The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-08-05
20 BUSHELS OF WHEAT
BOUGHT EARLY HOME

From a little frame shack, 2lx2I
feet. the Cottage Farm Of Mrs. Alma
l.. Howe has grown to its present pre-
tentlous proportions. A big country
residence, its rooms fitted for guests,
and numerous surrounding lighthouses
and cottages now rear themselves OF
the site OF the former tiny one-room
home. And Cottage Farm entertains
guests from Portland. 0re., and Bos.
ton, Mass.
This original small building has an
interesting history. Ii was Hood Riv.
er's first school house, having been
erected by the pioneer residents of the
West Side of the Hood River valley on
a plot of ground set aside by DR.. w. l.,
Adams for the valleys first burying
ground. Mrs. Kate Henderson, mother
OF Prof. L. F. Henderson and John Le-
land Henderson, the latter now a resi-
dent OF Tillamook,. was the communi-
tvs first teacher.
As the center Of population charged
and the location became unsuited to
school purposes, the building was
abandoned. DIR. Adams sold it to ID.
j. Parmentei, Mrs. Howe-,s brother-in.
law, for 20 bushels of wheat. The
structure was moved to the 40 acre
tract OF land purchased by Mrs. Howe.
IL formed the nucleus around which
have been erected the buildings of to-
day. The walls within which Hood
Rivers first children SAID lessons are
still doing duty in Mrs. Howe's home,
forming today her private dining room
and kitchen.
Oregon has no more remarkable
woman than Mrs. Howe. She has
made a success of her business as a
hotel keeper. But IN addition she has
always had time to take an active in
terest in the civic life of the valley,
and her deeds of charity have been
known since she came to Hood River,
despite the fact that she has been an
invalid much of her life. Many times
callers have found her in bed, thinking
out the problem of some neighbor in
distress and devising means for relief.
She was worshipped by the Indians
who lived in this region in the early
days. Her visits among them were
frequent. She cooked nOurishing food
and carried it to the sick and she
taught the Indian families how to bet
ter their conditions. The old aborigines
OF today may often be seen at her
place. Indian George, probably the
Oldest living Redskin of the mid-Co-
lumbia district, may be seen almost
weekly at her back door receiving gifts
of clothing and food from missy
Howe. The Indians we're wont to
call her the little white sister. Indeed,
for many years during the early his
tory OF the Hood River valley she was
all the nurse and doctor to be had by
both whites and Indians. She had
learned the profession of nurse in Port
land.
when first came to Hood River"
says Mrs. Howe, Except for the. road
that now leads by my place there was
no other public highway laid out in the
valley. We just Travelled through the
forests, where the trees were thinnest.
| remember very well how my neigh
bors thought ! was doing them an in
justice when fenced up the back of
my place. They said had no right to
shut them out from the road. A trail
or two led across my 40 acres, and
they did not want to 60 around the
tract.
After residing on her valley oil ac
for few years Mrs. Howe returned to
Portland. "But wanted to get away
from the city," she says, "and it was
this determination that caused me to
decided to try keeping summer board
ers.
Mrs. Howe had many friends in Port
land, and the quiet of her local resort
soon became known. For many wears
scores of Portland families have spent
the summer on the little farm. All
but II acres have been sold and have
long since been planted to commercial
fruit trees. Mrs. Howe herself doesn't
pretend to be an orchardist. Yet all
kinds of fruit trees thrive in her home
orchard. Her guests never want for
fine, ripe fruit. They may be seen
stroling in her orhchard, picking ripe
peaches and plums fresh from the
trees.
The big pine trees on Cottage Farm
are worth fortune. MANY of nv
neighbors now wish they had back
some of the trees that were grubbed
up to make room for orchards, saws
Mrs. Howe. They would be worth as
much as the apple trees. or rperhaps
more"
The back yard at this season of the
year is always filed with children,
playing in the sandpiles or swinging in |
the rope swings that are attached to
the boughs of the pine trees. For the
past several weeks little Pauline Yeon, |
nine year old daughter of MIR. and Mrs. |
j. b. Yeon, of Portland, has given Joy |
to the children of all the neighborhood |
with her team of ponies and cart. |
From morning to night the Shetlands |
have been driven around the grounds |
and over the adjoining highways.
: The Cottage Farm is a favorite rest |
ing place of Thomas w. Lawson, who |
for the past several summers has Wis
tied the resort. Mrs. Howe recently |
received pure bred Berkshire sow
from the Lawson stock farm near
Prlneville. Henrietta as the sow
has been christened, now has family |
of six little Berkshires, and the visit
ing children and the pigs have become
great friends.
Mrs. Howe has always taken great
interest in the schools of the valley.
Last.year she was chairman of the city
school board, and at recent election
she was reelected to the board.
Mrs. Howe's charity has not been
limited to her own community. She is
educating little orphan boy of Port
land. Ibis fortunate little fellow is
one of the happiest of the visitors at
The Cottage Farm in the summer
months, when he spends his vacation
romplng through the orchard and car