Notes
As great as it is to find an image full of detail, it's even better when we have a contemporaneous written account of the same event. As I was looking through the Alva Day images of the inauguration of service at the "new" Powerdale Dam and power station it occurred to me that since the 1923 newspapers are now online I could get a clearer picture of what's going on in the photograph. Sure enough, reading this article fills in all sorts of wonderful details about this image. I now know all the Kiwanis capped men are a delegation from the Dalles. There was a motion picture crew recording the event (you can see him in the crowd with his camera). Powerdale was the largest hydro generator west of the Mississippi at its opening. And best of all we now know who was flipping those switches and what they did. I only wish we had a view which showed the surge tank with the huge American flag deployed.
Category: [Downtown Hood River]
Tags: 1920s Alva_Day construction electricity Pacific_Power Powerdale
Comments
For another slightly perspective on this gathering see image #495. Comments are fun to read.
LMH on 4th August 2022 @ 7:15am
After reviewing image #495, I question whether the images are reversed. Image 495 shows more of the bank across the river and it is apparently east side road grade "SR35" and it leads us to conclude that we are looking from the west side of the river to the east side but the river is flowing from the left and the sun is from high left. It doesn't add up. Perhaps the plates or negative was flipped.
Basaltgrouse on 4th August 2022 @ 12:00pm
Basaltgrouse, I understand the confusion. The negatives are not flipped (thanks to the "Kiwanis" club hats which read correctly)-- but we're not looking east or west. We're looking north from the east side of the river, due north of the power station, towards Button Junction. There is a funny twist in the river there-- I had to take a look at the map to appreciate how much. In one frame I can see the road up to Button Junction from the bridge.
ArthurB on 4th August 2022 @ 1:44pm
Arthur, I agree that the view is north of the power station....I have fished this area over the years. As the summer progresses, more land and rocks emerge.
Dale Nicol on 4th August 2022 @ 6:37pm
Did all these people ride the train to get to this location?
L. E. on 5th August 2022 @ 5:30am
Look at all those hats!! Never leave home without it!
Roger Sheldrake on 5th August 2022 @ 10:04am
LE, when the power station was constructed they built a pedestrian walkway on the MHRR bridge, so these folks probably walked from the HR depot.
ArthurB on 5th August 2022 @ 10:29am