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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 2017)
Are you Tough Enough to Wear Pink? Today at 1:15 p.m. at the Pendleton Round-Up THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 141st Year, No. 238 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Insider’s guide to Pendleton history Dusting off some lesser-known pieces of rodeo town’s past By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Visitors soon realize that Pendleton blows the horn of its history about every chance it can. The town’s culture, economy and industry rest on that history, from the notorious and sordid to the respectable and established. History, without our careful atten- tion, falls prey to the varnish of lore — the stretching of a good story on its own into a false narrative for the sake of a morality lesson or mere exaggera- tion. We tackled three such tales to get to the truth, with the help of Rebecca Frostad, the manager and membership coordinator at the Heritage Station Museum, 108 S.W. Frazer Ave., and other Pendletonians. Infamous outlaw bites the big one Hank Vaughn was a horse thief, gunman and an all-around bad guy. The kind of man, who, according to the East Oregonian at the time, shot at men’s feet to make them dance. In 1893, at the age of 46, he met his end on the streets of Pendleton. “Hank Vaughn was out celebrating to some extent” the afternoon of Tuesday, May 30, 1893, the EO reported, and with an “air of bravado” galloped up and down Pendleton streets in a “gratuitous Wild West show” when he spurred his steed and “rode furiously down Main Street” to the railroad depot, where he tried to turn. Vaughn‘s horse stumbled and fell, hurling him over its head and into gravel. Some spectators said the animal even sprawled on top of Vaughn. The horse stood, Vaughn did not. One foot remained in a stirrup. He was covered in dirt, bleeding, one eye “nearly forced from its socket.” The next morning, after medical attention, Vaughn bragged he was tough to kill off. Days later he was in trouble, according to the EO, and while his body seemed to improve off and on, his brain and mental condition did not. By June 13, Vaughn’s condition was “almost of a stupor,” the EO stated, and he was getting weaker. He died Thursday, June 15, 1893. Frostad said “no one was really too sad to see him go, except, perhaps, one of his jilted lovers.” The day after Vaughn died, the EO ran a lengthy piece detailing his life, including the 1865 account when he and a partner stole horses from Umatilla County. They high-tailed it to either Burnt Creek, Oregon, or Burnt River, Idaho, depending on the source, and Umatilla County Sheriff Frank Maddock and his deputy Jackson “John” Hart tracked down the desper- adoes. A gunfi ght ensued. Vaughn took a Staff photo by E.J. Harris Trevor Brazile of Decatur, Texas, gives a cowboy hat signed by rodeo athletes to Araya Edmiston, 11, of Pendleton, on Wednesday at the Pendleton Round-Up. Western wishes Local girl meets Trevor Brazile, receives rodeo-themed gifts “Things like this show the good in our western heritage and our rodeo family. It’s a wonderful family to belong to.” By EMILY OLSON East Oregonian Araya Edminston, 11, and her family had to make a quick stop before taking their seats for Wednesday’s Round-Up. Trevor Brazile wanted to say hello. The meet-and-greet was arranged by the Children’s Western Wish Foundation, which grants rodeo-inspired dreams to children “who are in some way challenged or affl icted.” For Araya it was a complete surprise. The sight of Brazile, who holds 23 National Finals Rodeo titles and the Round-Up record for high- est-earning all-around cowboy, sparked Araya’s infectious smile and squeals of delight. She reached her arms out, and the cowboy happily obliged, lowering himself to the height of her wheelchair for — Glee Nett, founder of the Children’s Western Wish Foundation Staff photo by E.J. Harris Araya Edmiston, 11, pets Teddy, Queen Kendra Torrey’s horse, as Amber Cooper handles the animal on Wednesday in Pendleton. a proper hug. When she was 22 months old, Araya was in a near-fatal accident. A car traveling 55 mph collided with her mother’s vehicle at a four-way intersection in rural Umatilla County near Adams. Because the wreck happened on back roads, it took about seven hours for the baby to get emer- gency treatment. “They said she’d never walk or talk again,” said Araya’s father, Jackie. “She was in a coma and they tried to convince me to pull the plug. I said no way.” See WISHES/10A Multiple military branches contribute to rodeo National Guard flyover planned for Saturday’s grand entry By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian The spirit of the Old West was alive on the fi rst day of the Pendleton Round-Up, but only the audience that stayed behind for the post-rodeo barbecue got to see some mounted shooting. A dozen members of the First Infantry Divi- sion Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard lingered just outside a west-end gate into the arena, catching glimpses of the tail-end of the rodeo before several trucks drove on the fi eld to begin setting up the barbecue. As guests received their dinner and began settling into the tables, the color guard strode out onto the arena on horseback, shaking each others hands and exchanging high fi ves. It wasn’t long before the color guard members and their horses were jumping barriers, often brandishing a saber or revolver to pop balloons See HISTORY/10A Staff photo by Kathy Aney Members of the Army’s mounted color guard perform with sabers Wednesday. See MILITARY/9A • Student killed confronting high school shooter ............................. 2A • Fire crews save Pendleton South Hill homes ................................. 3A • Dems say they have deal with Trump on young immigrants ............ 8A • Round-Up pitches in with Farmers Ending Hunger .......................... 9A • Round-Up returns in grand fashion ................................................ 1B • Breakaway roping debuts as exhibition ......................................... 1B
