"Earlier the area was known as 'Columbia' or 'Columbus'."

Historic Hood River: Columbus Townsite

Comment by Charlott, April 6, 2018

This is what was known for many years as Columbus, or Columbus Landing by some. It was there long before Sam Hill came into the picture. The up above where Stonehenge was built after WWI was known as the original Maryhill.

I am really excited about seeing this photo of the schoolhouse, as the only ones I have ever seen prior were just a little blot from one taken from the Stonehenge looking down. That building is where my families children went to school. The road used by the citizens was located what would be the behind of the school. The railroad track was relocated up the hill due to the water level rise after the dams were put in. You figure land was lost a little bit from Bonneville and then a whole lot of farm land went under with the coming of The Dalles dam.

To the right of the school you see two steeples. The first one is the Methodist Church (where my great-great and great grandmother played the organ) and the far right one is the Advent Church, which still stands.

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My great-grandparents had 140 acres across that hillside just below and to the west of Stonehenge. Located actually just above long the top of the big tree in the center. One might wonder how you could farm. It was all terraced with trees and truck garden.

Comment by L.E., April 6, 2018

Some early history of the Goodenoe Hills, which is just east of Columbus. Told by Fred Gerling...

He mentions the rattlesnakes which plagued the area. Pigs were used to eat the snakes. Snake bites don't bother hogs.

http://gld.stparchive.com/page_image.php?paper=GLD&year=1935&month=5&day=2&page=1&mode=F&base=GLD05021935p01

Comment by Charlott, April 6, 2018

I don't know about the rattlesnakes, but know of the Indian scares, especially one when it was thought that the Yakimas were on the war path and going to come raid Columbus. They took a barge like boat, put all the women and children in it, took them out in the middle of the river where they spent a very scary night. Naturally there were a couple of men on the boat. Plan was if indians attacked the men that were fortified on the shore, they would cut the ropes holding them and off they would go down the river, attempting to land on the Oregon shore (hopefully before they got to Celilo). As it turned out this was only a rumor that had been circulated down to Columbus from the Goldendale area and all went peacefully and gladly home the next day. My own great-grandmother related this story.

Historic Hood River: "GOOD ROADS" MOVEMENT 1912

Comment by Lesa, June 16, 2013

When I lived in Maryhill as a teenager in the 70s, the motorcycle gangs would show up once & twice a year, to have a rally and rock concert at Stonehenge. They would drive through the town, shooting and killing any cat, dog, or chicken, that showed itself. The state & county police would come and line the roads above the town, carrying sawed off shotguns, to try and keep them in bounds. Then for days they would drink, do drugs, and generally raze you know what. The officers of the law seemed incapable of doing anything besides monitoring them. One year they even shot the windows out of the old community church, which was right next door to us.

Those were sad days in Maryhill, much of the damage done to that area was because of their vandalism, and no one seemed to care enough to stop them.

I know the proper word should have been "raise" you know what, but living there, you would have used the word "raze" too. They were allowed to do so much damage, and nothing was done about it. It still makes me pretty angry to think of it. The image I have in my head, of those sneering bikers, as they drove through our town, while the law did nothing, when a simple road block could have sufficed, will stick with me forever.

Comment by Charlott, June 17 & 20, 2013

Apparently the law was very lacking in Klickitat County at that time, or scared of those sickos. I know it had trouble with the Indians in 1880, but think that was about the wildest it ever got. However, for such a small town of Columbus it did have a number of saloons in it's hay day.

When the word came down to Columbus that the Yakima's were on the war path, my great-grandmother said that all the children and women were put on a flat boat (maybe a barge type thing) with food, water, bedding, etc. They were anchored off shore. The men barricaded themselves on shore to defend them. In the event of an attack they would cut their anchor lines and get themselves across the Columbia to the Oregon side. Thankfully word eventually came that it had been a false alarm. The Indians did prowl round there at night, as many nights she said her Papa would be warned by the dog and he would be up with his guns.

A. F. Litt, June 7, 2022

Sometimes, working on the history of these old roads, it is hard not to be pessimistic about all the history being lost out there. Because of this, I wrongly assumed that the old pump was being packed up to be shipped off. Fortunately, it was, apparently, arriving, not departing!

Historic Hood River: SAM HILL, AT YOUR SERVICE

Comment by Charlott, December 13, 2017

He did a lot of good, where roads were concerned, but had his "dark side" that is for certain, that most people are unaware of. He had a lot of visions of grandeur, which became known as "Hill's Folly." He went up to Columbus and fully intended to run the people who had resided there since its founding out, but their pioneer spirit was greater than his father-in-law's money and he failed. They never were impressed by him.

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