Tsubota Lane / A Ferry at Biggs?

Posts and Rails Behind the Abandoned Gas Station on Railroad LanePhoto by A. F. Litt, March 28, 2014

Old Roads at Biggs Junction
v.2020.07.06.007Google Earth Imagery Date: June 14, 2019

Posts, Southbound on Railroad Lane toward US 30Photo by A. F. Litt, March 28, 2014

A Ferry at Biggs?

A. F. Litt, June 4, 2022

For quite awhile, I thought the Maryhill Ferry left from Biggs, but now it is clear that the official US 97 ferry left from Grants, a bit further to the east.

However, there is still some compelling evidence that, at some point, another ferry left from Biggs itself.

The quotes below suggest this, the old roads suggest this, but, on the other hand, an old aerial photo from the late 1940s shows absolutely nothing west of the Spanish Hollow Bridge... So who knows? More research is needed!

"The ferry service wasn’t a great success, either. The service from Maryhill to Biggs, Oregon, began on Feb. 23, 1915, but did not last long. Like Maryhill itself, the ferry service was poorly located. The boat rolled hard in the frequently strong winds of the Gorge. It was a sidewheeler, and so with one side partially out of the water on windy crossings the other side overworked to keep the boat moving. During low water the ferry hit bottom on a mid-river gravel bar, and during high water the clearance below the Union Pacific Railroad bridge on the Oregon shore was too low for the boat."

https://www.nwcouncil.org/reports/columbia-river-history/maryhill (Accessed: June 4, 2022)

ColumbiaRiverImages.com: Maryhill to Biggs Ferry

The April 24, 1924 Klickitat County Agriculturist, Goldendale, Washington, stated that entepreneur Sam Hill announced he would run a ferry from Maryhill to Biggs.

"... In spite of vigorous opposition by the owners of the present ferry at Maryhill, the board of county commissioners have granted Samuel Hill, good roads booster and owner of a 5000-acre farm at Maryhill, a license to operate a ferry from the Klickitat shore to the Oregon side, at the mouth of Spanish Hollow, not far from the railway station of Biggs. H.G. Van Allen, John H. Johnson, and Ralph L. MacDonald, doing business as the Maryhill Ferry Company, and who hold a Klickitat county license, resisted the granting of a license to Mr. Hill on the ground that issuance of a license to him would be an infringement on rights granted under their license. Hills states that his ferry will be a connecting link between the states of Oregon and Washington for the everyday highway that he is promoting from the Canadian line to Mexico. This ferry, states Mr. Hill, will be an continuous operation until a bridge is constructed. This bridge is located opposite the Hill mansion and the terminus will be close to Biggs. It will be constructed within that the next three years. ..."

Sam Hill's ferry began operations in 1925 and held five cars placed in a single line. Hill boasted that the ferry would make the round-trip from Maryhill to Biggs in 10 minutes.

http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/sam_hill_memorial_bridge.html (Accessed: June 4, 2022)

Tsubota LanePhoto by A. F. Litt, March 28, 2014

Looking Northeast, Railroad Lane and Tsubota LanePhoto by A. F. Litt, March 28, 2014

A. F. Litt, June 8, 2022

Google Map names the eastern section of the road as Tsubota Lane and the western section as Tsuboth Lane. I am guessing Tsuboth is an error.

Looking East Toward Railroad Lane on Tsubota LanePhoto by A. F. Litt, March 28, 2014

Google Maps

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.6680809,-120.8388613,17.92z (Accessed: June 8, 2022)

"This Alva Day image was just marked 'Tsubota Brothers,' with a date in December 1939. Several other pictures indicate he was working in Maryhill that day. A search on 'Tsubota Brothers Oregon' uncovered the rest of the story.

"According to this obituary in the Hood River News, there were six siblings born to Japanese immigrant parents, including brothers Isami and Satoshi. They farmed in Bingen until the waters behind the Bonneville Dam chased them up to Maryhill. They were forced to leave this farm during World War II, but returned after the war. Waters behind the Dalles and John Day dams displaced them yet again. They relocated and were among the founders of Biggs Junction.

"All in all, a pretty amazing story to come from a simple negative."

Tsubota Brothers

Posted by Historic Hood River July 22, 2016

http://historichoodriver.com/index.php?showimage=1377

Historic Hood River: Tsubota Brothers

Comment by Charlott, July 22, 2016

Yes, I know the Tsuboda family very well. They still farm in Maryhill, in fact one of them now owns the land that belonged to my great-great grandparents.

Isami's wife's name was Umo.

There was a period of time that they owned a restaurant and motel at Biggs.

Those fences were built for wind breaks to protect their crops.

I don't think they had anything to do with the founding of Biggs, as that was done back in the 1800's, long before any of them arrived from Japan. Don't know where that information came from.

But found their way back to Maryhill.

Comment by Arthur, July 22, 2016

Charlott, I was suspicious of the "pioneered Biggs Junction" claim, but that's what the obituary said. Probably an exaggeration.

Comment by L.E., July 22 & 27, 2016

I assume what the obituary meant was the establishment of several Tsubota businesses at the junction of Highway 97/Sam Hill Bridge and the east/west highway which pioneered a stop for auto traffic to sleep and eat.

I have a respect for the Tsubota family … Over the years, they have employed a lot of Goldendale area people.

I forgot to add the link for some interesting reading about Mr. Tsubota and the Biggs Jasper.

http://rockhoundblog.com/regular-postings/the-history-of-biggs-jasper-deschutes-picture-jasper-oregon [Dead link left for reference]

Both Isami and Satoshi were born in Olympia, WA.

Their family moved to Bingen and they graduated from White Salmon High School.

The January 13, 2016 Goldendale Sentinel has an article about the Takahashi family of Maryhill who are related to the Tsubotas. But, you have to be a paid subscriber to read it.

The January 18, 1945 issue is archived and you can read about the return of the Tsubotas to Maryhill after being sent away following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

http://gld.stparchive.com/Archive/GLD/GLD01181945P01.php [Dead link left for reference]

Comment by Wayne, October 1, 2016

Amazing. Total respect for this family. The wind brake fence must have been a labour of love. They did not accept defeat. Their determination, endurance is what made America Great.

Comment by Les Bursinger, April 26, 2021

I worked for Satushi picking peaches,and tomatoes in August of 1980. I was just 17 and was traveling on the freight trains. He picked me up at the resturant in Wishram. I stayed in the house right next to his. He would let me eat all the peaches and cream I wanted. He said "you can eat all the peaches you want. Don't eat to many or you might get a belly ache." The time there on the beautiful banks of the Columbia River are still a fond and lasting memory. I wish I could come back and visit sometime with my family.

Comment by Lynn Orr, July 23, 2016

Alva Day is a remarkable photographer and an accomplished artist. It is always satisfying to be able to identify the people and places in such photographs. But also note the artistry of Day's compositions and his insistence on the geometric underpinning (here verticals and diagonals) to the arrangement of his motifs. No wonder they are so satisfying visually intellectually beyond their narrative/historical content.

http://historichoodriver.com/index.php?showimage=2156 (Accessed: June 8, 2022)

West on Tsuboth LanePhoto by A. F. Litt, March 28, 2014

Tsuboth Lane at the ElevatorsPhoto by A. F. Litt, October 17, 2011