www.hoodrivernews.com
Hood River News, Wednesday, January 28, 2015
A5
Celebrate with
Friends & Neighbors
at Skamania Lodge
Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea
W ARMING S HELTER M OVES
Beginning Jan. 25, the Hood River Warming Shelter opened in the building formerly known
as the Expo Center (405 Portway Ave., on the waterfront just north of downtown) thanks to
a partnership with the Hood River Port Commission. The Shelter will be housed there
through March 8, the final date of the shelter season. Andy Wade, foreground, volunteer co-
ordinator and co-founder, moves a couch with Rick Starrett on Jan. 23, move-in day, as Alan
Wiebe, a shelter host, sets up the TV and DVD player. For the remainder of the season, the
Expo Center site does away with the weekly move between five locations taking turns host-
ing the Warming Shelter, now in its fifth season. On weekdays, guests can catch a CAT bus
to the shelter at Rosauers at 5 p.m. and Hood River Hotel at 5:30 p.m. There is no charge,
guests just need to let the driver know they are headed to the shelter. The shelter opens at
6 p.m. and guests must be out by 7 a.m. Meals and a warm place to sleep are provided,
along with games and movies, and access to shower and laundry. For details go to
hoodrivercares.org.
Casco Especial
Tuesdays in February will be
hot in River Rock! Our culinary
team members with Latino
heritage will be generously sharing
their family recipes for Mexican,
Central and South American
Cuisine. Spice up your Tuesday!
Young Voices
What Being an Oregon pioneer
descendent means to me
BY ABBY WALKER
S
tarting in the early
1840s, whispers of a
new territory rich
with opportunity
were beginning to
reach the ears of those liv-
ing in the east. Its name
was Oregon, and it
promised a fresh start for
whomever dared make the
journey west. It was the
start of a mass exodus.
Brave settlers craving bet-
ter lives took their fates
into their own hands,
packed what they could
into covered wagons, and
left their old lives behind.
They knew what they
sought would be dangerous
to obtain, and that many
would not survive. But they
were determined to fulfill
their dreams, or to die try-
ing.
My ancestor Catherine
Abbott was one of them. At
the age of 10 she left her
home of Council Bluff,
Iowa, and began the treach-
erous journey west. Her fa-
ther, John, suffered from
consumption, and the fami-
ly thought that a different
climate would do him some
good. The family of four
left in 1850. That first year,
they made it as far as Salt
Lake City before they had
to stop for the winter.
Joseph Smith, the founder
of Mormonism, granted
them permission to build a
cabin there. The plan was
to stay only for the winter,
but the Abbotts ended up
staying for two years after
Keturah, Catherine’s moth-
er, had her third child. At
the end of those two years,
however, the family was
greatly pressured into join-
ing the Mormon Church,
and in order to keep their
religious beliefs they set
out to finish their journey
in 1852.
After years of dreaming
of their lives in the west,
the family finally made it to
Oregon City. They rented a
home from John McLough-
lin, owner of the general
store that most consider to
be the end of the Oregon
Trail. Undoubtedly, the
clean air did Catherine’s fa-
ther some good, because he
lived for three more years
before he passed away in
1855.
The Abbott’s lives took a
turn for the worse after the
loss of their father. Keturah
Abbott, now with five chil-
dren to look after and no
job to sustain them, had a
nervous breakdown shortly
after her husband’s pass-
ing. The court deemed her
unstable and she was
thrown in jail, and later put
in an insane asylum. The
children were all separated
and given to other families,
for they had no one else to
take them in. It was a very
sad ordeal, to reach Oregon
without loss of life, but to
be separated a few years
after their arrival due to
circumstances beyond their
control.
Eventually, however,
their mother was released
from the asylum and was
taken in by Catherine and
her sister, Amanda. Ketu-
rah Abbott lived to be 90
years old, and see her
daughter Catherine mar-
ried to my great-great-great
grandfather, Hercules La-
Tourette Kelly. She had
seven children, three
grandchildren, and one
great-grandchild, my
grandmother. Catherine
Abbott Kelly is buried in
Oregon City with her hus-
band and a few of her chil-
dren.
I have always loved histo-
ry. In elementary school, I
would spend hours reading
library books about girls
who lived during memo-
rable events in the past,
like the Civil War, the Great
Depression, and the Ameri-
can Revolution. When I
learned that one of these
events took place so close to
home, I fell in love with the
Oregon Trail. I remember
the excitement I felt when I
would open one of my
books and recognize the
names of landmarks listed
there, knowing that I had
visited many of them in my
home state. Suddenly I was
the owner of a pioneer bon-
net, and my grandparents
were taking me on trips to
Flagstaff Hill, Three Island
Crossing, Whitman Mis-
sion, Old Fort Hall, the
Blue Mountain Crossing,
Clover Creek, and the Bar-
low Road, among other
things. When my fourth-
grade class did an Oregon
Trail unit, I was proud to
bring in pictures from my
adventures and share them
with my classmates.
■
Sisters Abby and Johanna
Walker of Odell won the
Sons and Daughters of Ore-
gon Pioneers (SDOP) 2015
Junior Awards, as reported
in the Jan. 24 Kid Space
page, where Johanna’s draw-
ing was published. This is
the full essay by Abby, a
sophomore at Hood River
Valley High School.
Serving Hood River Daily!
Monday - Friday: The Dalles • Hood River
Call 541-386-4202
Happy Hour Is Back!
Monday - Thursday
4 PM - 6 PM
Petite menu and discounted
select beverages, including:
Hot Crab & Shrimp Dip,
Chili Fries, Rock Burger
with Cheese, Buffalo Wings,
Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Plus, Don’t Miss Our
Prime Rib Sunday!
January 18th and 25th
5 - 9 PM
Enjoy this dining feature
for a limited time.
8 oz. prime rib dinner $22;
12 oz. prime rib dinner $28
Reservations Suggested: 509-427-7700
Portland, too!
Tue&Thur Service
The Dalles
Hood River • PDX
Dr. Stephen Snyder after 42 years practicing general dentistry here
in Hood River, will be limiting his practice at Hood River Dental to the
treatment of sleep apnea, snoring and complex denture prosthetics.
Dr. Snyder would like to thank all of his patients for their trust and
loyalty allowing him to care for their dental health needs over the last
four decades. If you have any friends or family who
are suffering from snoring, sleep apnea, are CPAP
intolerant, he would love to assist them.
Dr. Snyder
Dr. Snyder will continue at Hood River Dental as a
valuable part of this advanced dental team.
1805 Belmont Drive • Hood River • 541-386-4255
STEVENSON, WA • 800-221-7117 • SKAMANIA.COM