Notes
We saw a copy of this image back in 2011, but recently a much better copy showed up. Notes on this copy indicate it is from 1893, while the other copy says 1896. I believe 1893 is correct, as you'll see below. We're looking west up Oak Street from the post office building on the NE corner of Oak and First. The J.E. Hanna Cheap Cash Store is across Oak, and the George Crowell General Store is on the corner of Second and Oak (across the street from the LaFrance home). There's an unlikely pine tree in the middle of Oak Street, but the block peters out into a thicket of more appropriate oak trees to the west. Despite the primitive photography this image gives us some idea of what how our city got its start.
Hanna's store is offers a helpful timeline of Hood River history, as he changed partners almost yearly. I was able to track them through ads in The Hood River Glacier. In 1890 it was "Hanna and Ziegler," in 1891 it became J.E. Hanna's. In 1894 it became "Hanna and Wolfard". In January 1896 it became "C.M. Wolfard". By December 1896 it was Wolfard & Ferguson. In 1897 it's "Wolfard & Bone" with a store in White Salmon too, and Hanna is back with Woodworth & Hanna, replacing A.S. Blowers at his store (on 3rd and Oak, I believe). By 1898 Woodworth is alone, and by 1899 Wolfard and Bone has become Bone and McDonald. And that's just one decade!
Category: [Downtown Hood River]
Tags: 1890s 2nd_Street George_Crowell_Store Hanna JE_Hanna_Store LaFrance Oak_Street
Comments
One of my favorites!!
L.E. on 25th October 2016 @ 7:49am
I love this image, Arthur! Everything about it, such as how the old oval-shaped photo is mounted on the wall, lonely pine, people strolling, white picket fence, etc.
Darryl Lloyd on 25th October 2016 @ 9:33am
One of my favorites too. In fact it is the point of departure for a short talk I'll be giving November 10 (details later!)
Tomorrow I'll post a closeup view of some of the detail in this image.
Arthur on 25th October 2016 @ 11:51am
Great Picture. One thing I dont see,, are any tellegraph poles. Seems to me they would have had early electricity, Telegraph and early wood crank phones in the 1890's -1910 era.. .
Monty Parrott on 25th October 2016 @ 8:03pm
Electricity came to downtown Hood River in 1904 with a small generator on the Hood River. I'm less sure about telephone and telegraph. I know by 1896 Williams and Brosius Drug Store advertised a long distance telephone, and Cloud Cap Inn had a phone installed in 1897. In fact there is a story in the Glacier of Will Langille using the telephone to report the fatality of a mountain climber that year. I am sure there would have been telegraph lines alongside the railroad as soon as the railroad was complete in 1883.
Arthur on 26th October 2016 @ 9:32am
I wonder what the original platted width of Oak Street and other downtown streets was?
Longshot on 26th October 2016 @ 10:09am
The 1893 Sanborn map has Oak Street 60' wide along with River (Cascade). Bridge (State Street) was 80'. Second was also oversized: 80' north of Oak, and 88' south of Oak. Most other streets were 60'.
Arthur on 26th October 2016 @ 11:03am