general survey of the situation. The county’s 1921 crop will probably yield 1,400,000 bushels of wheat, as compared to 1,200,000 bushels grown last year, Jackman estimates. A hot east wind will materially reduce this estimate by causing the wheat to burn. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
1941 — 80 years ago
The board of directors of the County School Unit System, Wednesday night of last week, awarded the contract for the building of the new grade school at Frankton to a Hood River firm of contractors, Bald-win & Wheir. The bid was $34,634.97, $2,634.97 in excess of the sum provided for in the recent bond election. Work is to start immediately, it is stated. — Hood River News
Residents in this area may obtain driver’s license renewals at temporary offices established at the city hall in The Dalles, according to an announcement from the office of Earl Snell, secretary of state. The office will be open here daily beginning Thursday, June 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., for the convenience of local residents who wish to renew their driver’s license, due before July 1 of this year ... Persons who hold current licenses and are under 70 years of age may renew their licenses by filling out the application form and paying the fee of $1.50, it was said. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
SCHOOL’S OUT! — These Coe primary students received no graduation ceremonies or diplomas this week, but the traditional end of school ride aboard the Hood River Fire Department’s gleaming red trucks was obviously a more delightful reward. Aboard the ladder truck to help the youngsters on and off were Firemen J.B. Coffey, left, and Police Chief Francis Woolston, right.
Hood River News, June 1, 1961
1961 — 60 years ago
Fresh off their successful assault on a townful of cracked sidewalks, Hood River City Councilmen claimed Monday they may have to use the same tough tactics to clear city vacant lots and cubing areas of unsightly weeds. The council membership decided to make a public plea this week, asking all property owners check their vacant lot areas and curbing areas. They backed that up with the reminder that a city ordinance forbids weeds that become a “nuisance” in those areas. — Hood River News
Base price for cherry picking in The Dalles area during the coming harvest season will be four cents a pound, the same as in 1960. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
1981 — 40 years ago
Eugenio “Pepe” Quintanilla became the first non-pitcher in Hood River Valley baseball history to be named to the Oregon Journal’s All State team. The Journal revealed its picks for the first two teams and honorable mention Saturday, and Quintanilla was one of 16 players from around the state to be honored as a first team selection. — Hood River News
Wasco County should capitalize on the fact both the Lewis and Clark and Oregon Trail come through The Dalles. That is the message from Dr. Eldon Chuinard, a physician from Portland who has spent his life researching and writing about the famed trail blazers. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
A year and a half of mental and physical training helped 10-year-old Chase Duback of Trout Lake take third place in the Oregon State Karate Championships in Portland. Competing in the Peewee (10 and under) division at the Memorial Coliseum, Chase won four of five matches in free-fighting competition against competitors from around the northwest. The competition was his first. Chase is a first-degree blue belt in tai-kwon-do who will be trying for the purple belt soon. He already has progressed through the yellow and second-degree blue belts as a student of Gary Muma of Hood River. In the semifinal round, Chase faced a brown belt and lost in sudden death overtime. “I was really pleased with his performance,” Muma said. “Chase is really cooperative and really dedicated.” Chase enjoys his lessons and is looking forward to progressing to more advanced levels. “I like to free-fight,” he said. “I like to do things that are exciting.” — White Salmon Enterprise
2001 — 20 years ago
The City of Cascade Locks is undergoing a face lift to attract new businesses and improve the quality of life for its residents. “We want to spruce up the first impression visitors get when they drive into Cascade Locks,” said Robert Willoughby, city manager. The downtown plaza was revamped by the construction of a terraced rock wall that is landscape with flowering plants and shrubs. The city spent $20,000 from its tourism coffers for that work, which accompanies a $60,000 state-funded repaving of the sidewalk at the eastern end of town and fabrication of a decorative retaining wall. — Hood River News
Return on investment, or lack thereof, was one concern shared during a discussion at Wednesday’s Wasco County Court session to a potential golf course on property at The Dalles Municipal Airport in Dallesport. — The Dalles Chronicle
The final approval for PacifiCorp to remove the Condit Dam, located on the White Salmon River, three miles upstream from the river’s confluence with the Columbia River, is waiting on an OK from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). That was expected to be a formality, but now process appears to be snagged a “procedural problem.” After an informal visit to the dam by several members of the FERC staff on May 16, representatives of the agency unexpectedly raised some new issues regarding the agreement PacifiCorp signed to remove the dam. According to one observer, the problem arose because the utility was originally asking for a license to renew operating the dam as an electrical generating facility. Later, they signed a deal to remove the dam altogether. PacifiCorp spokesperson Dave Kvamme said the current technicality would not change anything in the utility’s plan to remove the dam. — White Salmon Enterprise
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