The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1893-04-15
Aooa River Glacier.
HOOD RIVER OR ApBILl5, 1898,


about 400 and is the shipping point for
the products Of the farms ot jood River
valley, The site is "a beautiful one,
sloping to the north % the Columbia
and east to Hood river and command
lug beautiful view of that grand
$ 'ream and the mountains Of WasNpE-
ton. Indeed the view of the canyon
of the White Salmon, which enters the
Columbia directly opposite the town, is
one rarely eQuslcd, furnishing an ap-
propriate foreground for grand cid Nj.
Adams, which rises 10 n height Of lQ,-
OO0 feet and is distant about 81 miles,
The town contains two handsome
church buildings, tho Congregational
and United Brethren, in which SER
vices are held regularly, besides whica
the Methodists have regular services in
temporary quarters. \ good school
building, which has heretofore served
10 accommodate the wants ot the COM
munity, is now crowded 20 its utmost,
and new and commodiouS building
will probably be erected this summer
The school is in charge Of Professor
c. l.. Gilbert and Miss Callisun, each
holding tlrst-class certificates, and, bet
ter yet, being in every respect tirst-cIaSs
teachers, Five general merchandise
stores, two well-stocked livery sta
bles, one furniture and one drug store,
two butcher shops, one notion store,
blacksmith shop, hardware store, tin
shop, harness shop, printing oHic}, two
hotels and barber shop 60 to make up
the business Of the place, to which
should be added a fine plant belonging
to the Hood River Manufacturing Co.,
where anything in the line Of wood
work is manufactured. Of the resources
Of the neighborhood, an adequate idea
cannot be conveyed in the brief space
at our disposal. Hood river valley,
with the toot hills adapted to fruit
raising, is about eighteen miles long by
eight wide, and lies at an elevation
above tide water of from 800 to 1000 feet
The soil is varied, but nearly all good,
and produces excellent crops of cereals,
although this crop is not extensively
raised on account of the land Icing too
valuable tor other purposes. Hood
River became famous In earlier days
for her fine peaches, ana of recent years
Is acknowledged to be the best fruit
raising section of Oregon, and, we
think, therefore of the world. Her ap-
piles have taken the prize over all COM
petitors wherever exhibited, and that
they are not only beautiful to the sight,
but also have excellent keeping quail
tiles, is emphasized by the fact that
two-thirds at least of all sent from this
state to the worlds fair came from
here Pears, prunes and cherries yield
abundantly, and small fruits find here
the soil and climate necessary to their
fullest development. \ few years ago
strawberry culture was an experiment,
none being raised for shipment. but
four wears ago a few were shipped, and
the results were 50 satisfactory that the
business has become one Of considerable
magnitude. In 1892 about 5000 crates,
of 24-pound boxes each, were shipped,
mostly to Helena and Butte, Montana,
the price averaging about Il cents on
the cars here, The earlier berries land
Hood River has for three years sent the
first berries raised in the state to mar
ket) were sent to Portland, bringing
from % to 40 cents per pound. The to-
tai return from this crop alone, last
year, was about S23, 900, and the return
from each acre in cultivation was about
$3.50. This year the area in cultivation
has been doubled, and although the
crop will be perhaps little later than
usual, it is expected that it will put
$4,000 in circulation here. NOtwth-
standing the magnificent returns to
the berry grower, it is easily seen that
the apple is to be the pride and product
of this favored section. The shipments
of this fruit have been small because
the orchards are small, and having been
set principally for the purpose Of sup
plying the grower only, too many va
rieties are raised in each orchard. In
short time this will be changed, as the
thousands of young trees now planted
come into bearing, and there will be
carloads for shipment where now there
are only boxes. While the fruit indus
try holds first place, it must not be
supposed that Hood Rivers resources
are confined to that. A wealth of fine
timber covers the mountains around
the valley and the river furnishes cheap
transl or alton for 1t as we'll as an abun-
dance Of power for manufacturing it
into lumber. Hood river has at lowest
water not less than $4,000 inches,
miners measurement, and has fall of
20 feet to the mile. At q small outlay,
comparatively, large portion Of this
water could be diverted from its chan
mel, and after supplying water for irri-
eating purposes where needed for
small fruits, could be delivered on the
hill above the town, at which place it
NvOul6 haVn a DInScura of c,-ar 0OO