Yesteryears: Mt. Hood Railroad adding special trains to Parkdale schedule in 1916

In a Watch Night meeting held at the Pine Grove Grange Hall Friday the whole community gathered to celebrate Oregon’s going dry as well as to see the old year out and the new year in. The W.C.T.U. lead in the arrangements with nine other local organizations joining in the program. The dawn of 1916 will long be remembered by Pine Grove people.

“Parkdale Beautiful” is the slogan adopted by the Parkdale Civic League, an association formed for the purpose of beautifying “the town nearest the mountain.”

A few of the recommendations that the committee will submit to a meeting that is to be held in the auditorium of the grade school on Tuesday evening, January 12th at 8 o’clock, will be the planting of Norway Maple trees along the avenues of the town, the laying of concrete sidewalks, the hard-surfacing of the roads, the placing of additional drinking fountains, flower beds, etc., to urge the school board to improve the high school grounds, and equipping some with tennis courts and a swimming pool, both to be constructed so that they can be converted into a skating pond for winter sports.

— Hood River News, January 8, 1926

1926 — 90 years ago

Last Sunday was a record day for the Hood River Ski Club, for 57 winter sports enthusiasts journeyed to the higher regions at the foot of Mt. Hood and enjoyed a day of skiing, tobogganing and coasting. Those entering into the fun were not only residents of the Hood River Valley, for there were people from Portland, The Dalles, and one young woman from Muskogee, Oklahoma. Use of Homestead Inn was given by J.O. Hannum and with Bill Cochran in charge of the coffee pot and a roaring blaze in the Homestead’s massive fireplace, it is quite evident that not all of the fun was confined to the outdoors.

On Monday night a deputation of West Side orchardists headed by S.G. Oxborrow, appeared before the city council and asked that the body would cooperate with them and the county court in securing a new road between the Belmont Road and town by way of West Sherman Street, through Paradise Farm acreage. After the councilmen had heard the request it was decided that a deputation would meet the county court and see if some agreement for joint work could not be arrived at.

1936 — 80 years ago

Fruit growers and shippers of Hood River Valley are thoroughly alarmed at the situation which is developing on the Portland waterfront and at the Traffic Association meeting, held on Monday, some time was allotted for discussion on the several problems between steamship companies and longshoremen and other organized marine workers, which involve the handling of fresh and processed fruit.

Following the light fall of snow on Friday of last week, the Highway department ordered barriers placed across the Mount Hood Loop highway between the Cooper’s Spur junction and the Wapinita cutoff, and this section of the highway will remain closed for the rest of winter.

1946 — 70 years ago

Replacement of about 150 feet of the Cold Spring water main Wednesday made the New Year much happier for many residents of both town and valley, and especially of the valley, for many rural homes had been without water on tap since Friday noon last week. The big job of replacing a long section of the main, which was carried away in a landslide above the River road crossing, was undertaken by Lofts & Sons, with Arthur Lofts Jr., in charge of the work and crew of about 18 men.

The first New Year’s baby at the Hood River hospital arrived at 7 a.m. Jan. 1, 1946. He is Charles David Neuman, weight 9 pounds, 10 ounces, and is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard V. Neuman.

1956 — 60 years ago

Pacific Power & Light Company’s “substation on wheels” rolled into Hood River shortly before midnight Tuesday to start an emergency job of supplying extra power to the Oregon Lumber company operations at Dee. The new mobile power unit will remain on duty here for several weeks while PP&L crews bring in and install a larger transformer at the Dee substation to provide for the increased power needs of the mill and the hardboard plant.

Discussion of the role of religion in the county jail program, juvenile delinquency and other law enforcement problems by District Attorney Kenneth Abraham and Sheriff Rupert L. Gillmouthe before the Hood River Valley Ministerial association resulted in action by the group in assisting county officials at the January meeting. Action took the form of securing Bibles to be placed in the jail and the Rev. Byron Travis and Rev. Collis Blair are to for a sheriff’s committee to minister to the spiritual needs of prisoners.

1966 — 50 years ago

Tons of snow, roofing and refrigeration equipment crashed to the cement floor at the modern Hounsell cold storage at Willow Flat when a truss gave way Monday at the center of the big building. Buried under a pile of ruble was the information needed to determine why the roof gave way. Heavy snow had fallen, but plant owner Jim Hounsell indicated it was far from enough to explain the collapse. “I paid for a 65-pound per square foot roof,” he said. The building, constructed in 1962, had weathered another snow-filled winter last year without a sign of damage.

Ownership changed at Barclay’s Heights Pharmacy, but it was all in the family when E.F. Barclay announced his retirement effective Jan. 1. His son, Rob Barclay, and son-in-law, J.B. Coffey, have purchased a majority interest and will continue to operate the store.

1976 — 40 years ago

Fire Departments and utility services will hold a meeting next week in an effort to initiate a valley-wide address system in Hood River County. The meeting has been called for 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Pine Grove Fire Station. This is not the first time for a try at establishing a permanent address system, but it is the first generated at the grassroots level. Fire Departments and various services depending on locating addresses backed the earlier effort, which was initiated by the county planning commission, but it died because of lack of popular support.

A revision of city maps of six Oregon communities has been completed by the State Highway Division in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, it was announced today. The communities affected are Halfway, Mosier, Port Orford, Prairie City, Rockaway and Wallowa.

1986 — 30 years ago

With several firms waiting to move into the Cannery complex, Port of Hood River commissioners held a special early session Monday night to hear a presentation and proposal from master plan consultants Yost Grube Hall P.C. The port is eager to get the first tenants — a sailboarding accessory manufacturer, micro-brewery and winery — into the Cannery within a few months. Consultants urge a “go slow” stance and caution the wrong mix of tenants could disturb the “delicate balance” they visualize for the building.

Students flooded the halls of area schools Monday, as one of the longest school Christmas vacations in recent years came to an end. Hood River County public schools dismissed for the holiday break on Dec. 20 and did not reopen until Jan. 6 … a full 16 days off.

1996 — 20 years ago

Like a teenager with a growth spurt, Hood River Memorial Hospital is having growing pains again. After the planned construction, the facility will boast so many improvements, it will hardly be recognizable. When the dust has settled and construction is completed, the hospital will have moved the Gatchel House, installed a new parking lot and improved old ones, added a cardiac rehabilitation center, built a new 15,000 square foot addition and added new radiology equipment, all in just two short years.

Thirty-two more units of low income housing will become available in Hood River if a proposed apartment complex, Hood River Place Apartments, goes in as planned. The new complex would be sited on a large vacant lot bounded by Rosauer’s Supermarket, Eighth Street, Sieverkropp Drive and Indian Creek.

2006 — 10 years ago

The fate of some major land-use issue in Hood River County could be decided in 2006 — ending long years of divisiveness. But all of the proposed projects have dissenters who are poised to fight government approval of the projects. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is currently reviewing the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs’ plan to build a casino/resort in Cascade Locks’ industrial park.

The Friends of the Hood River County Library are planning a “Hood River County Reads” project to encourage all ages in the community to read and discuss the same book in 2006. Friends have chosen “Bat 6” by Virginia Euwer Wolff because its rural setting and its reading level are suitable for all ages. This book addresses issues of diversity which exist everywhere.

— Compiled by Trisha Walker, news staff writer