Dee, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Dee is an unincorporated community
and former company town
in Hood River County
, Oregon
, United States
, on Oregon Route 281
, about 11 miles south of Hood River
.
at Dee in 1906 and named it for Thomas Duncombe Dee
, a stockholder and business associate of board member David Eccles
. Dee was also a station on the Eccles-owned Mount Hood Railroad
. In addition to the large sawmill, Dee had a privately owned water works and electric lighting system, as well as a general store
, shops, and a hotel.
Dee had a population of 250 in 1915 and 200 in 1919, and by 1940 the population had declined to 100.
Dee was sold to the Edward Hines Lumber Company
in 1958 and they dismantled the town.
Besides logging
, Dee's economy is also tied to the fruit-growing
industry of the Hood River Valley. The area was one of the primary communities in the Hood River Valley farmed by Nikkei
—Japan
ese migrants and their descendants. The first Japanese in the area were hired as laborers on the Mount Hood Railroad. They also worked at the mill and lived in the company housing on both sides of the East Fork Hood River, which passes through the town.
About 35 Nikkei families lived in Dee in the 1920s and they founded the Dee Japanese Community Hall.
is reached by a route that begins in Dee. The area's fruit orchards lie between the east and west forks of the Hood River in an area known as Dee Flat. The site of the old saw mill, of which only the foundations still exist because of a fire, can the seen on the edge of town. Dee is characterized predominantly by pear orchards dotted with farm houses about every 1/2 mile. The community is situated atop a small plateau unique in the immediate vicinity, with unobstructed views of Mount Hood from nearly every household or building.
, that increases greatly during the annual pear and apple harvest. Several families remain year round. Oregon Republican Senator Wayne Fawbush operated a blueberry farm in Dee for 20 years, which is still in operation.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
and former company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
in Hood River County
Hood River County, Oregon
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 20,411 people, 7,248 households, and 5,175 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 7,818 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on Oregon Route 281
Oregon Route 281
Oregon Route 281 is an Oregon state highway running from Hood River to the community of Mount Hood. OR 281 is known as the Hood River Highway No. 281...
, about 11 miles south of Hood River
Hood River, Oregon
The city of Hood River is the seat of Hood River County, Oregon, United States. It is a port on the Columbia River, and is named for the nearby Hood River. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,831...
.
History
The Oregon Lumber Company built a sawmillSawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
at Dee in 1906 and named it for Thomas Duncombe Dee
Thomas Duncombe Dee
Thomas Duncombe Dee was a Utah businessman.Dee was born in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. His parents converted to the Mormon faith in 1856, and the family relocated to Ogden, Utah in 1860....
, a stockholder and business associate of board member David Eccles
David Eccles (businessman)
David Eccles was an American businessman and industrialist who founded many businesses throughout the western United States and became Utah's first multimillionaire.-Biography:...
. Dee was also a station on the Eccles-owned Mount Hood Railroad
Mount Hood Railroad
The Mount Hood Railroad is a heritage and shortline freight railroad located in Hood River, Oregon, east of Portland, Oregon, United States....
. In addition to the large sawmill, Dee had a privately owned water works and electric lighting system, as well as a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, shops, and a hotel.
Dee had a population of 250 in 1915 and 200 in 1919, and by 1940 the population had declined to 100.
Dee was sold to the Edward Hines Lumber Company
Edward Hines Lumber Company
The Edward Hines Lumber Company, based in Buffalo Grove, in the U.S. state of Illinois, is a business firm specializing in lumber, plywood, decking, doors, windows, trim, and other wood products. It also sells related services such as consultations and cost estimates for building projects...
in 1958 and they dismantled the town.
Besides logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
, Dee's economy is also tied to the fruit-growing
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
industry of the Hood River Valley. The area was one of the primary communities in the Hood River Valley farmed by Nikkei
Japanese diaspora
The Japanese diaspora, and its individual members known as , are Japanese emigrants from Japan and their descendants that reside in a foreign country...
—Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese migrants and their descendants. The first Japanese in the area were hired as laborers on the Mount Hood Railroad. They also worked at the mill and lived in the company housing on both sides of the East Fork Hood River, which passes through the town.
About 35 Nikkei families lived in Dee in the 1920s and they founded the Dee Japanese Community Hall.
Geography
Lost LakeLost Lake (Hood River County, Oregon)
Lost Lake is a lake in Mount Hood National Forest northwest of Mount Hood in Hood River County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is southwest of Hood River, a drive....
is reached by a route that begins in Dee. The area's fruit orchards lie between the east and west forks of the Hood River in an area known as Dee Flat. The site of the old saw mill, of which only the foundations still exist because of a fire, can the seen on the edge of town. Dee is characterized predominantly by pear orchards dotted with farm houses about every 1/2 mile. The community is situated atop a small plateau unique in the immediate vicinity, with unobstructed views of Mount Hood from nearly every household or building.
Economy
Dee has a fluctuating population of migrant workers, mostly from MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, that increases greatly during the annual pear and apple harvest. Several families remain year round. Oregon Republican Senator Wayne Fawbush operated a blueberry farm in Dee for 20 years, which is still in operation.
External links
- Historic images of Dee from Salem Public Library