Klamath Heritage: Klamath Falls c. 1905

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Klamath Falls as it appears in late 1905 or early ‘06.

Klamath Falls as it appears in late 1905 or early ‘06.

This photo is relatively easy to date because of three large brick or stone masonry buildings that were erected that year. The Baldwin Hotel (originally a retail/office building) stood four stories above Main Street, making it the tallest commercial building in Southern Oregon at that time. Only the top two floors can be seen in this image. The Lakeside Inn blocks a view of the lower two floors of the Baldwin.

Also built in 1905 was Klamath County High School, seen at left-center in this image. The old high school served the community until closing in 1928 to give way to Klamath Union High School. The Granvue Apartments now occupy that spot above High Street.

The third large building raised in 1905 was the Central School, which served the elementary grades. It is seen in the distance at right-center. Streets laid out for the Pacific Terrace neighborhood can be seen behind the school’s belfry. The Oregon Bank Building – known in later years as the Medical-Dental Building, was built on that spot in 1929-30.

The A Canal, dug in 1906, does not appear in this image. Also missing in this image is the Moore Bros. lumber mill, constructed in 1907 on the west shore of Lake Ewauna, where barns and small pastures can be seen. The South Portal building, which houses the Chamber of Commerce and Discover Klamath, occupies that spot today.

The Main Street bridge over Link River can be seen at lower left. Beside the bridge is a cluster of buildings that mark the original spot of Linkville. Also nearby is a boat dock that received passengers and freight carried by several steamboats, including the Canby, Ewauna, Buffalo and Klamath.

The photographer appears to have selected a spot with a view looking down the length of Main Street.

Click on the link below to see this photo mapped and overlaid on a Google StreetView image. The fader bar functions best on computers, but can usually be made to work on smartphones by tapping on the + and - buttons.

http://www.whatwasthere.com/browse.aspx#!/ll/42.2150927210572,-121.792133818279/id/89343/info/sv/zoom/20/

Information provided for Klamath Heritage is provided courtesy the Klamath County Museum.