by hoot ramsey
The Hood River Valley is a patchwork of orchards, vineyards, farms and centuries-old agricultural lands. It stands to reason, that when there is such an abundance of fertile landscape, there will be farming, and where there are farmers, there is community.
Old-timers in the upper valley of Hood River County will tell you that community was the backbone of existence during the turn to the 20th century. There was hunger and bitter cold winter in the midrange elevations of the looming volcanic Mount Hood. There were children to protect, feed, clothe and educate. There was illness, despair, tragedy and sorrow. There was hope, joy and a common bond amongst the families that made up the small community of Mount Hood.
Educating the children was always a priority. In 1884, a one-room log schoolhouse was built along the east fork of the Hood River. The school rested on a hillside above the river and was a popular site for young boys to cut trails and pretend to be pioneers. In the early 1900s, one of the boys slipped and fell, rolling down the bank and landing just inches from the swift cold waters of the river. Aside from losing his front teeth and getting pretty badly scratched up, he was fine. But it had been a very close call. So close that the town fathers decided the school would have to be moved to a safer place.
The site of the new school was a wooded knoll at the base of Bald Butte, known for its use as a campground by Native Americans as they traveled through the area. A young local builder, Louis Cole Baldwin, was hired to design and construct the new Mount Hood School. Completed in December 1914 and occupied in January 1915, the building would also serve as civil defense headquarters during WWII and on demand as a Red Cross emergency shelter.
