Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1928)
IONE, LEXINGTON, BOARDMAN, IRRIGON ItHE 4th Section, Pages 25-32 Good, Live Communities Sagebrush and Sand Reclaimed by Water Boardman's Present High State of De velopment Reached After Years of Hardship and Labor. By MRS. A. T. HEREIM, Our Boardman Correspondent "Sometimes when memory draws the veil and we look back a way" Memory is so illusive a quality that we late comers are prone to forget the hardships and difficulties experienced by those who came to the project as pioneers. Let us turn back the pages for a few mo ments. In 1915 the government built the canal which supplies water to the West Extension of the Umatilla project and in 1916 the first settlers arrived. Can one conceive of the courage necessary to come to the desert and wrest a farm from the virgin soil? Picture the scene: Acres and ac res of sagebrush and sand, a track less waste peopled only by coyotes, jackrabbits and owls; utter desola tion; to all appearances "The coun try God forgot." Many of the set tlers had little or no capital, and many of them had been accustom ed to the comforts and luxuries of life. To dig a well was the first neces sity, for one can live in a tent but water is a prime requisite of life; to clear the land and then the wear isome work with team and fresno, turning over every Inch of soil that it might be made perfectly level; to build innumerable flood boxes, drop boxes, lath boxes with cedar at $50 a thousand; to sow the pre cious high priced seed and then per haps have old King Boreas come sweeping down and blow the seed to all points of the compass; to build fences in order to keep out the hungry horde of jackrabbits who were especially fond of a diet of green alfalfa in preference to that of the bitter sage; to build rods and rods of ditches and perchance have a large section wash merrily away because of the energetic "digging in" of a gopher; to harvest a fine crop and be forced to turn over most of the proceeds to pay for the water to raise another crop to pay for more water an endless cycle; to endure the rays of the blazing sun beating mercilessly down upon the roof of the shack, for as yet the trees were not the stately spreading ones that we have today; these are but a few of the vicissi tudes that were enough to test the fortitude of the strongest hearts. To you men and women who faced the hardships and trials and who rose undaunted above them we give honor. To you the palm and laurel wreath. Boardman Family. The original settlers were Mr. and M rs. S. H. Boardman, and so close ly is the history of the Boardman project linked with that of the Boardman family, It Is expedient to give a brief sketch of their years spent in the desert It was in 1903 that Mr. Boardman filed his homestead, Mrs. Board man coming later. At first they planned to stay "just until we prov ed up," but each year their depart ure was deferred, lured always by the Ignis fatuus, the magic word, "water," each year encouraged by the appearance of a new surveying party, each year proving a disap pointments until after 13 long years of waiting the red tape at Wash ington, D. C, was sufficiently un tangled so that in 1916 the precious elixir that meant new life to the country was brought from the Uma tilla river down through the newly constructed cement ditches to the thirsty desert Several who came to work on the ditches remained and have since made their homes on the project Among them were Jack Gorham, Royal Rands, and F. F. Klltz and families. OPENING OF FIRST AND SEC OND UNITS. Early Settlers. The first unit waB opened In 1916 and the second In 1917. Each year brought new settlers. In this ar ticle we have stressed the history of those who came and remained to build up the country rather than the first settlers who remained but a short time. Regarding the early settlers, those who came and re- mained, were C. H. Dillabough, who was the first' homesteader to file; Paul and Frank Partlow, Chas. Nl zer, R. C. Mitchell, Geo. Mitchell, Robert and Alex Wilson, W.' A. Price, Joe Curran, Tom Hendricks, H. Cason, A. P. Ayers, H. H. Wes ton, R. Wasmer, Frank Otto, I. Skoubo, Leslie Packard, John L. Jenkins, J. R. Johnson, the Atte bury brothers, Ben, Sylvester and Charles, the latter having passed away recently, W. H. Mefford, M. C. Marshall, Jess Lower, John Brlce. Early settlers on the East End who s 1.111 claim Boardman for their home are Chas. Hango, O. B. Olson, Ray Brown, Ralph Humphrey, Earl and Frank Cramer, Adolf SkouLo, Mrs. Sam Shell, Paul M. Smith, Mrs. Gladys Gibbons Fortier, Nick Faler, W. O. King. Settlers coming later were Claude Myers, Ed Kunze, T. E. Broyles, Chas. Wicklander, J. Howell, B. Richardson, M. K. Flick inger. Some of the farmers purchased their land from the defunct Ore gon Land & Water company, some from the railroad company, some bought school land and many home steaded. Most of the ranches con sisted of 40 acres but there were three large ones, those of Henry Crawford In the extreme west end, 160 acres owned by the late H. G. Harrison that L. G. Smith now owns and the large ranch owned by Mike Marshall who had lived down near Six Mile for a great many years before the opening of the project. Barbecue. Most of the farmers put their places into cultivation at once and it was in 1920 that a big barbecue was held on the Dlllabaugh ranch, that outsiders might observe the vast changes wrought by water on the sandy soil and to boost for the proposed John Day project Hun dreds attended and were gratified with the hospitality shown and mar velled at the wonders produced by irrigation. Founding of the Town. It was In 1916 that E. P. Dodd of HermiBton organized the Board man Townsite company, purchas ing 40 acres of land from S. H. Boardman, naming the town for the man who had spent so many years here; a hollow recompense for the many lonely years in the desert The first thought as Boon as wa ter was available was the planting of trees; lots were laid out build ings erected, stores opened and homes built Boardman's first post mistress was Mrs. Olive M. Paine, now of Portland, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Blayden. Since that time Mrs. Florence Root has held the office. The first mail route was carried by C. G. Blayden and later by his son Louie Blayden. Leo Root carried mail for some time, a buck board and team being the means of travel. Since 1922 Victor Hango has been on the route. The post office la located In the building of L. V. Root, and is neatly kept First Resident is Question. It has always been a debatable question as to whether C. G. Blay den or O. H. Warner was Board man's first resident Both came, looked about and departed, then re turned once more and have since remained. Mr. Warner built the Highway inn and his wife has es tablished a wonderful reputation for her excellent meals. Mr. War ner acted In the capacity of livery man when to drive a car through the sand was an impossibility, and later as a taxi man for the pro ject, taking prospective settlers to their various ranches. He also drove the first school bus. At present he conducts a small grocery and Hap py Henry's camp grounds adjoining the Highway inn. Ballengers, Gorhams, Roots, Cra mers are other pioneers who have been closely Identified with the growth of the town. Mr. Blayden was Boardman's first mayor. He and Mrs. Blayden have done much to assist in making the life In the town pleasant Board man's first roses were started and cared for by the Blayden's, and the beauty and fragrance of the exqui site blossoms In the days when a flower was a rarity here will al ways be a pleasant memory to the early residents. Credit for Boardman's first civic Improvement goes to Ferdinand Embarger, who erected a water tank and built the first city water works which supplied water to the town until the tank was overtaxed and collapsed. The Town Incorporated. In 1921 the town was Incorpora ted with C. G. Blayden, mayor, W. L. Finnell, recorder and Messrs. Harry Mitchell, A. T. Hereim, Frank Cramer, Leo Root, Nate Ma comber and J. C. Ballenger, council- men. Among the first Improvements undertaken was the drilling of a well and installing a pumping plant to provide good water for the peo' pie. A lighting plant has also been Installed but its future Is problem atical. J. C, Ballenger is the pre' sent mayor. Sunday School Organized. As food for the soul is as essen tlal as food for the body and mind the next step was the organization of a Sunday school under the direc tion of Mrs. Boardman. The little L MELONS DO WELL IN BOARDMAN-IRRIGON SECTION '--; sC J-swa-SK - - - I'V't iJL, .v v ?N b-- aft , w . A n "k- VW.;. I "Truck Farming Has Proved Big Success in the Irrigated Sections of Morrow County. lone Lies In Center of Big Wheat Belt Interesting History of the Egg City Written by Pioneer Merchant. By BERT MASON. The second town In Morrow coun ty, with a population of 400, is sit uated on Willow creek. In the northwestern part of the county and In the center of the wheat belt The Heppner branch of the O.-W. R. & N. railraod and the Oregon- Washington highway furnish trans portation by operating two trains and two stages each day. There is a good, standard market road ex tending south 16 miles into the farming section and another 7 miles up Rhea creek and bonds have been voted to extend the Rhea creek road, also to construct a standard road out to the north and another west toward Olex. To give a proper setting to the development of Morrow county one must not forget to give proper cred it to those sturdy adventurers who have opened up this country to civilization. We find that John Jordan was first to make settlement In this vi cinity, in 1863, when he ptiched his camp at the forks of Willow creek, two miles cast of the present loca tion of lone, where he proceeded to take possession of the country by erecting a house from trees grow ing along the creek. Mr. Jordan kept a wayside hotel and feeding place for Immigrants coming west over the Pendleton to The Dalles cut-off, and miners go ing to the Interior mines. He also engaged in cattle raising. His near neighbors were ex-Judge Thos. Ay ers, who lived on Butter creek, and Thos. Scott, who lived on Rock creek. As an Illustration of the tasks which those early settlers passed through In helping each other, the following narrative has been hand ed down by responsible oldtimers. A traveler passing through inform ed Mr. Jordan that his neighbor Ayers was needing help to harvest his oats. Mr. Jordan mounted his horse and rode to Ayers' place, 30 miles away, where he put in a day in the field and then rode home to attend his own chores. He repeat ed this routine for a week and when the Ayers' crop was harvested he was Informed that his neighbor Scott needed help with his crop, and for the next week he made trips to Rock creek to assist with haying. As a monument to the man who began " the development of this county we And the highest point in northern Morrow county, Jordan butte, named in his honor many years ago. Jordan, with its large concrete elevator, is located on his homestead. Mr. Jordan lived to see the rail road built through his farm, as well as the entire cattle range turned into wheat land and his wife Is still a resident of lone. The next man to pull off the beat en trail was Lum Rhea, a 20 year old boy who made his way up the west fork of the creek, eight miles, where he unpacked and with his axe proceeded to construct the first house on Rhea creek, from trees growing along the banks. When it came to providing a door to his group met at the Boardman home with an attendance of Ave. When this Increased to 13 meetings were held In the old schoolhouse until 1917 when the present church struo ture was erected. This is a conv munity church and affiliated with the Presbyterian denomination as (Continued on Page 31) home a beef hide was the best avail able material. Mr. Rhea has been practically a continuous resident of the county for the past 63 years and is still more robust than many men of two-thirds his age, and has seen this county progress from the un tamed sod, with The Dalles as his post office and trading point to its present state of population and pro ductiveness. What would it have meant to those two young men of the wilder ness could they have had a radio through which to have heard songs and music from the folks back in Ohio, or Missouri, or a telephone with whjch to have talked when the days work was over, or an auto mobile which would have taken John Jordan over the Lxington-Jar-mon road to Tom Ayers' ranch on Butter creek in 30 minutes, or have had an air ship sail over their camp some night With the trails broken other set tlers began to settle along the creeks and engage in cattle raising and by 1871 the creeks were all tak en up. The Cason and Douglas families were among the settlers of 1867 and Walter Cason, now residing in lone and A. L. Douglas, a Jordan fork farmer, are yet very active men. Bill Hughes was one of the set tlers of the late 60's, and showed his faith in the country by erecting a brick kiln and constructing the first brick house in eastern Oregon, which he sold to Joe Mason and wife who came to Rhea creek in March, 1871. The house was well constructed as It has been occupied continuously by Mrs. Mason, who is the only living woman who came to Rhea creek a married woman. There is yet living the following pioneers of that period: Mrs. M. Jordan, lone; Mrs. Kate Pettys, liv ing on the old homestead where A. C. Pettys settled in 1868; Mrs. Cora Burroughs, living on the place her father settled on Rhea tireek; Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Cochran and Oscar Cochran of lone. 1883 The next epoch In the settlement of the county was the coming of what the old cattlemen termed "The Bunchgrassers." They were the men looking for agricultural land. They pushed out into the bunchgrass hills, selected a claim and unloaded their families and household effects, made a trip to the nearest creek, or one of the widely scattered springs for a barrel of water and then struck out for the Blue mountains for lumber for a shack and for fuel which had to be hauled from 30 to 60 miles. The next little jaunt was to Arlington, like distant point for provisions. Then all they had to do was to hitch their little two or four cayuses to a walking plow and turn over the bunchgrass and en deavor to make a living out of the soil, between trips for a load of wa ter, wood or provisions, and all pro duce had to be marketed In Arling ton. Among the first to break the sod was Milt Morgan, who with his fa ther, homesteaded 10 miles south of lone In 1882 and where he contin ued to farm for more than a quar ter century and accumulated a fine tract of 1800 acrs of farm land. He then rented his farm and bought a large tract adjoining lone where he still continues ranching. Others of the early farmers who are still on the old homestead are J. A. Williams and Adrian Engle man who have large careages, and Andy Douglas, located on Jordan for'- Paul Rietmann and wife are the original settlers on the north side and they have accumulated a fine farm as well as having raised (Continued on Page 32) Much Wheat Sent Out of Lexington Prosperity Reigns In Central Morrow County Grain Section; Large Yields Received Yearly. Lexington, Oregon, a country vil lage situated In central Morrow county, in the fertile Willow creek valley and surrounded by vast roll ing prairies of grain land, stands, not to boast, save of its fortunate agricultural situation; its exception al transportation facilities, both by highway and railroad; Its good schools; its religious privileges and the general air of contentment of its residents. A village of some hundred people, situated on the Oregon-Washington highway, which affords easy com munication by auto or truck to the northwest country. Willow creek, a sizeable mountain stream, traverses this section in a northwesterly di rection. Its valley affords rare op portunities for raising fruits, veg etables and forage crops. The stream affords water for two heavy irrigations, and frequently a third. Thus large quantities of alfalfa. By BURTON H. PECK. wheat oats and barley hay are rais ed while the income from dairy herds, sheep and swine raised upon luxuriant pastures, help to swell the' income of the farmers. But Lexington's chief boast if boast we may, is the vast country behind it where, from every direc tion Strawberry and Penland but tes to the north; Blackhorse to the east; Spring Hollow, lower Hepp- ' ner flat Cfark'a canyon, to the south; Social Ridge and lower Rhea creek brakes to the west the wheat comes pouring in to the warehouses and the loading tracks of the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Nav igation company, Heppner branch just as soon as combining can begin at harvest time. Besides the trunk road running east and west the Lexington term inal has, within the last two years, (Continued on Page 30) THE BIG . STORE OF IONE Bert Mason General Merchandise IONE, OREGON Dry Goods, Clothing, Ladies' Wear, Men's Furnishings, Shoes Groceries, Feed, Crockery Hardware, Harness and Farm Implements Atwater Kent Radios