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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 2016)
A18 News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, September 14, 2016 NICHE Continued from Page A1 He has also recently start- ed selling to Sportsman’s Warehouse. In the past, he’s made custom orders for for- eign dignitaries and Leather- man founder Timothy Leath- erman. Through his work, he was invited to join The Royal Privileged Shooting Society — which, founded in 1447 in Bavaria, is the oldest hunting club in Europe. Originally a logger, Dale sold his arrowheads made in the offseason to help support himself. After heeding the ad- vice of a customer, Dale add- ed a handle to 30 of his blades and sold 22 of them in one day at a lea market in Portland. From there, it was nothing but growth. He began travel- ing and showing his wares to the The Eagle/Rylan Boggs Several completed knives made by Great Basin Art, ready to be shipped to gift shops and trading posts around the United States on Thursday, Sept. 8. gift shops and trading posts and soon began receiving corner’s HOT SH T EEK OF THE W KENDALL HETTINGA School: Dayville Grade: 12 Sport: Volleyball Position: Outside hitter What I like best about my sport: “I’ve always been a competitive athlete, and one thing that I really strive for when I play is to make my parents proud.” Coach’s Comment: “She is our strongest hitter and does a great job attacking the ball from the front and back rows. I appreciate her love for the game and all of the extra time and energy she puts in to making herself a better player and teammate.” - Coach Tiffnie Schmadeka PROUD SPONSOR OF GRANT COUNTY ATHLETES 100 E. Main • Stoplight in John Day 541-792-0425 03975 mass orders for his products. Dale soon stopped travel- ing due to the number of or- ders coming in. After illing his irst order of 100 knives, his technique improved im- mensely. He partnered with a marketing irm and set out in earnest. What began as a mom and pop business has blossomed into a business that is expect- ed to sell over 5,000 knives in this year alone, according to Dale’s wife. Though the style of knives Dale makes have long been obsolete, he says they strike a chord in people. “It brings out the caveman in you,” Claudia said. Many of the materials Dale uses are local. The obsidian he buys by the ton comes from Glass Butte and other areas around Burns. He tries to buy antlers locally, but there is of- ten not enough available to ill the demand. It’s often a challenge to ind items such as badger, fox and elk jaw bones and buffalo ribs, essential to making the knife handles. “If you don’t have the han- dles, you’re dead in the water when people order knives,” Dale said. The jawbone knives are especially popular with kids, Claudia added. “They seem to love the teeth,” she said. Dale has been approached about selling his business, but without it, he said he and his wife wouldn’t know what to do with themselves. At 75, Dale says the only reason he would sell his business would be a major health problem. Most of Great Basin Art’s sales are outside the county, The Eagle/Rylan Boggs Dale Duby assesses a sheet of obsidian before cutting out the profile of a knife blade, Thursday, Sept. 8. which brings money into the local economy — something the Dubys say gives them a sense of satisfaction. Dale hired local artist Lynn Thornton to do the scrimshaw engraving on the handles of the knives. Thornton creates the design by etching into the handle with a power tool called a Presto High Speed Handpiece and then dabs ink into the groove and wipes away the excess, leaving only the inked design. Each knife comes with a wooden stand made in house by Gary Rapp, an experienced Chief clariies timeline in Hermiston double murder-suicide By Phil Wright EO Media Group Jason Huston made two phone calls in the mo- ments after killing his life- long friend and shooting his ex-girlfriend whom he found sleeping in a Hermis- ton home. Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston on Wednes- day released a more detailed timeline of Huston’s deadly actions of Aug. 18. Edmiston in the written statement said all times are approximate: 10 a.m. — Huston, 45, picked up James “JJ” Hur- tado at the boy’s grandpar- ents’ house in Umatilla. The 14-year-old was the son of Huston’s ex-girlfriend, An- dria Bye, 35, and Huston was a father figure to him. 10-11 a.m. — Huston drove Hurtado to a location near the Umatilla River and just off Country Lane out- side Hermiston. “This was a place Huston was famil- iar with as he had shot guns with friends at this location numerous times,” according to Edmiston. Huston shot and killed Hurtado with one round from a handgun. 11-11:20 a.m. — Huston M ARIA ’ S is closing. Maria’s is sad to announce the closing of our doors this Sept. 30th due to a death in the immediate family which requires our attention at home. Last day in business : Sept. 3 0 th J OHN D AY P OLARIS 821 W H WY . 26 JDPOLARIS . COM wood worker who also makes furniture for Great Basin Art, which is sold out of their store, Prairie Trading Post, in Prairie City. Dale is trying to mini- mize the furniture aspect of his business as the knives are more proitable. In the past, he has made primitive-style lances and tomahawks with obsidian heads but discontin- ued them for the same reasons as the furniture. As the demand for Dale’s knives continue to grow, so does their business and the niche they’ve carved for it. drove into Hermiston from the Country Lane location and parked his vehicle in the lot of Foxwood Apart- ments at West Hermiston Avenue and Southwest 11th Street. He walked about 100 yards to 130 N.W. 11th St., the home of his friend and fellow Hermiston High School volunteer wrestling coach, Ken Valdez, also 45. Huston kicked in the front door of the home and went to the bedroom where Valdez and Bye were sleep- ing. Huston shot Valdez at least three times with a Glock 9-mm handgun, killing him, and shot Bye one time in the back. Hus- ton then made at least two phone calls. “One call to his mother, who in turn called 9-1-1 as she believed something was wrong,” according to the timeline. “The other call he made to 9-1-1 advising there had been a shooting at that location.” Huston then sat on the bed and fatally shot himself.
