The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-05-21
HOOD RIVER. oregon.
Famous for its Strawberries,
Apples and other Fruits
Has a Great Future.

we AmeTlcdns cOnsluer tnere are Two
requisites for happiness in this world
"health and wealth." We desire health
that we may gain wealth, and, having
gained wealth, we seek to retain health.
Hood River seems to be an ideal loca-
ton for obtaining and retaining both.
Here is a community of business men
and farmers, wide-awake, energetic, in
telligent and progressive. Here are
women and children with bloom Of
health and symmetry of form, pleasing
to the eye and the envy of the feeble and
decrepit. Here are people who have
prospered through having located where
local advantages are so favorable, and
each one is an immigration agent to tell
an alluring story of why Hood River is
to be preferred to any other place. OPP
timism is the rule and pessimism the
exception-and the spirit is contagious.
Optimism is one of the diseases which is
not to be feared or avoided, as it devel-
ops the best in the physical and mental
of mankind.
HAS MANY ATTRACTIONS.
"Come to Hood River,n they say, "and
drink in the ozone of our mountain air !;
bask in the sunshine of our months and
months of cloudess skies; drink of our
cool waters from snow-capped Hood
and eat of our delicious fruits gaze upon
the grandeur Of our scenery, the lordly
Columbia river at your feet, the snow
peaks of Adams and Hood to the north
and south. Till the soil and note what
golden harvests are yours. No fear Of
drouth, for there is an abundance OF
water to irrigate the land throughout
the valley. Our winters are just cold
enough to give US the pleasure of sleigh
ing and skating, and our summers are
warm enough to bring to the greatest
perfection our fruits, rotating through
the season, with strawberries, cherries,
pears, prunes, peaches and apples. Our
streams abound in fish and our noun
talns in game.
HAS NO RIVAL.
Hood river is the name OF the river
having its source at the base of Mount
Hood and emptying here into the Co
lumbia. 1t is rapid mountain stream
with large flow of water, but is no
where navigable. 1t is capable of deve-
oping much power, but is being only
utilized for floating sawlogs from the
mountains.
Hood River is the name of the town
which has now a population of about
1900, but which had no existence prior
to the completion of the o. r. x N.
company's railroad. 1t has water and
rail connection, being 66 miles from
Portland and % miles from The Dalles.
1t is the shipping point for all the Hood
river valley, which is from four to five
miles wide and Is to 20 miles long and
is rapidly being settled up with small
farmers on ten and twenty acre tracts.
and these lands have been set to straw
berries and fruit trees, which return
large profits on the investment. The
Total population of the valley is now
about 1000 and increasing from year to
year. The land slopes back from the
Columbia river to an elevation OF about
300 feet, and there forms a table land
extending back into the mountains. The
abundant waters OF the creeks are
brought out on this plateau and distri-
buted to the fruit and strawberry rails
ers, thus enabling them to have positive
assurance of annual crops, no matter
how dry may be the season. The natu-
raj and only practical outlet of this val
ley is by and through the town here,
and as a consequence it has no rival for
commercial supremacy.
POPULoUs VALLEY,
Let us assume that the average income
of the lands of the valley is only 500 to
the acre, which | think, from figures
will give later in this letter will prove
very low estimate, the present num-
ber of acres producing crops is only
about $500. The aggregate acreage OF
the valley suitable for berries and fruit
trees is about $4,000, so that the valley
will eventually support population OF
$4,000 or 10000 people and the annual
sales reach several million dollars, in
stead of as now only about $3.50, 900.
These figures may seem to be extrava-
CANT, but it must be borne in mind that
the products here are not dependent upon
the demands of local market, but ex-
tend almost to the entire globe, and as
consequence there is practically no limit
to the market.
RAPID DEVELOPMENT.
The writer has personal recolections
of the Hood River valley when the only
means of transportation was by the river
when there were no transcontlnental
railroads, and the only market was a
local one, easily glutted; when the lands
whercon is now the town of Hood River
was in large farms owned by the Goes,
the Watsons, the Smiths and others,
and only short distance back from the
river were hundreds of acres OF unowned
and untitled land covered with growth
of pine and underbrush. The few resi-
i. -, : tn, hnv ~
a conception OF the present settlement
here, but would have been deemed Wis
ionary to have prophesied SO rapid de-
velopment. 1t was largely owing to the
experiments in strawberry culture, prov
ing lands considered worthless to be very
valuable, which gave to Hood River
valley its fame and to its possessors for
tunes.
BUSY PEOPLE.
A trip through the valley, among the
farms, is most enjoyable one. The
fruit trees are in bloom, the rows and
rows of strawberry plants are bright
green, and in every field are seen men,
women and even children, busy as bees,
taking advantage of this favorable
weather to get the ground IN proper
shape, tlle UeluS Tree Vi Necusi 50 tIldt
later, when irrigation commences, there
shall be no interruption to the rapid
growth of the strawberry vines and the
bloom and maturity of the berries.
A bout the middle of May the strawber-
ries will begin coming into market, and
it rs estimated that this year there will
be l25. 900 crates of strawberries shipped.
During the strawberry season about
20O0 pickers have been heretofore EN-
ployed, but this year the demand will
be for about twice that number. Hood
River is a popular place for enjoying an
outing, and many families come here to
pick berries and at the same time enjoy
the invigorating effects OF the climate.
PLENTY OF WORK.
"If one were to come to Hood River
looking for work what could he find to
do?' l inquired Of one Of the leading
business men here.
There is never failing demand for
men at s. to $3.50 a day in the sawmills
and n flta