The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1908-09-10
BUSY SCENES ON
MT. HOOD ROAD
DEE BECOMING BUSINESS CENTER
New Hotel Completed and Lumber and
Fruit Industries Booming There.
Many Apple Houses Being Built

place at and near the new lumber
town of Dee it will soon be the busi-
est and mest important town in Hood
River county outside of Hood River.
With the recent boom In the lumber
business the big mill was started up
with large force of men last Thurs
day and the scene presented there is a
lively one.
Two hundred men we're put to work
in the mill and logging camps near
Dee last week and VIM. II. Eccles,
president Of the company, states that
1t will be kept running to its full ca.
pacity just as long as weather condi-
titions permit, AS soon as enough
men and teams can be secured both
sides of the mill will be put in opera
tion and 300, 900 feet OF lumber turned
out daily. improvements in the work.
ing plant of the mill, include new
planer with twice the capacity of
any of the other machines In opera.
tion, and the lumber is being loaded
direct from them into the car.
Another improvement put into use
and which Is an invention OF Mr.. Eo-
oles is an electric loading derrick
that preforms wonders In the way OF
loading heavy timbers. With its aid
a car of l2xl2 timbers can be loaded
In 20 to 30 minutes end big timbers
picked up from the loading platform
In any objection. The fine electric
plant with which the mill is run and
the town supplied with light and wa
ter has been found to be adaptable to
placing machinery wherever it can be
used to the best advantage. The COM
pany expects to ship out 1900, QUO
feet OF lumber during the coming
month
A fine improvement at Dee and
one which is particularly appreciated
by the travelling public, is new hotel
which has just been completed and
opened to the public this week. The
hotel contains Is rooms and is
equipped with all the improvements
OF a modern hostelIy. A ten foot
porch encircles the structure, afford
ing ample room for entertainment of
many guests out of doors during the
warm weather. On the first floor is
situated the office, dining room, par
lor, private dining room and spao-
ious kitchen with large pantries, and
rooms built off the porch for the help
required to run the hotel. The main
dining room viii seat eighty guests
and large range with all modern
appliances, including hot water, in
sures convenience in preparing meals.
Spring water for drinking purposes Is
provided. On the second floor are
the bedrooms, we'll lighted and venti-
lated and electric lighted. Bathrooms
and stationary washstands have also
been put in and doors lead from the
upper floor to the broad porch roof.
The interior is finished In weathered
oak and with Its furnishings the new
hotel will be one Of the best appoint
ed In the county. Later the grounds
around it will be improved with lawns
and several outEuildings will be built
to provide storge rooms. The cuisine
OF the hotel Is under the management
of Mr.. and Mrs. N. Ii. Nelson, who
have had wide experience In this line
and the meals are excellent.
In addition to the development that
is taking place in the little lumber
town many acres of fruit land are
being cleared and set to trees on the
bench of land just above it. Mr.. Ec-
cles has twenty acres cleared here with
five set to trees and Chas. 7. Early,
superintendent of the Mt. Hood rail.
road, has ten acres in fruit. Another
tract of ten acres belonging to Ezra
Monson is also set to fruit. Other
tracts are being cleared up ana new
county road through this section is
being projected.
Traffic on the railroad from the sur
rounding country is fast increasing
and the arrival and departure of the
train at Dee presents scene of busi-
ness and hustle. Goods, farming i'm
plements, supplies and fruit trees are
being hauled into the surrounding
country and strangers Can be seen
there daily looking over the country
with the intention of investing.
Along the line OF road many i'm.
provements In ranches can be seen
and at several points considerable
building is being done. AT Van Horn
the Apple Growers Union has the
foundation and floor laid for it's big
apple receiving warehouse. The struo-
ture is 40x200 feet and will permit the
shipping OF many thousands of boxes
of apples without the Inconvenience of
hauling them to town. Wilson Fike
Is also building an apple house near
the railroad track ON his place. A.
| l.. mhbUu ueW bppAe uouso is COm
pleted and Aug. Paasch is adding the
finishing touches to an apple house
that Ia on switch of the railroad
which is 50xl20 feet. Others are also
building more storage capacity
to take care of their apple crops.
improvements have .been made this
summer In the road bed of the rail-
road and it's convenience for both pas
sengers and freight is fast increasing
the traffic. With the lumber, fruit
and other freight shipments and the
contemplated extension of the road
into the upper valley the new railroad
will soon become one of the most i'm.
portant factors in the development Of
the industries of the county.