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About Heppner gazette. (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1903)
THE HEPPNER GAZETTE, THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 190?, Ml hi of loi mam W. O. Minor Owns Pacific MORROW COUNTY Best Calf at the Chicago International Stock Show Bred on Mountain Valley Stock Farm. One of the big institutions of Mor row county wbiob has been brought to the front rank by a, liberal Application of brains, enterprise nnd capital, ia the Mountain Valley Stock Farm owned by W. O. Minor of Heppoer. Mr. Minor ia as well known among Eastern stock men, as be is in Oregon , for he visits all the leading stock ehows, both in the East Bnd West and his blue ribbon trophies can be counted by the Chiefs Lady winner of four score. In keeping np his show herd of Shorthorn cattle, be is contin ually adding to his stock, buying ouly the sweepstake and prize winners, from the best herds in the United States. Mr. Minor is n great lover of fine stock nnd be buys only the highest ty pe of the beet bred animal?. From olose and care ful observation, he is an expert judge. From yeBrs ofjcollecting Bnd careful breeding he has now one of the finest herds of show Shorthorn in Amerio. From boyhooJ he has been engaged in cattle raising. Abou eight years Bgo amoDg Mr. Mi nor's raoge cattle were some graded Shorthorns, of three-quarter blood or y ft! fev- ".- . :-. r-: ma ---Al m3 r - ' k - 1 '5"" C.M" V ' V A vj V-' ' "fc ?f -Vv - I ' , '- ' . - v , " V :: .' , 3 x - ' - ' , ' v ' . v . -v-- -. r wfPWn - . J u-, -. g1' Ih .: ... 'x. :-:;orah BLOSSOM OF FAlRVttW-Vt'.PK Orange lUossom, of Fairview 3d, one of the finest Shorthorn yearling heifers Vmerica. Purchase price $lo00. Finest Herd on the Coast PRIZEWINNERS Fat better. They had been brought np on the same range and bad precisely the ame care as the "scrub" or ordinary range cattle. In making a shipment to Portland be picked oat eight head of the best 4-yaar-old common cattle, and alto, eight head of 3-year-old graded Short horns. His returns showed that the Sbortliorus had averaged 42 pounds per head mors in wteight than the common cattle that were one year older. firsts and one second in Eastern circuit as a 2-year-old. This practical illustration convinced Mr. Minor as to the difference between pare bred npl common stook. He immediately commenced to dispose of his common stock, and replaced tbe bulls with registered Shorthorns for hie range stock. From the very start ha bought only the best, which required oarefnl buying over a large territory. I being so much trouble end expense to proenre the kind of cattle that be want ed, he deoided to bny a few choice cows and start a berd of his own. The first winners were purchased from the Ladd berd, GraDdillora and Orsndi fame, weighing 1700 and 20M) founds each, These cows were winners at the Oregon Stata Fair. He next bought a bunch of the Mazurka cows of N. C. Maris. Mr. Minor decided to get a prize winning show herd. He purchased two out of H. Fj Brown's show herd at Minneapo lis. The next importation was pur chased by N. C. Marris for Mr. Minor, in Indiana, from such breeders as Rob bins & Son and a small lot from D. E. Saurer. Following the purchase from Indiana, Mr. Minor purchased Collision ot J. G. Robbing & Son, of Horace, Indiana. This great bull is now at the head of Mr. Minors herd.'and is the sire of Ro lando, first premium winner at the In ter national Fat Stock show at Chicago, last December. In 1899, Mr. Minor bought Sassy Frantic, a beautiful heifer, which won first at the big show in Chicago. At the same time for a companion for Sassy Frantic he bought Rosa O'Grady, mate and half sister of Ruberta, champ ion cow of America in 1901. For the two last named heifers Mr. Minor paid $1000 each. Of the great strain from which Ru berta cornea, Mr. Minor is well sup plied, owning five half sisters of the champion cow. The same year he purchased Sallie Girl, the champion cow of America in '99. This great sweepstake winner is too well known to require introduction. She is spoken of by the leading Eastern stock journals as the queen of the American show yards. For Sallie Girl Mr. Minor paid $1700. Another grand speciman of tbe Short horn breed purchased bv Mr. Mino r in J was Iioan Ma'ble.abalf sifter and niece of the creat Sallie CJirl. Roan Marble's superior breeding is proven by the fact that from Collision she raised a calf for which Mr. Minor refused $120). From various sources Mr. Minor has been adding tbe best blood to his herd that money could buy. He has a num.- ber of cows that cost $1000 and upwards and through whose veins flow tha blood of Gay Monarch, St. Valentine, Roval Hero and other great strains. Less than one month ago ha returned from the International Fat Stock Show at Chicago, and brought back some more winners for his herd. The follow ing clipping from the Heppner Gazette of December 18, 1902, tells the result of his visit : "W. O. Minor, fine stock breeder and merchant, returned Monday evening, fromj Chicago and the East, where, he has been attending the International Fat Stock show, and also looking over the finest show herds of Eastern nnd foreign bred Shorthorns to add to his already great herd. 'Mr. Minor's cattle, Rolando, the first prize winner at the big stock show, and the yearling heifer, Nellie that was shown last fall at the Western fairs, and Pride's Baron III, a 2 year-old, were shipped over the Oregon Short Line from Heppner to Chicago, on the 15th of November. "With the great number of cattle from the best herds all over the United States, Canada, and Scotch and English bred animals, it is certainly gratifying to Oregon people to know that Rolando, bred on the Mountain Vallev stock farm, in Morrow county, took first premium, and brought the highest price of any bull put up at public auction at the International Fat Stock Show. "Rolando was purchased by E. W. Bowen, of Delphi, Indiana, a well known breeder, who will place this fine bull at the head of bis great show herd. Mr. Bowen's herd is one of the finest in the United States, taking second premium at the big show. "Rolando in the yearling class was an easy winner, prominently out-classing all competitors. His official weight was 1S.)0 pounds in the show ring, onlv losing 20 pounds in shipment from Heppner to Chicpgo. "Mr. Minor's visit was not only to show his fine stock, but to improve his show herd by adding some of the best blood that money could buy from the choicest stock in the world. "In all he bought 10 head, six of the animals being show cattle, which cost $0100. lie purchased two show heifers, one bred in Kentucky, antl the other in Indiana, both being inside of the money at the bigshow. For one of these fine heifers he paid $1500. "One of the cows, Stella, from the herd of N. 1. Claik, St. Cloud, Minn., which Mr, Minor will bring out, took second premium last year in tbe 2-year-old class at the fat stock show. "Mr. Minor's choice of the new herd purchased, is Orange Blossom, a year ling heifer bred by N. P. Clark. He eonsiders this the best yearling heifer in America, and ber purchase price was $1500. "Two of the yearling heifers are straight Scotch bred, and are very fine animals. "Three of the calves are plainly bred calvea for range bulls." " Wherever shown, Mr. Minor's cattle are very attractive. In speaking ot an exhibition at Victoria, B. C, the Vic toria Daily Colonist said: "It is certainly putting it mildly to say that W. O. Minor's display of thor oughbred Short hoi n stock was the lead ing attraction of the Provincial Fair, not onlv among stock raisers and farm ers, but all classes of citizens. Thous ands of people visited them each day of the fair, and expressions of amaze ment were heard on every side. People who had attended most of the leading exhibitions of the older provinces de clared that "they bad yet to see the su perior of this fine herd." In the past six years at tbe leading Western fairs and in British Columbia, Mr. Minor has been awarded 14 sweep stakes, 80 first premiums, and 51 second premiums, not to say anything about numerous thirds that have been award ed. Mr. Minor's herd of Shorthorns is ihe largest.'most valuablee and contains more of the blood of America's cham pions than any other herd on the Pacific Coast. Ilia registered Shorthorns now number about 125 head. Ha also breeds fine Poland China hogs and Plymouth Rock chickens. The Mountain Valley Stock Farm is an ideal breeding ranch of 1000 acres on Wiilow creek, adjoining the corporate limits of the city of Heppner. It is composed of hill and bottom lands, the hills producing the famous bunch grass. On the bottom land, Mr. Minor has 40 acres in allalfa and will plant 40 acres more this year, ARBUCKLE MINES FJLATTKRIfttt PIIOSPKCTS I TtXF: IIM i: JTfOl'ftTAINK. Development AVorR Is !Voiv in Pro gress to Determine Extents of the field. Morrow county's coal fields are be lieved to be of great extent. Th9 dis covery of coal in the Willow creek ba aim has added much interest to mining and prospecting for coal in Morrow c ocrty,. A very promising prospeot u whrJ is known as the Arbuckle mines sit iaat;c2 m the Blue Mountains, in Morrow corsE--ty , 25 miles southeast of Heppner, In the month of August of last year,. Geo. Swaggart and J. C. Watteobe rgsr,, while prospeoting, discovered coal irop pings on Arbuckle mountain. The sandstone and other forma 1:oep are similar to those in the Willow creek basin, and the associations are snob bp those found in the beBt coal fields. Ths prospects being vesy encouraging b aan ber ef .coal olaime were immediately 51er2 upon, 8Dd on September 26, articles of incorporation of the Arbackle Coal fc Transportation company were file:?. As soon as tbe company was properly organized, miners werg pot to worit or? three promising blossoms and thre-s tunnels were started. Miners are now engaged in develop ment work Bud the tunnels are beio run to ascertain the extent cud location of the measures. A contract was recently let for ISO feet of tunnel work on profpect No. 3, to e z perienced Eastern coal miners. The good indications have given the company great faith in tbe proposition, nnd tbf ? extent of this field will be fully deter mined by development work. This field joins the Heppner II a ilrofi 3 & Coal Company's property on the rnnlh east, and on the east is the Clark I res mine. The Arbuckle property having encouraging coal blossoms which jrh-vc promise of a valnhble field, nho ho many natural advantages that ave v.v:y desirable and will offer inducement fc;. the rapid development and open.ticu cf. coal mines in this district. These claims are covered with r.t, abundance of good timber, and are 1c oated so ns to control the headwaters cf Butter creek. The question of the existence of coul in the Blue mountains is now settled be yond a doubt. The field is large and free from volcBnia disturbance, leaving" the seams unbroken, The Arbackle property, like that of the Heppner 11 roBd it Coal Company, is easy of access,, surrounded with favorable oonditiocs to warrant and make profitable, extensive operation. The company is c mpoe l ,f we,', known and reliable citizens of Nopr.i.-vr. The i Hirers of the c mipn.-iy ia. : G W. SwBggart, president ; L. W, Ki . seoretarj ; W. L. H itb, trensurt r. Directors G. W. .vx(ig,Nirt, O. C. IV--terson, J. M. Kerum;, P. M. I bw.-.r.l, 'I A. Rhea. Incorporators J. M. K -rnrn. C. C Phtterson, Lewis Kini.ey, E. L. lrjc land, DEALER IN Fine Confectionery. Cigars, Tobaccos; and Smokers' Supplier The Best Candies Our Candies are alwc.y fresli and wholesome. MAIN STREET. Heppner, - Oregon
