Page Three
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When the Horse and Buggy Were in Vogue
days were h brother, H. C. My
ers, and Wil s McKinney.
One of ti e most enterprising
pioneers was Tom Quaid, who had
full faith in the future of the
town and. of the Heppner Hills.
He and his tv o brothers had pros
pered in the stock business, and
shared their profits with the com
munity. Ton was always ready
to back up any worthy proposition,
and among ( ther things bought
the land and laid out the Quaid
& Johnson Addition to the town.
When Mat Litchenthal was run
ning a small shoe shop, Tom told
him that it was too small for the
dignity of the town, and that he
would furnish funds to order a
full-grown shoe store, which he
did- -the first in Heppner
Among the prominent pioneers
of those early days were Lum and
CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX
V" '1-4
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WOOLGROWERS SOUVENIR EDITION HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, MONDA , JANUARY 14, 1935
-X' --, - - ,
UMV """"
O. R. & N. Company's Old 65 at Heppner Warehouse, where Harold and Henry Cohn got their start in the
wool game. The late Phil Cohn, long manager of the warehouse, was a leading wool broker for years.
No doubt a cargo of wool was being taken on as this picture was shot.
Interesting Sketches of
Early Days in Heppner
By COL. J. W. RED1NGTON,
Pioneer "Gazet" Editor
(Editor's Note: Most appro
priate for publication in this edi
tion are the following sketches by
one who rubbed elbows with the
subject of which he writes. One
cannot have a full appreciation of
these sketches without knowing
Colonel Redington and the con
dition under which the sketches
were written. Probably no more
independent journalist ever lived.
Taking over the "Gazet" always
so referred to in his highly indi
vidualistic style after following
the adventurous trails of Indian
fighter. Colonel Redington told
the world through its columns ex
actly what he thought about any
thing or anybody in no uncertain
terms. His journalistic career in
cluded association with leading
newspapers of the new west at
Portland and other larger places
in the country's early develop
ment. The indomitable spirit of
this grand old pioneer is reflected
in these sketches, written by the
author from his sick chair at Main
Hospital, National Military Home,
California, aged by more than 80
years. Not many months ago he
sustained the amputation of a dia
betic foot. Accompanying the
sketches was the following note:
"Hdqrs. in a Wheel Chair,
Hind " ditto,
Hosp. Nat. Mil. Home., Calif.,
Somewhere in Dec, '34.
"Dear Vawter:
"Thanx for the xtra copies.
Good spring weather and a wet
moon are encouraging my lost leg
to lengthen out an inch an hour,
so as to keep pace with my hair.
If it should grow three inches
longer than the other one, and
make me walk lopsided, I will be
come a candidate for the cala
boose, on acct of the symptoms
of being half-shot or near so.
"Very t. y., J. W. Redington.
(Over)
"PI. xcuse this kind of copy.
It is the only kind of paper that
I have, and my pencils are pretty
punk, and I gave away my type
writer when the other Boy Scouts
forecasted that the shock of an
THE PALACE HOTEL
Heppner's once famous hostelry,
razed by fire in 1918. Phil Met
schan and . L. Wilkins were not
ed hosts. It stood on the site of
the first trading post, conducted
by Henry Heppner and Jack Moi
row. This site on the northeast
corner of Main and May streets
is now vacant.
amputation would cause a kicking
of the bucket."
The copy, for which no excuse
is needed, is penciled in Colonel
Redington's very legible, distinct
and bold style, needing not tha
crossing of a "t" or dotting of an
"i" for reproduction.)
Murdered Men Slaugh
tered Sheep
Winning the West took the toll
of many lives in Eastern Oregon
during the Bannock Indian war
of 1878. Young Aldrich was shot
on the South Fork of the John
Day, and Jim Clark and Bill Burn
ham had close calls. They be
longed to the volunteer company
commanded by Capt. Sells and
Lieut. H. G. Guild, the latter be
ing then publisher of the Canyon
City News. When they tackled
the hostiles, they were out num
bered 20 to one.
At Small's ranch near the main
John Day, two unarmed young
men out herding sheep on the
bench were shot down, their mur-
As Heppner Looked in the Gay '90's
a
derers then burning the house,
and trying to burn the fifty sax of
wool ranged up near by. But the
wool refused to burn, and was
only slightly scorched.
Many men were murdered on
Butter and Birch creeks and at
Willows Springs and McCoy," and
five others were killed on the
Meacham road, and their freight
outfits confiscated.
When our scouting outfit reach
ed Camas Prairie we found about
three thousand sheep 'scattered
around, whose herders had either
escaped or were lying dead some
where around. At least 100 of
these sheep had been shot or
clubbed to death for the amuse
ment of the fun-loving hostiles,
and one big Merino ram showed
that he had been skinned alive,
for his pelt laid close by.
Further on towards the Umatil
la we came to a sheep's bedding
ground, where about 200 dead
sheep were piled up like cord
wood, heads all one way, and the
pile six feet high.
We could understand about In
dians slaughtering sheep for fun
and letting them lay where they
fell, but piling them up meant
work and Indians were notorious
ly opposed to work. Hence, a
puzzling mystery.
Later on in the Malheur coun
try, after the cruel war was over,
I asked Paddy Capps, a captured
Snake Indian, about those piled
up sheep, and he told me that the
Indians first killed two white men
herders, then clubbed the sheep
to death and piled them on top of
the dead men. Why this was done
he did not know, but thought it
was because of some superstition
Picturesque Pioneers
Along about 1869 Jos. D. Myers
owned the first homestead where
the town of Heppner now stands.
He had a good crop of grain all
cut and shocked and Henry Hepp
ner rode in and bought him out,
as is. Although hostile Indians
had twice stolen his packtrains,
Henry had bobbed up again, and
had made money packing goods
to Boise Basin via La Grande.
Next day after buying out Mr.
Myers, a heavy rain or near
cloudburst washed every shock
down Willow creek, and toward
the deep waters of the Columbia.
Henry was a philosopher, and
merely remarked that that was
the easiest way to harvest a crop.
Mr. Myers' partners in those
It has been our pleasure to serve the Sheepmen
for over Forty Years
Sheep Shearing Machines
Hand pieces and Repairs
Cooper's Products
Kemp's Branding Liquid
Milk Oil Dip
Pinetarol
Dry Kill
The Taylor Hardware Co.
Headquarters for Sheepmen's Supplies
741 Main Street Pendleton, Oregon
On the hill in the background are the old wooden court house and the old wooden schoolhouse, both now
relegated to Heppner's romantic past.
Bill Your Livestock
to
North Portland
Oregon
The Buying Power of the Pacific Coast
is Centered Here
Full diversion privileges include sorting, com
bing and reconsigning to a wide territory. These
privileges insure the best possible prices.
FEEDING FACILITIES THE BEST
Following is a complete list of Commission
Firms on this market:
BENSON COMMISSION COMPANY
KIDWELL & CASWELL
SEVIER COMMISSION COMPANY
BO DINE & CLARK COMMISSION CO.
DUFFY COMMISSION COMPANY
CLARK & SNOW LIVESTOCK COMMIS
SION CO.
ALBRIGHT COMMISSION COMPANY
Write them, or us, for market information
Portland Union Stock Yards
Company
North Portland, Oregon