HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON
PAGE THREE
Heppner & Morrow County
Welcomes Settlers, Investors
MODERN FACILITIES GIVE EXCELLENT EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES
45TH ANNIVERSARY BOOSTER EDITION
Morrow County, Oregon-the Last Frontier BIDS YOU WELCOME
Heppner, the County Seat
Heppner, the county seat of Morrow county is approximately the
geographical center of the county. It is the county's main trading
and shipping center and today a veritable behive of industry. Hepp
ner, as in the case of other Morrow county municipalities, is ever
forging ahead and is destined to a greater future.
Heppner is located 62 miles west of Pendleton, served by the
Oregon-Washington highway, and 46 miles southeast of the Columbia
River highway, in close proximity to Portland and other larger mar
kets. The excellent railway and improved highway transportation
facilities are among our greatest assets. Here the farmer produce
as nowhere else in the land and has excellent transportation facilities
close to larger markets, thus assuring him economical operation. We
have daily bus service to Arlington and Pendleton.
The population of Heppner today is approximately 1500 which
population is ever growing. The country tributary to Heppner is
a well settled, highly improved and well developed agricultural niea
devoted to general fanning and livestock. The leading crop wheat
for which this section is particularly noted, with sheep, cattle, hogs
and poultry running a close second. All manner pf garden truck,
fruits, etc., are also raised successfully. These items will be dwelt
on more at length throughout the following pages.
Heppner is, above all else a busy commercial center and an idtal
home city. A fine place to live and to rear your family. A clean
town throughout, a xity where crime and immorality are unknown
factors. It boasts in particular one of the most beautiful of residen
tial sections. Here will be seen miles of macadamized streets, ce
ment sidewalks, fine residences, pretty and well kept lawns, an excel
lent street lighting system and all else that is attractive to the eye
for the permanent resident.
Our school system is our particular pride. Pictures are shown
in this issue of the modern high school building and new auditorium
completed in December, 1927, which is considered one of the best
equipped in the west. This was erected at a cost of $27,000.00 and
serves well its purpose. In particular is it given over for physical
training, sports, athletics. Included in the equipment is a stage and
six hundred seating capacity auditorium which is used for school
plays and the like.
At Heppner various religious orders are well represented, all
occupying their own buildings and boasting of healthy memberships.
The churches here include the Methodist, Episcopal, Christian and
Catholic. Pictures of these churches are shown in this issue. All
fraternal organizations are likewise well represented, leading among
whom are the Masons, Elks, Odd Fellows, Neighbors of Woodcraft,
Knights of Pythias and others.
The business life of the city is prosperous, drawing trade from
many miles of adjoining farming country. There are two banks,
among the strongest in the west, a number of hardware and furniture
houses, the usual array of general stores, exclusively grocery and dry
goods houses, machine shops, garages, auto agencies, theater, jewelry
houses, a bakery, several restaurants and in fact all usual lines of
retail business are well represented and in most cases occupy their
own imposing and modern business structures. A few of these ex
amples are shown in the pages of this edition.
Throughout the pages of this issue we are endeavoring to give you
of other parts an accurate mental picture of the advantages offered
in this locality so that you may eventually become one of us. Here
you will find a truly God loving and God fearing people who will
be giving you the glad hand of welcome and who will be interested in
your success after your arrival.
WELCOME TO HEPPNER AND MORROW COUNTY.
If I0III1
(From Oregon Journal, Portland,
Jan. 3, 1928.)
Months have passed Blnce the
Oregon development fund permit
ted further advertising of the farm
home opportunities of Oregon. But
Mr. Ide, manager of the State
Chamber of Commerce, says farm
families are coming to Oregon at a
rate of 30 to 60 a month, even dur
ing the winter weather. During De
cember 53 new families appeared,
coming from almost as many differ
ent places on the North American
continent, and their Investment
reached a total of $240,000.
The record for the'year was even
better 735 new farm families
whose Investment In farm homes
In Oregon totaled $2,715,880. Since
the invitation to the Oregon rural
home became systematic, 5100 fam
ilies have appeared at the land set
tlement headquarters announcing
their readiness to make their resi
dence In this state. Of this number
the record shows that 3200 definite
ly located and that their collective
purchases totaled between $15,000,
000 and $16,000,000. How many of
the others were actually located
cannot be said, for they did not
report.
There has been a gain of 3 per
cent In the farm population of Ore
gon. It Is stated, although in other
states the farmer's hold on the soil
Is little by little being relinquished.
It Is a growth here due to effort
that should not be uncertain or
vasclllating, but that should be sus
tained because it is profitable and
because it gives to thousands who
are Interested a definite Impulse to
broaden their opportunities and In
crease the pleasure of living by
coming to Oregon.
General diversified farming in
Morrow county. Not a one crop
country. Every year a plentiful
harvest In Morrow county. Pros
perous farms everywhere, content
ed and happy farmers with success
ful business establishments serving
them. No better opportunities for
profitable investment offered any
where In the United States than
today in Morrow county.
Route your trip through Morrow
county today. Once investigating
in person you will be convinced.
You will also want to live in Mor
row county.
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High School Build
ing a t Heppner,
Erected in 1912 at
Approximate Cost
of $47,000.00.
Welcome to iMorrow County
Our Message
IN SENDING to you of other parts, dear reader, this message
of welcome to Morrow County, we are not sending you a real
estate circular with the intention of selling you lands of perhaps
questionable value, nor have we any axe to grind, whatever.
It is a message sent by all of our people working in conjunction
with this paper, carefully and conservatively compiled so that
you may know the real truth about this country and once
knowing the truth, will interest yourself here, will settle here
or invest here and eventually become one of our own happy,
prosperous and contented family.
We realize that our own success will depend on your success.
We will be interested in helping you succeed after your arrival.
This country is as yet in its infancy and offers untold oppor
tunities to those who "will diligently and intelligently apply
themselves. Thrift and industry have their reward here. We
want more farmers. We want more industries. We want more
citizens. A personal investigation will convince you. Pay
Morrow County a visit. You will come again to stay.
Welcome to Morrow County from Morrow County's people.
'5
HISTORY 15 CUED
The town of Heppner was orig
inally known as Slansbury's Flat
It was so named in honor of Geo.
W. Stansbury who, In 1869, pur
chased the claim to It of a man
named Estes and established his
habitation in a rude cabin which
stood on the spot where is now
one of our main residential sec
tions. For some years after this
cabin was the only dwelling place
of a white man for many, many
miles adjacent and perhaps' many
a weary traveler found rest here.
By 1872 a few other settlers had
established themselves In this dis
trict. Supplies at this time had to
be transported from Umatilla Land
ing, the great distributing point for
this whole interior country.
In 1872 Hon. J. L. Morrow, a mer
chant of LaGrande accompanied
Thomas Quaid to this section, it
having been suggested to him that
a favorable site for a mercantile
establishment would be found on
Willow creek. At this time the
population did not number more
than 50 that might be counted on
for trade, so the utmost confidence
in the future was necessary. But
such a man was Morrow. He re
turned to LaGrande and made ar
rangements with Henry Heppner
as a partner to purchase stocks and
start In August of 1872 Heppner
and Morrow were ready for bus
iness and so became part of our
history. Here was the start that
was eventually to develop the great
and growing town of Heppner of
today. The district settled so fast
that even as early as 1873, it Is
recorded a school building was
erected, the village having grown
well in population. In the starting
of the first school Henry Heppner
is credited with being the leading
spirit Before the end of 1875 the
first postoffice was established
through the work of Heppner and
Morrow who induced the Post Of
fice department to take this action.
In 1877 Geo. Stansbury's claim to
a portion of the townsite which
he had taken up originally passed
to T. W. Ayers who then became
a resident of Heppner. The same
year the Wells-Faigo company es
tablished an agency at Heppner
with J. L. Morrow as agent. Mor
row county was organized in 1885
through legislative enactment and
Heppner became the county seat
The same year through legislative
enactment approved by the gover
nor, Heppner became an Incorpor
ated town. The first officers elec
ted were as follows: Henry Hepp
ner, mayor; E. R. Swinburne, E.
Minor, Thomas Morgan, J. B. Sper
ry, S. P. Garrigues and Geo. Noble,
couneilmen; M. C. McDougal, treas
urer and O. H. Hallock, recorder.
In December 1888 the railroad
was first completed to Heppner by
the then O. R. & N. company which
had been negotiating for some time
to this end, realizing that here
eventually would be one of the
greatest of the west's producing
sections in agricultural lines.
MORROW COUNTY
GEOGRAPHY GIVEN
Morrow county is in eastern Ore
gon one of the tier of counties
having for their northern bound
ary the Columbia river. It is a
little less than 40 miles wide by 60
miles deep, with an are of 2625
square mile, or 1,680,000 acres
twice the area of the state of
Rhode Island. Of this, approxi
mately 1,120,000 acres are tillable.
A spur of the Blue mountains
traverses the county toward the
south, and, clothing the mountain
slopes, are magnificent forests of
fir, hemlock and tamarack. Toward
the center of the county, the moun
tain ranges give way to rounded
hills and broad plateaus. These,
in turn, merge into level plains
stretching away to the Columbia
on the north.
The principal drainage of Mor
row county for its main arteries
Willow and Butter creeks. These
streams have their origin in the
mountains and flow across the
county to the north, discharging in
to the Columbia. The altitude of
the county varies from 250 feet
on the Columbia to 4000 feet In the
mountains.
Investigate Morrow county's
many and varied advantages. Do
it in person. Before you locate
look over Morrow county. Get in
on the ground floor. There Is room
here for you and success awaits
you in our section.
The greater part of the territory
out of which Morrow county was
formed was, prior to February,
1885, a part of Umatilla county. The
old immigrant trail, the highway
over which the great western army
of civilization wended its way to
the Willamette valley and the coast
passes through the. northern part
of Morrow county. It is, therefore,
likely that the first white men to
see this section were among the
earlier settlers heading for the
coast But even as Is now the case
of the railroads, this highway pass
ed through what was really the
worst section of the district Con
sequently, the early visitors did not
see its full advantages. It is a
matter of record that there were
cattle run on this territory as early
as 1862. As early as 1864 a small
colony of settlers had located at the
forks of Rhea and Willow creeks,
eleven miles below the present site
of Heppner. The population dur
ing the next few years probably
did not exceed a dozen families, but
the years 1867-68 and '69 saw an ex
tensive immigration of cattlemen.
These settled along the creek bot
toms where an abundance of rye
grass could be available for their
winter feed. The first sheep were
brought into the country by P. C.
Thompson and Boone Mulkey, who
established their camp in what is
known as Thompson's canyon just
east of Heppner. This then became
known as an ideal sheep and cattle
country and the coming years saw
a steady increase in population. In
the early eighties the first experi
ments In the raising of wheat and
other cereals was undertaken. The
results, owing to particularly fav
orable weather exceeded their fond
est expectations. From then on the
farming possibilities were noted and
received corresponding attention.
The results were electrical. People
rushed Into the country, filed
claims, took up homesteads and
commenced clearing land and put
ting It under cultivation. The in
flux of people soon gave such a
population to this part of what was
then Umatilla county that soon the
SCHOOL HAS COMBINED AUDITORIUM, GYMNASIUM
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Fine New Building at Heppner Just Completed at a Cost of $27,000
Morrow County
TiHIS publication is purposed to convey information concerning
Morrow County, Oregon. This vast area represents a field of
opportunity that heretofore has not been presented to the home
seeker. Consequently, the great numliers of newcomers that are
populating the western part of Oregon have passed by Morrow
County, simply because they did not know that here was a great
virgin territory offering In richest abundance the opportunities
which they sought
The great movement to the Pacific Northwest has but begun.
Thousands of settlers have come to this new land, but there are
tens of thousands who are preparing to come. To these and to all
who entertain a desire to better their condition the story of Morrow
County will come as a revelation.
Throughout the following pages will be noted a complete and
concise description of Morrow County and its many and varied
advantages. We firmly believe that the next few years will see
growth and progress here never before equaled in our history.
More and more are coming. We hope that you will also get In on
the ground floor.
ideas of erecting a new county were
under way and the the demand for
it arose. The Hon. J. L. Morrow,
who was at that time a member of
the legislature worked hard to this
end and through his efforts the
new Morrow county was created in
1885. From this early beginning
has Morrow county grown in pop
ulation and wealth until we have
today one of the best locations in
the west and in particular do we
rank among the foremost in agri
cultural lines.
Today we enjoy first class cities,
teeming with industries, the best of
transportation facilities in both
railway and Improved highways
and all else that goes to make an
ideal country in which to live.
Morrow county awaits you. In
Morrow county you will prosper.
Morrow county offers greater op
portunities than you will find else
where. Investigate Morrow county
in person.
THE OLD WEST LIVES OVER AGAIN EACH YEAR AT HEPPNER
Ideal home cities. Cities In which
you will like to live and raise your
family. Congenial, God-fearing
neighbors, the best of educational
facilities for the advantage of the
younger generation. Make your fu
ture home at Heppner or elsewhere
Jn Morrow county.
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Scene at Rodeo Grounds, Heppner A Scveral-Duy Meet Each Year, an Annual Event that Attracts Thousands of Visitors and Contestants.