The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-12-07
VALLEY HOMES
GROW IN NUMBER
MARKED BUILDING ACTIVITY NOTED
Scores Of Costly Residences Have Been
Completed this Summer in Add
ton to Other Buildings.

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The Hood River Valley, where nature
with extreme prodigality has with a
lure, both economic and aesthetic.
drawn men and women from all parts
Of the globe. is fast becoming a com
munity noted for the handsomeuess Of
its country and city homes. The val
ley, almost entirely devoted to the
culture of the apple, on the excellence
of which its fame and name have been
built, is dotted with many small emf
nences peculiarly desirable. because of
the grand views obtainable. as resi-
dence sites.
The orchardist has shown his fond
ness for the location demanding the
broad panoramic picture of the fields
of apples and the white peaked noun
tains fanked by the green. forest-cad
foothills. and on the more settled and
developed portion of the region the
knolls and huttes have been turned into
lawns and grounds of country homes.
In no spot in the whole valley can
one find a location where a view may
not be had of one or the other Of the
snow peaks that arise majestically TO
enhance the scenic value of surround
ing communities Mount Adams dI-
rectly to the north in the State of
Washington, and Mount Hood base
the south boundary of the fruit belt
The applegrowers build their homes
for the most part in accordance with
the view they have of one or the other
of the mountains, and living rooms are
so constructed that the occupants may
behold the beautiful pictures made by
sunshine or cloud effects on the noun
tain tops.
In the Summer more building has
been done in the Hood River Valley
than ever before in any one season.
Several country homes have been com
pleted at cost of $40, 900 each. The
smaller bungalows aud homes finished
in the city and valley will number
among the scores. While in addition
to this, to keep pace with the growing
demands, two large brick buildings, a
stone church, handsome new passen-
ger station, and livery barn, have
been erected in the city and two
churches and a two-story school build
ing have been completed in different
parts of the valley. besides the numer-
Gus small business structures. The
total cost of all will approximate
$3.50 600.
The SCENE charms of the Valley
have seemed to lure the newcomer
more this summer than on any former
year. Ninety per cent of the purchases
of apple land that have been made here
have been made by men who have i'm
mediately settled in the region. For
the most part they have been retired
business men Of the East who when
their new possessions had no home or
were comprised Of raw land, set aIout
at once on the construction of home
buildings
In at least a dozen places, where
new residents have purchased property
! to be developed, handsome residence
with every modern convenience may be
found nestled among a grove of frs
and pines exempted from the axe,
while their companion trees are felled
IN nearby slashed fields and their
stumps are torn away by powder blasts
from their fastenings in the soil to
make way for the young apple tree.
1t is interesting TO note the indiyid-
uality of the ideas of the different
homebuiders express in tie architect
nre of the homes. Houses of every
type dot the valley. A home that
might have been graced the Old South
sets among a bearing orchards trees,
an eminence is crowned with a unique
log house of rustic design and the plain
stained shingle residence rises here or
there. However, for the most part,
the homes are built on the bungalow
plan, snug and home like.
Many Of the handsomest homes of
valley have been built by the pioneer
homesteaders, who in many cases came
to the region penniless, but VINO have
made fortunes by developing their land
and setting it to commercial orchards.
In instances these pioneers have built
as many as three homes in the com
munity, each characteristic of the per
iod of its construction. Fnst was the
tiny hut of the homesteader, unadorued
with any luXuries, TYPICAL of tho early
days, when the newcomers toIled to
reclaim enough Of the land from the
forests to produce fool for the susten-
ance Of a family. Then came the larg
er house, plain but comfortable, to ae-
commodate an Increased and maturing
family, while today these old citizens
with the reward of their years of
energetic labor are building large
mansions equipped with every modern
convenience.
From plans at present in the hands
of the community's architects, the
homes to be built in the valley and city
next summer will almost equal the
number erected this year The desir-
ability of the region as a home loca-
tion increases yearly as the facilities
for travel become more and more i'm
proved. The greater number of the
orchardists are owners Of automobiles
and are naturally good roads enthusi-
asts. Four miles of new macadam
highway were completed this Summer.
The majority Of the citizens are
lending their endeavors toward secur-
ing legislation permitting bond issue,
whereby the entire road system may
be made ideal as soon as possible.
: In order TO secure complete details
Of the building that has been done in
the valley this summer, the Glacier
sent letters several weeks ago to rep
resentative citizens Of each district Of
the Valley, asking each for data for
his respective community. While re-
ports have not been received from sew
eral localities, the letters that have
come in show gratifying progress in
building in every section of the fruit
growing district
More than two dozen homes have
been erected, or have been begun, in
| the 0dell and Summit districts this
/ Summer. The following list Of those
who have constructed new homes in
the Odell community has been sub
mitted by Harry Connaway, secretary
of the Odell Development league. J..
f. Hunter, Ferguson & Hawthorne,
Duckwall Bros. & Sylvester, b. X.
Richter, Geo. Galligan. G. f. Bower
man. f. A. Pflugbaupt, Ralph Cald-
well. H. May, w. A. r. Bradley. L.
6. Hagey, T. NJ. Mitchell, Mark Cam
eron, c. R. Masiker, W. r. Kemp NJ.