I would never have bothered to post this snapshot of the sandbar at the mouth of the Hood River if I hadn't flipped it over to read the note on the back:
"Observation Post" during World War II.
I suspect those who lived through the war can tell us volumes about the fears that led to this observation post on the sandbar. Can someone tell us who was manning this post and what they were watching for?
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What a lonely outpost. Looks like the Northwest Territories.
l.e. on 23rd May 2011 @ 9:42am
Are those power poles running across the river?
l.e. on 23rd May 2011 @ 9:54am
Used google earth to get a sense of bearing and scale to the hills across teh river, and it looks like that would be near the current event site. Looking at the 1937 Corp of Engineers Bonneville Lands Map, it shows a road in that area going down to part of the Oregon Lumber Company property. That area is termed "stump land", and looks so in the photo above! Also of note is a sewer outfall, at about the position of the excavator in the photo..
spinsur on 23rd May 2011 @ 12:05pm
Incidentally, if I'm on the right track, so to speak, the sternwheeler picture of May 4, 2011 was taken about a quarter mile west of here, in a slough that paralleld the river.
spinsur on 23rd May 2011 @ 1:17pm
Although, I don't remember this particular observation post...
nor do I remember anything being said by my Father. However,
he probably, would have known about it or at least could
have seen it from his observation tower, while he guarded
the Powerdale power plant. Not in the same location..but,
this pictures sure brings back a lot of memories...from
childhood and World War II.
Del on 23rd May 2011 @ 3:07pm
I'm afraid my comment is unrelated to this photo...but I am taking the opportunity to request the photo of the Sunny Boy Ranch that used to be at Mitchell Point? I think I have seen this photo at the museum. We hiked at Mitchell Point the other day and any information about that site would be appreciated.
E. English on 23rd May 2011 @ 7:09pm
These posts were manned by the Hone Guard of Hood River. During WWII a certain percentage of farming men had to be kept at home to keep the food chain going.. Some of these men were in the Home Guard and met on a regular basis, did some training. They would have been like the militia units of older generations......used in event of invasion of their personal area. These were the men that manned these observation stations.
My Dad was a member of the Hood River Home Guard.
Charlott on 8th June 2011 @ 11:09am
Each time I look I glean something new. Note the Washington side bluff devoid of homes.....
Charlott on 28th June 2011 @ 8:24am
My grandfather and great-grandfather were also part of the Home Guard, and guarded the Mitchell Point tunnel.
Jeffrey Bryant on 13th April 2012 @ 7:07am