The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-03-20
32-YEAR-0LD LETTER
GIVES EARLY HISTORY

The following letter written bv E. |
Smith to Henry L. Howe, city re
corder. because of its bearing on earl,
days will be of interest to present dai
people. Mr.. Howe was Hood River
first clerk and Mr.. Smith his EMPLOYER
Hood River. Ore, Sept. Is, 1881
Dear Old Nebraska:
Your esteemed letter came to hant
last evening and hasten to reply
Was pleased to learn of Your safe ar
rival home and sorry that the whea
did not ''pungle" as should have done
Everything at Hood River is progress
ing pretty we'll and | note constant
progress in many things that 60 t
make up pleasant community. Mrs
Coon is teaching our school and severa
are in attendance from the south dis
trict. Odell & Divers had their tie,
accepted last month. About $50 were
thrown out; less than | expected
James Weed has bought half of Smith
mill, price $4,000. Wallen and Ness are
furnishing the mill with logs on shares
and Hagadorn and family are boarding
the mill hands. The mill is cutting
about 5000 feet daily.and the demand
is'active. | must not omit that | saw
Shepherd yesterday. His folks were
all well.
Jessie is helping in the store and
business is improving. Rogers Bros.
are running their new shingle machine
which is attached to the grist mill and
are doing well with it. | think that
they have sold 100000 here at Hood
River. Judge Hosford has a large
building well along at the station and
two carpenters are putting up resi-
dences at the same place. am con-
stantly solicited to move there and
may do SO. Should move Mrs. Stran-
ahan will have the P. o. in my store.
Last nights Oregonian contains a tele-
gram from Vice President Oakes that
the N. p. r. r. will build at once a
road from Ainswort to The Dalles on
the north side of the Columbia. |
think that eventually it will be extend
ed to Kalama and we will then have a
road on each side of the Columbia.
The building of this road will make
a grand market for labor and supplies.
Shall try to furnish some material if
possible. We have been feasting on
grand peaches since you left. sent
five boxes to Puget Sound and they
were pronounced far ahead of either
Calf. or Walla Walla peaches. Avis
has made trip to Portland since you
were here. Clark hopes to start sur
veying next week. Hall is just finish
ing threshing at Divers, Thompson is
binding shingles. Stranahan and
Nip Neal are getting piles down Hood
river. Odell on jury at Dalles. Rev.
Berry, the Minnesota man. has bought
40 acres near Prices. He preached a
boisterous sermon last Sunday. He
evidently believes in taking the King
dom of Heaven by storm. Was down
to Portland last week and bought lots
of calico and fixings. Setson, fChurch
& Co. gave me authority to buy 10.
bushels of wheat for them in Umatilla
county and think of going up there next
week. There are 1900, 900 bushels in
Walla WalIa county. The fields turned
out from rs to 70 bushels to the acre
and one man sold 10000 bushels to Set
son, Church & Co. There is plenty of
land within ten miles of Columbia river
now vacant that will give you not less
than rs bushels per acre and all you
have to do is to pillow it up.
All Hop is down to the store as
usual. Champlin and Parker are not
doing much by all accounts. Don't
think they would do anything of conse-
duence if was not so far away. Can't
think of anything more to add to this
small letter. Would have written
larger but could not find the raw ma
terial. Keep US posted as to any dew
iltry you may be up to. am confident
that one Nebraska winter will turn
your face towards the setting sun.
This country will go ahead wonderfully
during the next two or three years.
Very truly yours,
E. L. Smith.