The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-11-13
VALLEY PRAISED in
SALT LAKE PAPER

Hood River has never had greater
admirer than Leroy Armstr ong. pub
Usher and proprietor Of Goodwin's
Weekly, Of Salt Lake City, Utah. Mr..
has written numerous
fiction stories, one of which, "Hagar's
Son" was a prophecy of the coming Of
the Columbia River Highway. The
story writer likes TO picture the Hood
River Valley as he has seen it, and
often refers to il in bis weekly. The
story below appeared in q recent issue
of GoOdwin's Weekly:
Ii costs something TO 60 to Hood
River, and it eosts something to come
home. But il you take tae trip in mid
October. il is worth the price.
IL you haven't been there. let me
maunder a little in the descriptive
vein.
In the first place, you don't see much
of Hood River from the train. The
road runs under a bluff, and the ascent
to the business streets of that amazing
little civ is rather sharp, but the climb
is worth while. They have put down a
concrete paving. as well as concrete
sidewalks, and both look good. The
street paving contains mixture OF
stones rather larger than. commonly
found in concrete, and these are sup
posed to protect the less solid cement
from inevitable wear. The surface is
rough, SO that horses should have no
difficulty in hauling loads even IN icy
weather. Besides the concrete paving
there is much macadam, and more IS
building all the time. The town itself
is tidy to o gratifying degree, the busi-
ness blocks new and handsome, and an
appearance of order and good taste
everywhere. Hood River has the usual
complement Of churches, banks, hotels
and a very great predominance OF per-
fectly beautiful lawns, with autumn
flowers, and vines that cover the sides
of buildings, and lend the charm of
ages deerepitude.
But, fair as is the town, the country
surpasses it. Imagine valley shaped
like a horseshoe, thirty miles from
north to south, and five from east TO
west, each foot of the arc resting on
the Columbia river, at the north, the
arc itself being range of hills like the
Oquirrhs, inclosing with its majestic
sweep a valley of diversified surface,
but with every hill covered with ver-
dure. Imagine that curving skyline
with great pines and fins to the very
summit, with splashes of color accent
ing the everlasting green-the red of
oak, the cleaning yellow of frostbitten
maple, the browns of grasses that have
hidden farewell to summer and yet are
filled with focks of migratory birds,
feasting on seeds of exhaustless guam
iy- and the yellows of astels that cover
whole areas of the sloping hills. lnl-
agine that skyline cut little west Of
the southern keystone of the arch by
the mighty cone of Mount Hood, white
with everlasting snow from its summit
to the concealing curtain of the nearer
hills. Imagine a river, product of
melting SHOWS and moving glaciers,
starting from the base of Mount Hood
and piercing a pass in the ramparts,
threading its wild and noisy way into
the valley, bending to the east, where
fields invite it, then winding among
fields to the west that need its benefac-
tion, tumbling from its frigid altitude
of ten thousand feet above the sea till
it sweeps over glittering sands into the
Columbia. That is the valley.
There is an oiled macadam road
around the region twenty miles.
from the city back to the city, and it
threads the glories of the Gardens of
Hesperides. Excepting around corrals,
or the occasional pasture, there are no
fences. The country lies open to the
highway. There are orchards on every
hand, to the right, to the left, before.
behind, near by and on the sloping hill
sides far away. There had been no
heavy frost, and the leaves OF apple
! trees held on, their dull, dead green
publishing tenacity of life, and through
this foliage the flash of yellow New
town pippin or the ruddy glow of red
Spitzenburgs accentuated the beauty of
marvellous harvest time.
| was surprised at the constant re-
newing of surprise. We passed miles
and miles of those orchards, and yet
rolled past new orchards that walked a
kindling-not satiated - Joy. The
beauty of it never seemed to pail. The
very abundance of it brought extension
of the keen delight. Ground as per-
fectiy cultivated as that i'll German
gardens; soil surface pulverized, and
absolutely clean of weeds and grass
trees rising from earth that seemed
tucked about their feet with loving
tenderness men gathering with all
gentleness the ripened apples into bas-
kets of canvas, and defending against
bruises; boxes of fruit waiting trans
portation to the sorting tables in the
packing houses, and then long lines of
wagons loaded with clean boxes packed
to repletion with perfect fruit, each
apple in its own particular wrap, and
the stamp of grower, the variety and
class of fruit, and the number in each
box. That is the road.
Then away over to the east, where
the highway climbs to shelf alone
the precipice, you stop the car and turn
about to look. 1t was almost sunset
when we came there. From that point
the whole valley is commanded. Thg
regular rows of the orchards, the hills
conquered for the production of fruit,
the handsome homes. the noble Cas-
cades that enclose the picture - and
then Mount Hood rising eternal against
the vast horizon! 1t is sight all men
should see and one which none who
sees will ever forget.
There still is apple land in Hood
River Valley, and the limit of its pro-
ductiveness has not yet been reached.
This is their biggest year. in volume of
fruit gathered, and prices realized are
better than ever before.
If | did not live in Utah, ! should
want an orchard in Hood River. May
be, if am good, | will go there when
| die.
1t is now time to put on your lime fer