Last week’s History Mystery was a portrait of Hermit Woodford, taken in the 1900s. Gary Conley, Dennis Morgan and Kathy Heitkemper identified the photo — which was not really very mysterious after all, as several distinctive pictures similar to this exist online!
Hermit’s Cave was located below the subdivision off Cherry Heights Road and above West Thirteenth Street, which was named “B Street” in the early to mid-1900s when Woodford lived there. Heitkemper noted a story that local people suspected Hermit Woodford of storing quantities of gold, and that after he passed away a group blew Hermit’s Cave apart looking for the alleged treasure.
Conley and Morgan also recalled Sept. 18’s photo as a warehouse building owned by The Dalles Port Commission. This building was probably gone by the 1960s, Conley said. It stood at the foot of Union Street, just east of the current riverboat dock. It stood in the water, on pilings which are still visible today. A railroad track ran out to this building, where boats — even ocean-going liners at one time — tied up. You could rent a space for your own boat, Conley said.
The building was wooden with galvanized metal on the outside, and catwalks. “My friends and I used to climb up on the catwalks underneath and run around until we were caught, then run away,” Morgan remembered.
This week’s Mystery, above, may be a little less obvious. Can anybody tell us where these people are standing (possibly in Wasco County) and why they’re so fascinated by the Columbia River, which looks like it’s flooding? Email your thoughts or information to Flora Gibson at florag@gorgenews.com, or call/text 541-993-1801. If I’m not at my desk, leave a message and I’ll respond soon. Happy fact-hunting!
Commented