Clark Thompson
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Clark Thompson House
In 1901, Clark Thompson, an engineer by training, arrived in the Columbia Gorge with his wife, the daughter of a Wisconsin lumberman who had invested in the Wind River Lumber Company. At his father-in-law's request, Thompson took charge of the company. He is credited with having designed the first fully electrified mill on the Northern Pacific Coast. The Wind River Mill burned in 1906, just as construction of the house was underway. The house was occupied by its original owners ten years before ill health forced Mr. Thompson to retire to California.
Clark Thompson was a prominent and respected lumberman in the Northwest. He and his wife, Jessie, moved to Oregon in 1901 from LaCross, Wisconsin. His father in-law, Sam Hyde, invested in the Wind River Lumber Company and wanted Clark to look into the affairs of the company. His brother, Helmus Wells Clark, already lived in Oregon and was a Judge in the Juvenile Court in Eugene. Another brother, Mortimore, moved to Oregon after 1906 and worked for the Wind River Lumber Company. Clark Thompson worked as supervisor and vice-president of Wind River Lumber Company for almost 17 years. He was a well known lumberman, and belonged to an organization known as the Lumberman's Group, and served as a delegate to the National Irrigation Congress held in 1901 in Spokane, Washington. By training, he was an engineer and was responsible for numerous successful projects in the midwest, as well as designing the first fully electrified mill (Wind River) on the Northwest coast.
WIND RIVER LUMBER
In 1898, a group of men from the midwest invested in timber claims on the Washington side of the Columbia, and then established the Wind River Lumber Company in Cascade Locks. One of the investors was Sam Hyde, Clark Thompson's father in-law. In 1901, Clark Thompson came out to Oregon to inspect the company. Shortly after, he moved to Oregon and became vice-president and supervisor of the lumber company.
The mill burned in 1906, but was quickly rebuilt in 1907 using a design developed by Clark Thompson. His design proved to be the first fully electric powered mill on the west coast. At its peak, it employed 75 men and cut an average of 80,000 feet of lumber a day.
The headquarter's for the mill included a company store, advertised in the city directory as selling general merchandise. With its temple style porch and columns, it was described as one that "dominates early 20th century Cascade Locks" and according to one inhabitant, it was "where everybody was supposed to shop."
Due to poor health, Thompson sold Wind River to the Bridal Veil Company in 1916 for $1,500,000. Included in the sale were the buildings, equipment and timber stands. The mill ceased operating in 1925, and the machinery was sold to the Alaska Jack Company.
In 1928 all remaining structures were razed.
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Clark Thompson House (PDF)https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/593be83c-a49a-463b-98ba-91f589a6802a Accessed: April 30, 2022