1918 — 100 years ago
Last week the auto stage operated by the Fashion Stables resumed its service between Hood River, Parkdale and intermediate points. Bert Stranahan, the veteran chauffeur, is again at the wheel. The stage leaves Hood River daily at 4:30 p.m. and Parkdale daily at 8 a.m. This schedule applies daily except that the stage leaves Parkdale at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday and, returning, leaves Hood River at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
1928 — 90 years ago
The Hood River Chamber of Commerce has filed with the Forest Service a protest against the filing by The Dalles on the waters in the Hood River watershed and especially against the plan to dam up Lost Lake, one of the most scenic centers in this county. The Dalles proposed to take water from Cold Spring creek and to make up for the water drawn from this source, it plans to construct a dam at Lost Lake, back up the water and feed it into the river so that the rights of irrigationists (sic) and power company can be met. One result of this filing by The Dalles is the cancelation by the Forest Service of plans for highway construction and other development of the Lost Lake section. Many here regard The Dalles proposition as entirely impractical and far too costly to ever be developed.
1938 — 80 years ago
The new board of directors of the Apple Growers Association, while still lacking one to complete the full complement, on Monday named R.J. McIsaac as their new president. Other officers named are: A.W. Peters, vice president, J.R. Forden, secretary, and Frank C. Dethman, assistant secretary.
The Hood River County Garden Club will hold its annual shrub and plant sale in the lobby of the Paris Fair tomorrow (Saturday) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All members are being urged to send in contributions as early as possible.
1948 — 70 years ago
All bids for construction of a new school at Cascade Locks were rejected as being excessive by the county unit school board in meeting Wednesday night of this week. The board is now asking the two lowest bidders to get together with the architects with the view of reducing the cost of construction and then resubmitting bids on Tuesday of next week.
Aviator Mel Lingren has offered to give the city and surrounding limits aerial insect spray at cost. Lingren, who purchased a biplane Stearman for spraying purposes last fall, said he could do the job quickly and at a minimum cost. The spray, a DDT mixture, would control all insects, especially mosquitos and flies.
1958 — 60 years ago
State Representative Al Floegle, chairman, brought his round in the state highway hearings to a halt here Thursday as the interim highway committee heard local persons voice their wishes and complaints on the state highway system at a luncheon in the H&V café. Biggest pitch for Hood River interests was given by chamber manager George Bartch, who presented the chamber’s case for a new and fully developed park at Koberg beach. The chamber hopes to assure itself of an adequate access way from the new four lane Highway 30 now under construction to allow tourists easy roadway to the Koberg site.
1968 — 50 years ago
Every day is ladies’ day in Gordon Read’s seventh grade Industrial Arts class at May Street school this spring. For a reason Read doesn’t exactly understand, about 11 girls signed up for Industrial Arts — a class usually 100 percent boys. But it’s on the May Street school list of electives, so when the gals placed their name on the wood shop class list, no one objected. The 23-student class has done quite a bit of drawing, now it’s going ahead with a project to make clip holders for the teachers’ desks. One of the girls said several of them talked it over before picking the shop class for the spring. Other option courses include such things as art, band, home economics and speech. “I don’t know why they signed up,” puzzled Read, “but they seem to do all right.” Boys in the class have mixed feelings about having girls invade their territory.
1978 — 40 years ago
Growers in Hood River made a quick investment of several thousand dollars in their orchards late Tuesday and early Wednesday. The sudden investment was in oil, as temperatures dipped into the 20s during the night, threatening tender pear blossoms that are now just about in full bloom in many parts of the valley. An industry representative said the cold period was general, and it was of unusually long duration. “In some places, it was 29 degrees for as much as eight hours,” he said. “But in other areas, it dipped to 28 or 29 for only two hours. The said it was frosty enough for just about everything to be lit.”
1988 — 30 years ago
Hood River County’s Youth Planning Congress accomplished plenty in its three-day run, but its work is just beginning. Five goals came out of its meeting held Thursday, Friday and Saturday inside the HRVHS cafeteria. Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt attended the congress’ opening night, which attracted more than 100 people. Over 50 members, representing a wide-spectrum of local residents, remained throughout the process, designed to study strengths and weaknesses in local youth programs and develop a plan of action aimed at developing those programs.
1998 — 20 years ago
What would you do with a million dollars? What’s normally an opportunity for idle speculation for most people will become a pleasant dilemma for the Hood River Lions Club. The local service club is the recipient of a major bequest from an anonymous donor, who has left it a donation of between $1.5 million and $2 million to address “the needs and projects that benefit the people and the community of Hood River County.” The board of trustees for the Lions Foundation Trust learned of the gift Saturday. “It was mind-numbing for a moment,” said club president Jack Kent. “It’s quite a windfall, to say the least.”
2008 — 10 years ago
They’re still working on the railroad. Historic Mt. Hood Railroad has been sold to a Texas-based company, Permian Basin Railways.
The railroad resumed its spring and summer schedule last week and existing employment is expected to same under the new ownership.
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