The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1921-04-14
VALLEY PREPARES
FOR TOURISTS
NEW INDUSTRY ARISES in DISTRICT
Both Town and County Getting Ready to
Entertain Many Motor Guests
Big Hotel Soon Ready


this spring indicates that Hood River
county is preparing to cash in on a
new industry,-th business of furnish
ing entertainment for motor tourists.
II The largest local venture in this
II direction, probably the largest in Ore
Il gon, is presented on the Columbia
River Highway mile west of the
city, where crews of men are rushing
to completion the Columbia Gorge
Hotel, a 3-story. concrete, steel and
frame structure with so rooms and
ultra modern furnishings. where Henri
Thiele, popular chef of the Hotel Ben
son of Portland, will greet motor visit
ors after June /. Southern California
tourist hotels may be larger than this
initial unit of the Columbia Gorge
hostelry, but none may boast super
Tor service, according to announce
ments of the management of the local
resort. Plans call for the construction
of additional units as the business
! justifies.
| The local tourist hotel, conceived by
| 3. Benson, whose funds are backing
the enterprise arises at the edge of the |
Columbia gorge, where the Wau-Guin- |
Guin falls of Phelps creek leap 200 |
feet to the level of the Columbia. The |
| basement of the structure is cut from |
solid rock, and concrete balcony of |
basement ball room will jut out over
the gorge at the very edge of the in-
spring cataract A heating plant and
the elaborate kitchens will be housed
in the big basement. A tower, reach
ing total height of "a feet. will rise
over the main building, and from this
lookout the guest may have the priv
ilege of superb view of the Columbia
canyon, the broad course of the mighty
stream and minarets and embattle-
ments of rocky promontories.
Advance interest of the general pub
lie in the new resort presages success
from the jump-off. 1t is announced
that applications for reservations have
already been made by more than 2 600
prospective guests. 1t is apparent that
a waiting list will have to be estab-
lished from the first, and it is pre-
dicted that no time will be lost in the
construction of additional units. The !
Columbia Gorge hotel, it is said, will I
serve as a Columbia base for mo-
tor parties who wish to spend several I
days in sightseeing in this district.
The round trip to Mount Hood and
Mount Adams resorts and points of
SCcHlC inbCICst may Dt Ilduc III Il udy
easily. When the Mt Hood Loop
that Portland folk will end the first !
lap of week end tours around the {
mountain at the local hostelry. O
Mrs. Alma Howe, pioneer resort 9
proprietor of the Hood River valley. A
who for more than a decade has enter b
tanned Portland folk at her Cottage
farm just southwest of the city. is ex- r
pecting record number of guests this s
summer. Mrs. Howe has erected Il
number of cottages. Some of her
guests spend the summer at the farm. c
in the midst of pastoral quiet. Both A
Mount Adams and Mount Hood are in j
plain view of her place. j
Hans and Paul Hoerlein, former c
Reed College students, have turned
heir Oak Grove ranch place into a
summer resort. They are now engaged =
IN the construction of new cottages y
and lighthouses. The ranch home has :
)een remodeled, and a huge living p
'oom with an enormous fire place =
appeals to the traveller. The young y
'anchers expect to be able to care for y !
rom 20 to 80 tourists soon. d
Homer A. Rogers, who operates y
Mount Hood Lodge and Cloud Cap Inn, y q
tates that he is expecting the heaviest :
ourist travel in the history of the u
,alley this summer. The Lodge will ~
le formally opsDed May /, and the >,
mn, at the foot of Eliot Glacier and at NJ
mile altitude, will be ready to re- ~
eive guests after June 25. Mr..
rogers states that numerous improv- 81
nents will be made at both hostelries. ~ ~
II. M. Hicks, who last year leased a,
he basement of the Mt. Hood Hotel y,
Annex, which is 100 feet square, equip ! ~
ing it as a modern cabaret, has re- ~
pened the place, which was closed ="
fter a short time last summer because
( the blockade resulting from paving eaa
perations. The restaurant, known as u
he Lotus Grille, is said to have the VI
argest floor space of any Oregon "
abaret. Its elaborate finishings have ~
reused favorable comment. Members ~
the Portland Shrine party, enter. " "
aimed here Saturday before last de- " "
Jared that they were surprised to find ~ ~
restaurant so well euipped in a city az
o larger than Hood River. But the ua
rifle IS becoming more popular daily, "a "a
nd Mr.. Hicks is making preparations ~ ~
)r busy season. hs
Local commercial hotels, too, are Oh
laking especial preparations to feed
he hungry tourists and to house them. ID
18th the Highway fully paved between /
ere and Astoria, the tourist trsffic is
xpeeted TO be far IN excess Of any
,rmer year this season.
Hood River is well equipped with
sstaurants and cafes. In addition TO
",o y oiilng rrsI,d ioo,ls ms VI tne gotels snu Pr
shnr -.
.ated by Mr.. and Mrs. Geo. II. Me- ~
ullin. was opened here because of ~,
le Columbia River Highway. Mr.. -
I'd Mrs. McMullin were formerly in n,
Ie restaurant business in Montana. Pe