Before This Was a Park

Before This Was a Park. Frank And Laura Hood Start A Farm. , In 1915, Frank and Laura Hood and their young children, Merle and Louise, moved from Spokane to Burbank - a hot, dry town on the banks of the Snake River. Here, they built their home and over the next 35 years developed what locals would refer to as the Hood Farm., An innovative farmer, Frank Hood took advantage of an ideal climate, good soil, and the ability to irrigate to introduce new crops to the area including corn, sorghum, mint and grapes., In the 1930's, the Hoods added a dairy and using the barnyard fertilizer, enriched the soil to the extent that over the years, the farm produced alfalfa, potatoes, peanuts, celery and a variety of pasture grasses. Hood Farm products won prizes at area fairs and were a major source of food for local families., In 1950, the Hoods sold the farm to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make way for the pool of water that would form behind McNary Lock and Dam. The portion of the farm that did not flood became the park you enjoy today., Between 1930 and 1940, the Hoods supplied 200 customers with milk from a dairy herd of 60 cows. In the Depression years, Hood noticed his milk orders were going down. He notified customers to pay what they could so he could purchase gasoline to make deliveries. He did not want families to go without milk. When the depression ended, he received 98% of the money owed., Before the Snake River Bridge was built in 1921, Hood delivered his truck garden produce via ferry. In 1949, a car started a major fire that destroyed the bridge. The bridge you see today was constructed between 1950 and 1952., (Photo Captions) , Frank and Laura Hood , Barn and Silos for Storing Hay and Silage , The Farmhouse , Irrigation made it possible to harvest several crops of hay a year. In those days, the words "horse power" had a different meaning., The Park - Then And Now , Aerial photograph of the park in 2015 , Locations of historic features are approximate , Original Bridge As Seen from the Farmhouse