This would be funny if it was not still true today!

Dale Nicol on 24th February 2017 @ 7:06am

interesting to see that it took a horse two hours to get to H.R. from Portland, and 12 hours to Seattle!

chris on 24th February 2017 @ 7:51am

I just purchased a 1910 pamphlet of Hood River and Valley, published by the Commercial Club.
They sing the praises of the fruit and lumber industry. Beautiful drawings of the types of apples grown in the area and photographs of orchards.
The last page says, "Hood River Invites All Classes.....Hood River has a splendid site on the hillsides, which slope toward the Columbia....There are modern advantages, including electric lighting and mail delivery. A complete sewer system makes the city one of great healthfulness. Plans have been made for the construction of a municipal water system to bring in pure mountain water from a distant spring.

No mention of a lack of hitching posts.

L.E. on 24th February 2017 @ 8:16am

bank seems to be doing quite well.....same butler? nice typing and beautiful signature.....nothing about electricity yet?
we are now building "hitching post less" apartments here in Portland.
like hyping train travel, pretty good times.....

great letter!

Arlen Sheldrake on 24th February 2017 @ 8:19am

The city got limited electricity in 1904, though floods damaged the hydro plant and interrupted service on multiple occasions. I'm not sure when rural parts of the county got electricity, but we know Max Moore was working hard stringing lines in this era, followed by Alva Day and his crews a few years later.

Arthur on 24th February 2017 @ 9:00am

Chris, a horse did not make the HR to Portland trip in two hours, they did not go thirty miles an hour. That time would have been on a train, longer on a boat ~

Kenn on 24th February 2017 @ 9:11am

I know Chris was kidding, I sure would not get in the way of a thirty mile an hour horse ~

Kenn on 24th February 2017 @ 9:16am

Truman Butler was a great friend of my grandfathers. He played the mandolin. I am astounded at the difference in deposit between 1901 and 1909 - clearly Hood River was a "growing concern" hitching posts or not!

Jill Stanford on 24th February 2017 @ 12:37pm

Can someone put that lovely signature into plain type please?

nels on 24th February 2017 @ 5:14pm

The signature is C. D. Nickelsen (Christian D), secretary of the Commercial Club.

Jeffrey Bryant on 24th February 2017 @ 8:55pm

There is still a hitching post that I see almost every day in my travels to downtown Hood River

Judy on 24th February 2017 @ 10:00pm