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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2021)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Saturday, January 2, 2021 Notable pioneer may have built unique fence near Cove By DICK MASON La Grande Observer COVE — Northeast Ore- gon pioneer Anderson C. Smith was a man of short stature whose life story gave rise to tall tales. It was said Smith once killed a 900-pound griz- zly with a single shot near Minam and was such an accurate marksman he could knock an eye out of a grouse with a round from his Henry rifl e. “He was the man of the mountains and the Kit Car- son of the Pacifi c Coast,” the Mountain Sentinel, an old Union County newspaper, reported in its July 6, 1872, edition. On a less embellished note, Smith reportedly built many stone fences in North- east Oregon that were used to contain horses and cattle. The total may include one in Cove that still stands, but Smith has been denied credit for building it by histori- ans because of geographic confusion. This is the belief of Jack Johnson of Cove, a retired National Guardsman who studies local history, that this fence is Smith’s handi- work. The fence is on farm- land 2 miles west of Cove and is close to 100 yards long. “I believe it is possible Dick Mason/La Grande Observer A rock fence, which stands near Cove, may have been built by Oregon pioneer Anderson C. Smith. He reportedly built many stone fences in Northeast Oregon that were used to contain horses and cattle in the 1800s. cites an 1864 township map that appears to indicate the Cove area was on the edge of what was then known as the Imnaha Forest Reserve. Johnson is searching for verifi cation indicating the Cove fence indeed was made by Smith. His case is strengthened by documented ties Smith had to Cove. that this fence was built by A.C. Smith,” Johnson said. The Cove resident thinks that a number of historical documents mistakenly list the fence as being built in the Imnaha area, understand- able, Johnson said, because early in Cove’s history it may have been referred to by some as the Imnaha area. He SUNDAY MONDAY Cloudy A shower; breezy in the morning 52° 48° 51° 42° 54° 47° 54° 41° TUESDAY Cloudy with a couple of showers Times of clouds and sun Elgin man faces murder charges Cloudy with spotty showers One man in custody in an apparent double homicide outside Elgin 47° 33° By KALEB LAY La Grande Observer PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 53° 38° 49° 36° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 50° 41° 46° 34° 50° 36° OREGON FORECAST ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Seattle Olympia 50/42 Kennewick Walla Walla 50/47 Lewiston 51/43 54/49 Astoria 52/44 41/39 50/41 Longview 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Pullman Yakima 47/42 50/42 49/44 Portland Hermiston 51/45 The Dalles 54/47 Salem Corvallis 50/46 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 42/38 Bend 52/47 48/44 41/38 Ontario 42/37 0.00" 0.00" 0.04" 0.00" 0.00" 0.04" WINDS (in mph) Caldwell Burns 42/38 39/32 Today Sun. SSW 7-14 S 8-16 Medford Boardman Pendleton 49/45 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls WSW 7-14 WSW 8-16 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 41/36 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021 7:36 a.m. 4:23 p.m. 8:20 p.m. 10:19 a.m. Last New First Full Jan 6 Jan 12 Jan 20 Jan 28 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 86° in Immokalee, Fla. Low -23° in Yellowstone N.P., Wyo. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s ice 50s 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front high 110s low Copyright © 2020, EO Media Group Oregon will start issuing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants SALEM — A law passed by the Oregon Legislature in the summer of 2019 allowing people without documentation of legal resi- dence to obtain a driver’s license in the state went into effect on Jan. 1. Because the Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services is closed for the New Year’s holiday, and then the weekend, the fi rst licenses won’t be issued until Jan. 4 at the earliest. Those licenses will not trigger automatic voter registration, unlike other Oregon driv- er’s licenses. While the new law gets rid of the require- ment to prove U.S. citizenship or legal resi- dency to receive an Oregon driver’s license, those wishing to get their license must still show proof they live in Oregon, and then pay a fee and pass a driving test. Proponents of the new law believe it will benefi t more than just undocumented immi- grants — they believe domestic violence sur- vivors, the elderly and others may also have trouble accessing citizenship paperwork. This isn’t the fi rst time Oregon has allowed those without documentation of cit- izenship to get a driver’s license. Previously, the state issued eight-year driver’s licenses without requiring such documentation, but the last of those licenses expired in 2016. Currently, Oregonians applying for a driver’s license must show proof of U.S. cit- izenship or legal presence in the country. The new law allows the licensee to submit ADVERTISING Regional Sales Director (Eastside) EO Media Group: • Karrine Brogoitti 541-963-3161 • kbrogoitti@eomediagroup.com Advertising Manager: SUBSCRIPTION RATES EZPay 52 weeks 26 weeks 13 weeks Local home delivery Savings (cover price) $9.75/month 50 percent $135 42 percent $71 39 percent $37 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. responded and found two bodies upon arrival. Mason was at the scene and received aid from the Elgin Ambulance and La Grande Fire Department. The Union County Major Crime Team, which includes members of the Union County Sheriff’s Offi ce, La Grande Police Department, Oregon State Police and Union County Attorney’s offi ce, then investigated throughout the day. The sheriff’s offi ce also said it would not provide further comments on the case, which now is in the hands of the district attor- ney’s offi ce for prosecution. Mason remains in the county jail on no bail. IN BRIEF Circulation Dept. For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops or delivery concerns call 800-781-3214 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Offi ce hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays EastOregonian.com In the App Store: ELGIN — The Union County Sheriff’s Offi ce is investigating a double homi- cide outside Elgin. The sheriff’s offi ce in a press release on Wednes- day, Dec. 30, announced the arrest of Gary Otis Mason, 54, of Elgin, for the deaths of Candy K. Williams, 56, and a juvenile. Williams was Mason’s signifi cant other, according to the sher- iff’s offi ce, which did not identify the juvenile. The sheriff’s offi ce detained Mason on Tuesday, Dec. 29, following an initial investigation at his residence outside Elgin, where Wil- liams also resided. The sher- iff’s offi ce booked Mason into the Union County Cor- rection Faculty, La Grande, at about 6 p.m. on Dec. 29. He now faces two charges of fi rst-degree murder. According to the sher- iff’s offi ce, Mason called the Union County Dis- patch Center via 911 from his home on Chumos Road at approximately 12:06 a.m. on Dec. 29. A deputy with the sher- iff’s offi ce and an Ore- gon State Police trooper PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene 43° 37° 39° 27° 60° (1959) -13° (1979) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 51/46 through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 43/38 51/45 0.00" 0.00" 0.06" 0.00" Trace 0.06" HERMISTON Enterprise 52/48 49/44 53° 39° 40° 26° 67° (1939) -12° (1979) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 51/41 Aberdeen 41/39 41/37 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 52/42 in 1887 became Wallowa County. A.C. Smith, a Civil War veteran, took a big step toward opening Wallowa County to settlers in 1872 and 1873 when he built a toll bridge over the Wal- lowa River near Minam. The bridge opened in February 1873, an event so signifi cant WEDNESDAY Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY According to the book “Gateway to the Wallowas” by Irene Locke Barklow, Smith and his wife, whose maiden name was Sarah A. Whittington, lived in Cove from 1862 until 1872 before moving into what is today Wallowa County. This was when Union County included all of the land that it was reported in The Orego- nian. John Harland Horner, who documented much of Wallowa County’s history in what is known as the Horner Papers, wrote about Smith and the toll bridge, according to Barklow: “The way into the Wallowas was practically opened by Cap- tain A.C. Smith, the Daniel Boone of Wallowa.” Smith, who was born in Franklin County, Illi- nois, in 1831, studied law for many years and in 1888 was admitted to the Oregon Bar. He then began practicing law in Enterprise. “This was remarkable considering that he never had any formal education,” Johnson said. Smith came to the West during the gold rush in the 1850s before traveling to Northeast Oregon in 1858, where he lived in Cove and what is today Wallowa County. Smith later trav- eled east and served in the Union Army as an offi cer for a short time during the Civil War before he was slightly wounded. He then returned to the Northwest. Johnson said Smith, who died in Enterprise in 1911, is a fascinating historical char- acter, one he would have enjoyed meeting. “He was very colorful and infl uential,” Johnson said. • Angela Treadwell 541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com or debit card/check charge Business Offi ce Single copy price: $1.50 Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday • Dayle Stinson 541-966-0824 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com a written statement that they have not been assigned a Social Security number. Walla Walla police pin potential porch pirates WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Two Walla Walla men were arrested on Wednesday, Dec. 30, for allegedly stealing mail and packages from more than 100 people in the area, accord- ing to the Walla Walla Police Department. Two news posts on the department’s smartphone app described how police nabbed the alleged thieves around 11 a.m. on Dec. 30. Offi cers reportedly recognized John A. Chlipala, 54, and his son, Daniel A. Rhoads, 30, from some surveillance footage from a nearby home and went to their apartment. While at the apartment, offi cers recog- nized the vehicle parked outside as the one in the security footage. The two suspects allegedly admitted to theft during their con- versation with police, according to the post. Rhoads and Chlipala were both arrested for investigation of second-degree theft, sec- ond-degree identity theft, second-degree sto- len property possession and stolen mail pos- session, according to documents from Walla Walla County Superior Court. Chlipala was also charged with forg- ery, and Rhoads had an additional charge of third-degree stolen property possession, according to the document. They both appeared in court on Thursday, Dec. 31. Prosecuting Attorney Jim Nagle did not respond to a request for a status on their case. — The Oregonian and Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Classifi ed & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifi eds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: call 541-966-0818 or email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Renee Struthers at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Commercial Print Manager: Holly Rouska 541-617-7839 • hrouska@eomediagroup.com