"Underwood Mountain, Washington (2,755 feet elevation), is an early Pleistocene shield volcano that erupted between 20,000 and 850,000 years ago, and covered east-dipping Grande Ronde Basalt a few hundred feet above the river. The basalt of Underwood Mountain is composed of numerous blocky, jointed flows, each about 10 to 30 feet thick. The total thickness of the basalt reaches at least 590 feet. Underwood lavas crossed and probably briefly dammed the Columbia River, as remnants of the Underwood flows can be found on the Oregon side."


Source:    Lloyd DeKay and Terry Hurd, 2011, Columbia River Gorge Chapter Ice Age Floods Institute 2011 Field Trip.

Amos Underwood, a pioneer resident of Underwood, well known in Hood River, died Saturday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Mary V. Olson at Underwood.

Mr. Underwood was 83 years old and came to Oregon from Iowa in 1852. He was a veteran of early Indian wars and served as Corporal in Company B, Oregon volunteers. He was a member of the party which captured the famous Cayuse chief, Pepe Mux Mux. Later, when an Indian uprising threatened the settlement of Hood River, Mr. Underwood rendered valuable assistance to troops sent from the Dalles to protect the settlement.

Mr. Underwood was active in the development of the Underwood section, where he and a brother, Edward, took up a homestead and from whom the town of Underwood received its name. For many years they operated a ferry between Underwood and Hood River, while they also operated flat boats from Cascade Locks to The Dalles for many years before there were steamers plying the middle Columbia river. ...


Source:    "The Hood River Glacier", Hood River, Oregon, December 19, 1917, courtesy "rootsweb.com", 2008.

(Editor's note: Mrs. Lane, who passed away on Saturday of last week, was born at North Bonneville, Wn., at the time of the Civil War and was known and respected throughout the mid-Columbia region. The following tribute by Mrs. Brumbaugh should be of interest to all residents.)

Mary Underwood Lane was born on April 17, 1864 in North Bonneville, Wn., at the home of Aunt Wac-oo'-bule in Chief Wa-bana-ha's village. She died in White Salmon hospital February 14 and was buried in the family cemetery at Underwood, Wn. on Tuesday, February 2(sic).

Her parents were Amos and Ellen (Chenowuth Lear) Underwood. Her father was born on December 2, 1833, in Ohio and died in 1917 at Underwood. He came to Oregon from Missouri in 1852 and was a private in the Yakima war in 1855. He first homesteaded, or purchased, the pre-emption of Peter Rudio in Hood River county (then Wasco county) in 1859. He took out his patent in February 10, 1864, and sold out to John Marden later. He then moved to Skamania county, Wn., where he homesteaded with a soldier's warrant west of White Salmon river (then in Klickitat county), buying railroad, timber and stone land until he owned 320 acres. He also had 10 gold mines along the river, operated at ferry between White Salmon and Hood River and owned a saloon at Underwood, Wn., which was named for him. He was familiarly known as "Captain Ame." He had a hotel and ferry at John Day with Day Leonard and owned three freighting scows also.

Mrs. Lane's mother was Ellen Chen-O-wuth of the Royal Columbia river Indian family. She was born in 1841 at Wy-yac-eck, Cascades Falls, Ore. Ellen had married Lt. William King Lear in 1856, to which union was born a daughter, Isabella, on May 21, 1857. A separation followed in 1858. Amos and Ellen were married in an Indian ceremony in 1861. They were married later by the Rev. Thomas Condon, as was the custom. Ellen died the same year as her husband. ...


Source:    "The Hood River News", Hood River, Oregon, February 24, 1950, courtesy "rootsweb.com", 2008.

The Underwood Mercantile company installed a soda fountain in their store to please the taste of their customers whose number has been increased by the installation of Ray Meggs’ service station. This service has grown from one pump to four and now demands all the time of the owners so he has had to sell the repair shop he formerly operated.


Source:    The Skamania County Pioneer, Stevenson, Washington, January 15, 1926, as found on "rootsweb.com" website, 2011.

The Underwood Mercantile Company, one of the largest mercantile establishments in the country has been sold to Grover Brothers of Cascade Locks, Oregon, and the new owners have taken charge of the business.

The new owners are experienced mercantile men and will put forth every effort to make the business a credit to the Underwood district and a financial success. The Underwood Mercantile Company was owned by a stock company formed of local people and carried a large general line of merchandise, the stock being valued between $12,000 and $15,000 and did a large volume of business. ...


Source:    The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., January 7, 1927, found on "rootsweb.com" website, 2011.

For the first time in nearly 100 years there will be no store at Underwood. George Balsiger announced this week that the Underwood Mercantile will be closed as soon as the merchandise is sold. ...

Although he is closing the store, he is not selling the fixtures. He is hopeful of finding a buyer to carry on the tradition that started with an Indian trading post nearly a century ago.


Source:    The Mt. Adams Sun, Bingen, Washington, May 14, 1964, as found on "rootsweb.com" website, 2011.

"Nobody," unless they live in Underwood, can realize what the new highway along the North Bank is going to mean to the community which has for many years, nestled under the hills at the mouth of the White Salmon River." Many Hood River people have traveled over the old Evergreen Highway in good weather, on their way to one or other of the resorts in Skamania or Klickitat counties. Nobody ever traveled over this old road in bad weather, because there were too many thrills to suit even the most ambitious. The result was that Underwood, often for many weeks at a time, has been completely cut off as far as road travel was concerned.

With the completion of the new water level highway sometime this year, Underwood will at times have easy access to the outside world, and, in addition it will get very much of the travel that in the past has either passed the community up or has gone over the Columbia River highway by way of the ferry at the White Salmon landing.

During the past year a number of improvements have borne witness to the spirit of optimism which now prevails in the Underwood community. In addition to new warehouses and an improved depot, a number of changes are being made at the big store of the Underwood Mercantile Co., in anticipation of the good times which are near at hand. Improvement of travel conditions, too, will mean that many of the Underwood people, including those living on the heights, will more frequently visit Hood River, the road between Underwood and the orchards section above having been widened out and graveled until now it now ranks as a first class highway.

As Mr. Smith says, the future of Underwood now looks very bright, which proves the value of a water grade highway.


Source:    "Hood River News", Hood River, Oregon., January 5, 1923, courtesy "rootsweb.com" website, 2011.