The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1922-03-23
EARLY LIFE AT
CLOUD CAP INN
(From The Dalles Chronicle)

(From The Dalles Chronicle)
Mrs. Sarah Langille, who with her
family spent l6 summers at Cloud Cap
Inn, tells many interesting incidents
of their life there. The family con-
sisted of Mr.. and Mrs. Langille and
their three sons, William A., of Hood
River Douglas, better known as ID:
D. Langille, of Portland, and Bert,
who is otherwise addressed as h. b.
Langille, of Berkeley, Calf.
The Langilles were pioneers in Hood
River county, taking a homestead In
the Upper Valley IN 1888. In 1880
Cloud Cap Inn was built at the north
base of Mount Hood and for l6 years
their summers were spent at the Inn.
with Mrs. Langille managing 1t and
rearing her sons to read and under
stand the primal Nature about them.
Mrs. Langille is sturdy woman of
78 with white hair and blue eyes.
Among her friends, she is familiarly
known as "Tant' Sannie.' The name
originated years ago when she was be-
ing dictatorial to one of her sons. as
mothers are privileged to be, and ne
jokingly called her 'Tant' Sanne,
from the character of that name IN the
book, "The South African Farm and
'Tant' Sannie" she has been affection
ately called ever since.
The Inn is a.rambling log structure
with rustic beauty which hts into the
mountain setting. One OF the attrac-
tive features.of the interior is great
fireplace taking up one end OF the
large living room. The sclentihc names
of flowers, trees and geological lorna
tions of the Mount Hood region are
common to Mrs. Langille and her sons I;
the mountain birds also had place In
the fascinating interests OF their li1e.
There was no other habltatlon WITHIN
three miles of the Inn when the Ian
GILES were there.
Zone night" said Miss Anne Lang,
whom Mrs. Langille has been visiting,
"when we were guests at the Inn,
Portland family was on the way there,
and the father called up Mrs. Langllle
from Hood River to tell her that they
were coming. Don't come, she told
him, for we have no room to accom-
modate any more.
''Late that evening we were sitting
before the open fire when we heard the
clatter of somebody coming. In spite
of Mrs. Langille's advice these people
had come.
"She greeted them and was trying
to devise some way of caring Tor
them, when the man said pompously.
We expect the best in the house or we
shall go elsewhere.
"We were very much amused and
wondered just what his feelings were
when he looked about next morning IN
the daylight and noticed the impossl-
bility of going elsewhere.
"The mountains were sources OF un-
ending interest to US, said Mrs. Lam
gille. "We knew them so we'll that |
never worried about my boys becoming
lost. They knew their way through
the dense forest and never failed to re-
locate anything of interest in the
mountains.
"a college professor visiting at the
Inn one day remarked that he had no
ticed a great number of Douglas frs
not far away.
NO you are mistaken, Douglas
told him. Il know of only three
Douglas frs around here
"There was some discussion and
finally my son took him to the grove
and convinced the scientist that they
were of the white fir variety, know n
as the Amabalis.
"My son, Bert" continued Mrs.
Langille, "was especially interested in
the.pIants and flowers. He made a
complete collection of them for his
herbarium which contained the pressed
flowers, together with their common
and botanical names. He has since
given the herbarium to Prof. Colville:
of the Smithsonian Institute.
''The boys used to place markers to
show the movement of Eliot glacier.
| During one year we noticed variation
of four feet in its position. Each year
showed some difference in its action.
We found that the movement of the
glacier depended very much on the
snowfall. One year the black ice
would recede toward the mountain anC
perhaps the next year 1t extended fur
ther down.
81 recall one summer when We
heard terrible rumbling, which was
caused by an immense slide near Ma
zama rock. Tons of ice, snow and de
bris dropped to depth of at least
5000 feet. The river then became
muddy and there was quite rise II
the middle fork of Hood river.
"Most of the people who visited the
Inn while we were there were from
Portland and HoodsRiver or were east
ern college professors. Some of then
came to carry. on scientific research
work and some to climb the mountain
from the north side, which is shorter
ascent than that on thessouth side.
"Many did not come prepared fol
mountain climbing and we had to out
fit them with the discarded clothing
and equipment of previous parties. "
She told ofsdifferent occasions wher
notable people, in descending the
mountain, were unfortunate enough Il
lose their footing and finish sthe de
scent by coasting without sleds Of
sufficient protection.
The result,.was highly detrimental Il
their clothing and to their comfort, t
say nothing of their dignity. She said
At such times Mrs. Langille wac th'
ministering angel and attended 70 The
necessary patching to again MAKE
them presentable.
The Langille boys begun experiment
ing with mirrors for heliographinl