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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2018)
T he C olumbia P ress October 12, 2018 Senior Moments with Emma Edwards Pondering pumpkins and storms I want to lament my search for a few small pumpkins with beautiful stems on them. Some with stems that curl. However, when you find a good-size bin of pumpkins, the stems are just little shoots coming out of that beautiful pumpkin. Some say a machine is picking them these days. Recently, as I was trying to find a small pumpkin with an amazing stem, I learned a few pumpkin facts. The original publication date on the fact sheet was Columbus Day and that spurred me on. Anyway, pumpkins have been grown in America for over 5,000 years. Before Co- lumbus, they were completely unknown in Europe. Interestingly, it’s recorded that at the first Thanksgiving feast, pumpkins (and other forms of squash) made up one third of the meal and, at one time, were the basic diet of American Indians. Did you know that pumpkins are a good source of nutrition? They’re low in calories, fat and sodium and high in fiber. They are loaded with vitamins A and B and potassium. Remember when we were kids and we salted the seeds and put them in the oven? Well, the seeds are very high in protein and are said to be an excellent source of B vita- mins and iron. And, I’m told, doctors often suggest using pumpkin seeds for inconti- nency along with frequency (especially for men). So, are pumpkins vegetable or fruit? Here is a hint: “Pump- kins, gourds, and other variet- ies of squash are all members of the family cucurbitacae, which includes cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.” And, talk about Columbus Day, I so well remember the Columbus Day storm of 1962 and suspect many other long- term Oregonians do, too. In fact, that was basically my introduction to the Pacif- ic Northwest, having moved from Michigan to the Port- land area in August that year. To give those who were not around then an idea of what that storm was like, winds topped 116 at the Morrison Bridge. The highest recorded winds were 138 in Newport and 127 in Corvallis. If you have an afternoon or evening to spare, Google the Oct. 12, 1962, Oregon storm. Good footage also is available for the Nov. 14, 1981, storm in which anemometers hit “only” 85 on the Morrison Bridge. Just think, these are with- in the lifetimes of many of us reading this newspaper. Now maybe you’ll no lon- ger wonder why survivalists stress being ready and many cared enough to spend an en- tire Saturday studying surviv- al needs. We thank those leaders who cared enough to give of their time to educate us in these areas. And, of course, we also learned about threats of earthquakes and, ultimately, tsunamic happenings. And, yes, pumpkins are con- sidered a fruit. 7 Thief steals girl’s backpack while she’s at work A thief stole a teenager’s backpack while she was at work and then immediately used her debit card. The 16-year-old War- renton girl was working at Dominos Pizza on Ensign Lane about 6:35 p.m. Oct. 2 when someone entered an unsecured rear door and stole the backpack, accord- ing to a police report. Inside were her work clothes, school items, cash, and a wallet with her identi- fication and debit card. The card was used a few minutes later to buy fuel, cigarettes and snacks at Fred Meyer. According to video sur- veillance, the man who used the card was driving a car stolen earlier in the day. This Week in Aboriginal History by Carl A. Ellis First urban Indian radio station goes live Oct. 12, 1996: KNBA-FM, the first urban all-Native American radio station, goes on the air in Anchorage. The station is owned by Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, an American Indian nonprofit organization. “Koahnic” is an Athabascan word meaning “live air.” Oct. 13, 1901: President Theodore Roosevelt pushes for the eradication of tribes in his first annual message by recognizing “the Indian as an individual and not as a mem- ber of a tribe.” He describes the 1887 Dawes Act as a “mighty pulverizing engine to break up the tribal mass” by assimilating the natives into mainstream society. Oct. 14, 1865: Southern Cheyenne chiefs agree to cede land they formerly claimed as their own, most of Colorado Territory, to the U.S. govern- ment as a way to end of the Sand Creek Massacre. Oct. 15, 1892: U.S. gov- Senior lunch menu Monday, Oct. 15: Pork loin, mashed potatoes, red cabbage, navy bean soup, key lime pie. Thursday, Oct. 18: Spaghetti with Italian sausage in red sauce, broccoli, romaine salad, bread pudding. The Warrenton senior lunch program is at noon (doors open at 10:30 a.m.) Mondays and Thursdays at Warrenton Community Center, 170 SW Third St. Suggested donation is $5 for ages 55 and older; $7 for those younger. For more information, call 503-861-3502. ernment officials convince the Crow Indians to give up 1.8 million acres of reserva- tion land in the mountains of western Montana for 50 cents per acre. A presidential proclamation opens this land to white settlers. Oct. 16, 2011: Elouise Co- bell, treasurer of the Black- feet tribe, dies in Montana at age 66. She had tenaciously pursued a lawsuit that ac- cused the federal government of cheating American Indians out of more than a century’s worth of royalties. Oct. 17, 1782: Chero- kee Indians sign the “Long Swamp” treaty with Gen. An- drew Pickens in Selacoa, Ga. They give up land in Georgia as reparations for the fight- ing during the Revolutionary War. Oct. 18, 1886: Soldiers with the 10th Cavalry cap- ture eight Indians in the Black River Mountains of Arizona, according to army documents. Ellis is an author and his- torian working on a book about American Indians.
