The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1899-05-26
Hood River Valley

Is about 65 miles east of Portland, port Tor
ocean vessels. IL is on the Columbia river,
which is navgable, and on the line OF the u
r. 4 N. Railroad, that affords direct connec-
tIons with three transcontinental lines. Vi
this valley II has been written; "lts northern
boundary Is the Columbia river; It's eastern
high spur or divide putting out from Mount
Hood. 1900 feet or more in height, admirably
protecting it from the cold winds In winter
and the hot, destructive winds IN summer
that come from the east; its western boundary
the timbered slopes Of the Cascade range
while the broad base of Mt. Hood completely
blocks the valley to the south. The arabic
norton Of the valley is some twenty miles In
length by an average width of five miles, or
$1,000 acres Deduct l4,0O0 acres for bluffs and
tracts too rough for cultivation, and we have
$1,000 acres suitable for tillage. Hood river
receives all the drainage Of the north and
east side of Mt. Hood, and the melting SHOWS
of summer maintain a large and constant
flow of water. The river has descent OF over
90 feet to the mile, and a canal eight miles In
length would direct any portion of its waters
to the brow Of the plateau just above the VIII
lage and $50 feet above the railway line
"Commendable progress has been made In
the construction of irrigation canals. At the
present time all the arabic lands on the west
side of Hood river have irrigation facilities,
and good commencement has been made on
an irrigation ditch on the east side OF the val
ley that will cover 1900 acres. In a brief time
there viii not be ten-acre tract In all this
district but what may have It's running brook
its fragrant meadow.
.euhe counlsy adjacent to the upper reaches
| of Hood river Is covered with forest growth
and the timber adjacent to the river has been
estimated as high as a billion of feet.
Last year were shipped some $1,000 crates
or over one million pounds OF strawberries
which went to Omaha, ST. Paul, Duluth, Den
yer, Salt Lake and other markets. There are
also, about 10000 standard fruit trees, argel!
apples, In orchard form.
"Such, in brief, are some of the character
istics of Hood River Valley; but apart from
these it has an aesthetic value that should no
be overlooked. Here beauty and sublimit.
areadded Il. wealth of forest and soil. Th
climate is most salubrious, the air luxury t
breathe. Tie western breezes come fragran
| with the odors of the pines and frs OF a hun
dred miles of forest, and nowhere does tn
glorious sunlight leave warmer blush o.
fruit and flower than In this mountain vale
Ascend to the level of the plateau just abov
the village and objects of physical grandeu
are everywhere about To the south, so beat
tiful and seemingly so near, rises the gracefu
immaculate shaft, Mt. Hood, that all Oreg'
mans love. To the north, Adams rears II
bulky form more than 1000 feet above tn
sea, sovereign of all the lesser peaks froi
: Shasta to Rainier while at their very feet flo
in ceaseess measures the garnered waters {
an empire Modest and plain our homes, bI
grand and Incompatible our surroundings
the fruit products are not limited to apple
and Strawberries, but include pears, peache
prunes, blaekberries and all varieties of sma
fruits, while clover and the various grasse
wheat, potatoes, vegetables and garden pro-
q ucts succeed admirably, especially under irl
CATION. r
The available water power is fully l2OO
, horse power and equals that of Spokane.
= lumber mill is being erected with capacli
! of 100000 feet per day. Hundreds of vislto
y spend their summer vacations, campin
hunting, fishing or wheeling, each yea
There are no cyclones to terrify, no blizzar
n to chill nor thunder storms to destro
), Water is pure and abundant. fuel to be had
slight cost above the cutting.
: Lands can be purchased at from s25 to $.
per acre, according to location, impro'
ments, etc.
e Hood River, Oregon, May, 1899.