Just yesterday, I was reading an article about Wells Bennett, who was known for riding motorcycles up Mt Hood. His Highest climb was in 1924.
Wells and Mark Weygandt were good friends. Wells later married Weygandt's widow.
I wonder if one of these men could be Wells Bennett.

Is that a cable running along the rock to the right of the motorcycle? It also appears to be a ladder laying off to the side.

l.e. on 3rd April 2012 @ 7:44am

One of my memories of grandfather John H. Sheldrake was his objection as County Judge to ever paving the Lost Lake road. He believed that paving it would lead to an influx of Portlanders that would ruin the Lost Lake that he loved.
Yet another great photograph. Arlen

Arlen Sheldrake on 3rd April 2012 @ 9:16am

Arthur, might want to add "Lost Lake Road" to your tags.....Arlen

Arlen Sheldrake on 3rd April 2012 @ 3:28pm

No none of these men are Wells Bennett.

Charlott on 3rd April 2012 @ 5:51pm

When my Father visited from the East several years ago we took him up to Lost Lake and he remarked "Well, looks like your Lost Lake isn't lost anymore".

judy on 3rd April 2012 @ 11:40pm

Fred Donnerberg was my Great Grandmothers Brother!

Jody Molenda on 30th April 2012 @ 9:20pm

Can anyone tell me if this photo has Fred Donnerberg in it? Or was he just the photograher that took the picture?

Jody Molenda on 17th May 2012 @ 9:42pm

we would spend 2 weeks at the lake in the summer along with the button girls and never see any other people. dad would drive back to town every morning to work at the office .i now live on lost lake rd. so i feel like i am home.sort of like the salmon coming home .

sally hardenbrook on 13th October 2012 @ 3:02pm

I stumbled across a reference to Fred Donnerberg in the Oregonian archives today, and it reads as follows:

"Fred W. Donnerberg, Hood River photographer, recently penetrated the lake on a motorcycle with side car and took pictures of the new roadway. He brings word that the construction work has progressed very satisfactorily."

This was published on September 5, 1920 in an article titled "Road to Lost Lake Progressing Fast". The article quotes Fred Donnerberg extensively, but does not include the above photo.

Tom Kloster on 1st February 2013 @ 7:30pm

Came across an article in The Hood River Glacier dated September 9, 1920.
The article was called "Beauties Of Lost Lake Described" The article was similar to the one in the Oregonian date September 5, 1920. The Hood River article talks about Fred Donnerberg making two trips to Lost Lake on his motorcycle. The first trip he took his brother-in-law, Alfred Dethman. On the second trip he took Herman Dethman, another brother-in-law. Alfred Dethman was my great uncle and Herman Dethman was my grandfather. At the Donnerberg was married to my great aunt Laura Dethman.

Don Dillenbeck on 24th September 2017 @ 12:16pm

A humorous article on motorcycles can be found here:
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1912-07-04/ed-1/seq-5/

Jeffrey Bryant on 12th October 2017 @ 8:11pm

This may document the trip:
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn97071110/1920-07-15/ed-1/seq-9/

Jeffrey W Bryant on 17th October 2020 @ 8:39pm

Since the photo looks like summer and not late autumn, I doubt if this news clipping applies to the photo. But Fred Donnerberg did make another trip up in November:
HRG November 18, 1920:
"....Only about a mile of the new road remains to be constructed next spring. Fred W. Donnerberg and Julius Abraham, his brother-in-law, from Albany were the last to motor over the new road this year. Journeying to Lost Lake Armistice Day, the men report the new grade in fine condition."

L.E. on 13th November 2022 @ 8:22am