The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1920-09-09
COMMENT ON THE
NEW TOURIST HOTEL
(By C. C. Chapman in Oregon Voter

translated means "water rushing"
am writing this at the top Of the falls
to the music of their tumbling. A de
licious freshness rises from thei
spray, cooling the hot August. after
noon. The waters drop a sheer hun
dred feet or more, in volume abou
equal to Mutlnomah. Over the CLASSY
brow of the falls is seen the placiC
green of the Columbia, mirroring the
mighty hills beyond.
Here Henri Thiele, picked the site OF
the first of Oregon's great inland tour
ist hotels, to be erected in time for the
1921 season. Simon Benson is fnanc-
ing the project, TO the tune of SITS, 600.
The location is on the Columbia River
Highway, only mile west of the city
limits of Hood River. The Highway,
now paved all the way from Portland
to Hood River, makes the enchantment
available to every nature lover.
An enchantment it is, claiming every
visitor to its charms. All who have
Travelled by rail between Portland and
Hood River will recall the great cliffs
of basalt rock just west of the geele-
brated City of Apples, cliffs rising abb
ruptly from three hundred to four hun
dred feet above the broad Columbia.
At the top. along the rough rocks of
the ragged rim is the tract Wau-Guin-
Gin, named after the falls. Gnarled
oaks find foot room in the grassy car
pet that upholsters the rocks and cast
grateful shade along the rim and for
few hundred feet back to the Highway.
| BY the falls maple and wild shrubbery
shelter the ferns and moss.
Towards the west end of the tract
perhaps third of a mile from the
falls-the rim rock projects out into
the gorge and forms a summit ledge |
whence is viewed panorama the gran
deur of which defes description, es-
pecially at sunset, when the majestic |
river is opalescent with reflected glory. |
framed by the silhouettes of the
mighty mountain walls Of the gigantic
gorge. For twenty miles down the
river the. eye rests on cliff and crag,
shadowed by sunset glow and sharp
against the rainbow CLEAN of the
magic winding waters. Direct below
the point is meadow of emerald, glis-
tening in a regal setting such as never
embraced the jewel of prince or poten-
tate.
Twilight and darkness come on, cast
ing new spells over the gorge and riv-
er as the silent hours unwind. Gradu-
ally the golden glow fades. and the
blue depths are illumined by the sill
very reflection of the new moon, gls.
tening white against an indigo as deep
as the blue of the starry heavens above
is bright in the summer night.
With sigh of regret one leaves the
abysmal dimness of the canyon, and
winds along the tree canopied trail to
the falls, there to be lulled to refresh
in sleep by their murmur An old re-
sort hotel is by the falls, now occupied
as a residence by Mr.. and Mrs. Ernest
G. Rand, who with Robert Rand, their
father, sold the property to Messrs.
Benson and Thiele. For many years
Ernest Rand has lavished attention on
the Wondrous tract, to make its
beauties more accessible. Winding
trails through lovers lanes, rustic
bridges, unexpected seats in cozy
hooks by the ripping creek, a trout
pool, plantation of luxurious cattails,
and great lawn of velvet green lead
to the brink of the falls-all
.hese and much more have been com
)leted to enhance rather than detract q
rom the natural charm of the spot. +
Robert Rand, the father, is now 80 .
I
and vision as when many r
ears ago he bought the Wau.G GUM a
iuin falls with the conviction that as u
he country grew, here would prove to -
'e mecca for lovers of the beautiful q
nd restful. The elder Rand was pi-
neer of California and Oregon-settled .,
n the Hood River valley 81 years ago, u
nd as rancher, merchant, hotel propri- n
tor and enterprising citizen has been !,
factor in its varied development. h
''The valley was all timbered when / .
Ocated here-now it is one vast orch n,
rd, a bower of bloom in spring that +,
estles like a fairyland between the
nows of Mount Hood and Mount Ad- II
ms" he relates glowingly. 81
The highway we dreamed of for ~
ears is now a reality, chiefly due to
lr. Benson, who has done more for "
lregon than any other one man, and n,
ow the tourist resort we dreamed of h,
Or years IS also about to become re-
lity-agaln through the instrumental II
Y OF Mr.. Benson. | have had much p,
applness In my pioneer life, and it is Nc
} be crowned by the erection of the M
ew hotel on the tract which, when in
urchased il for song twenty years on
go, dedicated in my mind to this uti- oy
late purchase. bC
Mr.. Rand grows eloquent asyin con- II,
ersation he alludes to the possibilities eli
the future for Oregon, Portland and
le Highway. all
Five arterial roads lead into Port Tr
nd through this gorge, ''he proclams, Nj
and these five roads bring TO Portland es
le wealth of a hinterland such as ov
lcks no other city of the entire west. n,
hese five roads are the North Bank W.
ighway, now open; the North Bank vi,
abroad, the Columbia river itself, the tri
Mon Pacific Railroad on the south in
INK and the Columbia Highway. Ton
Seattle has a great tharbor, 'tis as.
ne, but Portland has the back coun- ON
y, and these five roads lead toiPort- Of
nd and inevitably will make Portland on,
e metropolis Of the west" me
The old gentleman rises TO his feet in Tn
$ el0quence and radiates an optimism the
at inspires youth TO courage TO build Ian
r Oregon. ma,
Henri Thiele found Wau-Guin-Guin nee
the course Of a systematic search Of en-
er year forlthegbest location for a .
lrist hotel. Henri is essentially an CON
lst-but he knows how to capitalize m,
artistic instincts into golden dol ant
3. And thereby hangs a tale" wa.
hen Simon Benson built what Is of
" the Benson hotel, he erected il as on
glorltied annex % the original Hotel Ho.
egon-but the times were not propi- %
us and the effort 90 make the annex snl
y nearly ruined the lesses, so they out
{ both the annex and the Oregon. Cui
+. Benson had 20 take over his stately / ar
ucture and embark. inexperienced. hes
o the hotel business himself. At the
t he didn't find Il any more profit ATTIC
e than did the earlier management. Is y
he had the resources that made -