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10 CapitalPress.com October 16, 2015 Oregon BULL & DEERE Ag museum showcases one man’s farm equipment in Irrigon By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press By GEORGE PLAVEN EO Media Group W Photos by E.J. Harris/EO Media Group 5HWLUHGIDUPHU:D\QH6FKQHOOZKRUXQVWKH6NLQQ\%XOO$J0XVHXPZLWKKLVZLIH:DQGDVD\VKHGURYHKLV¿UVWWUDFWRU when he was 11 years old on his family farm outside Vancouver, Wash. WKHPDQGKRZZHOOWKH\¶YHZRUNHG for so many years,” he said. “You grow attached to them.” It was actually at a classic car show where Wayne met Wanda, and they married in 2003. As a collector KHUVHOI²:DQGDFDQQHYHUKDYHWRR many hurricane lamps or cast iron pans, she says — she was completely behind the idea of opening a museum IRU:D\QH¶VFROOHFWLRQ “Once Wayne decides he wants to GR VRPHWKLQJ WKHUH¶V QR GRXEW KH¶V going to accomplish it,” Wanda said. When the Schnells sold the farm in 2013, they reached a special agree- ment; the buyer purchased the old Years of rust adds texture to the back of the driver’s seat of a 1950 model 50 10,000-square-foot Keglers super- John Deere tractor at the Skinny Bull Ag Museum in Irrigon. market behind Bank of Eastern Ore- gon in Irrigon, and used it as a down WHFKQRORJ\ ZLWK *36 VWHHULQJ DQG in 1972 and got back into farming, payment on the farm. This is where touch screens. Heck, Schnell said JURZLQJDFUHVRIDOIDOIDKD\QHDU :D\QHDQG:DQGDKDYHVHWXS6NLQQ\ WKH\GLGQ¶WHYHQKDYHDLUFRQGLWLRQLQJ town. Bull, which opened March 22. in the old days. They were just happy He always found room for more The Schnells continue to make to sit down. WUDFWRUV ZKLFK KH JUHZ WR ORYH OLNH OLWWOH LPSURYHPHQWV DQG VZDS VWR- Schnell came to appreciate trac- old cars. ULHVZLWKYLVLWRUVZKRFRPHWRFKHFN tors while working as a machinist for “You appreciate all the engineer- out the museum. Admission is free, \HDUV +H ODWHU PRYHG WR ,UULJRQ ing and work that went into building though donations are suggested. 42-2/#5 ayne Schnell was 11 years old when he GURYHKLV¿UVWWUDFWRUD -RKQ'HHUH0RGHO A that his father bought for the family IDUPQHDU9DQFRXYHU:DVKLQJWRQ 6HYHQW\IRXU \HDUV ODWHU 6FKQHOO still has that same Model A — along ZLWK DERXW RWKHU WUDFWRUV DQG or so hay balers spanning decades of American farm history. Now 82, Schnell has since retired and sold his farm south of Irrigon, EXW FRXOGQ¶W EHDU WR VHH DOO WKH ROG equipment hauled off to the junkyard. He and his wife, Wanda, opened the Skinny Bull Ag Museum in March to SUHVHUYH DQG VKDUH :D\QH¶V FROOHF- tion with the community. Most of the tractors, balers, com- bines and backhoes Schnell actually XVHGLQWKH¿HOG2WKHUVKHDGPLWVKH ERXJKWMXVWWRKDYH ³,W¶VOLNHRWKHUSHRSOHZKRFROOHFW stuff,” he said with a smile. “You al- ways need one more.” 7KH ROGHVW WUDFWRUV LQ 6FKQHOO¶V gallery date back to 1929, including D-RKQ'HHUH*3DQG&DWHUSLOODU +HKDVD:RUOG:DU,,HUD-RKQ 'HHUHWKDW¶VOLNHO\RQHRIWKHIHZOHIW in existence with its original tires, made of recycled material. But it was the Model A that Schnell said started it all. He has fond memo- ULHVRISORZLQJKLVIDPLO\¶VKD\¿HOGV as a boy, stopping just long enough to split a peanut butter sandwich with their collie, Bowser. Schnell personally repainted the Model A, which shines the signature -RKQ'HHUHJUHHQDQG\HOORZ+HLQ- sists the old machine faithfully runs to this day. “How do you throw something like this away?” he said. “I just hated to see it destroyed.” 7KH YLQWDJH WUDFWRUV PLJKW QRW ORRNVRSUDFWLFDOFRPSDUHGWRWRGD\¶V BLM computer used to impersonate former employee A U.S. Bureau of Land Manage- ment computer was apparently used to impersonate a former agency employee and disparage two Oregon ranchers re- cently sentenced to prison for arson. The incident occurred after the Cap- ital Press posted an online article about WKH¿YH\HDUSULVRQWHUPVUHFHLYHGE\ Dwight Lincoln Hammond, 73, and his VRQ6WHYHQ'ZLJKW+DPPRQGIRU ¿UHV VHW RQ %/0 SURSHUW\ QHDU 'LD- PRQG2UHLQDQG $SHUVRQLGHQWL¿HGDV*UHJ$OOXP posted three comments on the article, calling the ranchers “clowns” who HQGDQJHUHG¿UH¿JKWHUVDQGRWKHUSHR- SOHLQWKHDUHDZKLOHEXUQLQJYDOXDEOH rangeland. *UHJ$OOXP D UHWLUHG %/0 KHDY\ equipment operator, soon called Cap- ital Press to complain that he had not made those comments and request that they be taken down from the website. &DSLWDO 3UHVV KDV VLQFH UHPRYHG WKH comments. A search of the Internet Protocol ad- dress associated with the comments re- YHDOHGLWLVRZQHGE\WKH%/0¶VRI¿FH LQ'HQYHU&ROR $OOXPZKRFRQWLQXHVWREXLOGOLYH- stock watering systems in Eastern Or- egon, said he is friends with the Ham- monds and was alerted to the comments E\ QHLJKERUV ZKR NQRZ KH ZRXOGQ¶W KDYHZULWWHQWKHP “I feel bad for them. They lost a lot DQGWKH\¶UHJRLQJWRORVHPRUH´$OOXP said of the ranchers. He said employees of the BLM in WKHDUHDKDYHORQJKDGDFRQWHQWLRXVUH- lationship with the Hammonds. One of those employees likely FKRVHWRXVH$OOXP¶VQDPHWRSRVWWKH comments because he is known to dis- agree with the characterization of the +DPPRQGVDVYLOODLQVKHVDLG ³7KH\¶UHQRWWHUURULVWV7KHUH¶VWKLV KDWUHGLQWKH%/0IRUWKHPDQG,GRQ¶W get it,” Allum said. Allum said he wants any BLM em- SOR\HHV LQYROYHG LQ WKH LQFLGHQW SXQ- ished not because they impersonated KLPEXWEHFDXVHWKH\ZDVWHGJRYHUQ- ment resources during work hours. “It was done by a federal employee getting paid,” he said. 41-2/#5