The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-04-09
IN The FAR-FAMED HOOD RIVER VALLEY.

Both demands were refused on the
ground of contributary negligence.
Mark, without further delay, marshall
ed his warriors and started for Wal-la-
chin's camp ON strictly business prop
osition. About 10 O'Clock one bright
spring morning the beating of tom
toms notified us of their arrival. They
had crossed Hood river near its mouth
and marched single file down the en-
tire length of the sandbar. There were
SO or 60 of them on horseback, armed
with flint-lOck mnskets, bows and ar
rows, ETC., and made a procession one
half a mile long. 1t is needless to say
that old Wal-la-chin capitulated at
once, and in the afternoon they return
ed with the blood-money horses, lead
ing them away in triumph.
In the fall of 1860 Peter Neal visited
Hood River valley and decided TO To-
cate on the abandoned Gordon place,
and in the spring of 1861 moved down
with his family, including his son-in-
law, Jerome Winchell. If [ remember
rightly, Hardin Corum came to Hood
River the same spring and built the
saw mill for Neal. The East Side then
abounded in magnificent pine timber,
and the Meals made use of it, cutting
1t wherever found, regardless Of loca-
ton. Uncle Sam then made no kick
at those who desp0Iled his forests.
Meals lumber business was rnn very
much on Uncle Sans protective tariff
plan. We paid $40 and s12 per 1000 for
his lumber here, though he would ship
hetter lumber to The DaIles and sell at
Sc and IS per 1000 there. That is we
could buy identically the same lumber
1t The Dalles, and pay freight back to
Hood River as cheap as we could get it
at home; but that was one of Uncle
Pete's little ways, and we could buy it
or let II alone, Just as we chose. Jesse
Neal, son of Peter Neal, took up place
adjoining the Butler place, which was
afterwards purchased by John w. Hin
richs, and year or so later COrum took
farm west OF Jesse Meals and built n
saw mill on branch of what is now
known as 0dell creek.
HOOD RIVERS NOTED LIAR.
must not forget TO mention we'll
known character of these early days,
known as George P. Roberts, later
known as Hog Roberts, the squaw man.
/ think it must have been in the fall of
1857 or the spring of 1858 that Roberts
located on the land where the town of
FranktOn was afterwards laid out, and
built O shack on the little hill where
the Smith cemetery now is, and some
years later took up the place on which
now Is the little town of Viento. Rob-
erts was then the most notorious liar
east Of the Cascades, and he had no
equals and no superiors west of them.
1t was simply impossible for the man
to tell the truth, and no one expected
it of him. A sample yarn which after
wards became famous in the country,
was told me first by Roberts. Up to
the fall Of i6l he had collected quite
a band of eayuse ponies. These, as the
winter came on, We're driven onto the
mountains east of Hood river where
the grass was abundant and high. The
ensuing winter was noted for its Sc
verify, bitter cold weather and deep
snow covered with heavy crust which
at one time was strong enough to bear
up a small pony. Roberts never saw
hide nor hair of bis band of horses after
January until near the first Of March,
when he found them on the banks of
Hood river in fairly good condition,
and not one missing, although the
snow must have been fully five feet
deep. According TO his story he had
spent many days looking in vain for
them. He had given up in despair,
concluding they were all dead, and he
was returning home, when all Of a
sudden the crust on the snow on which