OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PUBLIC
U D I T 0 R I U
PORTLAND. ORE.
Volume 52, Number 45.
HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, JAN. 14, 1937.
Subscription $2.00 a Year
a?ette
Loan Association
Shows $767,!
Loans in County
Hardman National
Names Officers at
Annual Meeting.
Farmer-stockholders of Hardman
National Farm Loan association held
their annual business meeting at the
Elks hall, Tuesday, electing J. J.
Wightman, Chas. B. Cox, John Ken
ny, Ralph Benge and Frank Wilkin
son to serve on the board of direct
ors for the coming year.
Directors met at the association
office immediately afterward and on
unanimous vote elected J. J. Wight
man president for the year. W.
Vawter Parker was elected secretary-treasurer
to fill the vacancy
caused by the resignation of H. D.
McCurdy. Mr. Parker will also ser
vice loans for the lone and West
Extension associations. Mr. McCur
dy, who will continue to serve as
inspector for Pendleton Production
Credit association and appraiser for
the state land board, resigned to give
more time to his farm and stock;
raising interests. ' ' .
President Wightman and Secre
tary McCurdy gave members a com
plete picture of the association's fi
nancial standing with the use of ll
lustrated charts at the annual meet
ing, and urged members to take act
ive interest in the affairs of their co
operative mortgage organization. .
Aided by higher crop and livestock
prices, members made good prog
ress during 1936 toward clearing up
delinquencies, paying off back taxes
and getting their loans in good cur
rent condition, Mr. McCurdy report
ed. It is expected that further prog
ress will be made in this direction
during this year.
The Hardman association has ap
proximately $767,500 in outstanding
mortgage loans which have been
negotiated through the district land
bank at Spokane for its 121 stock'
holding members on a favorable co
operative basis. At present it is
making new first mortgage loans at
the record low interest rate of 4 per
cent a year, with payments spread
over a long term of years, set up so
the principal can be automatically
paid off by the end of the loan per
iod.
Chinook Tuesday
Breaks Cold Snap
Overcast skies and thawing tem
perature is being enjoyed in Hepp
ner today as a relief from the se
vere cold snap which started New
Year's day and continued until Tu
esday night when a mild chinook
hit. Intermittent snows yesterday.
last night and today varied from
frozen fog to almost rain, bringing
additional moisture most welcome
to everyone.
The mercury hit low for the sea
son on Tuesday of last week at 14
below. Sub-zero nights have been
the order up till Tuesday with Mon
day night holding the week's record
at 12 below. Some residents have
taken advantage of the snow for
skiing and sledding, while activity
generally has been held down to
minimum essentials. County roads
and highways were generally clear
ed this week, and school busses held
up for several days are running
again on schedule. Train service
has continued, though late trains
have been the order.
GAME MEETING SLATED.
Everyone, whether a member of
the club or not, is invited to attend
a meeting of Morrow County Hunt
ers and Anglers club slated to be
held next Monday evening at 8 o'
clock at the Elks club. Discussion
of proposed changes in game laws
is on the docket, according to Chas.
B. Cox, secretary.
Hugh Stanfield
Dies in California
Hugh L. Stanfield, 54 formerly a
prominent sheepman of Umatilla
county and whose operations ex
tended into Morrow county where
he was well known, died Wednesday
of last week in San Diego, Cal., after
long illness caused by diabetes.
He was the son of the late Robert N.
and Harriet Stanfield, and was born
at Umatilla. His widow, two daugh
ters, Mrs. Arthur Walker of Oak
land, Cal., and Harriet Stanfield of
San Jose, and son, Hugh Stanfield,
Jr., of San Jose, survive.
Hermiston Herald, which report
ed Mr. Stanfield's death, also gives
the surviving brothers and sisters:
Robert N. Stanfield, Jr., of Hunting
ton, formerly associated with his
brother in the sheep business; Ger
ald Stanfield of Payette, Ida.; Mrs.
Asa Thomson of Republic, Wash.;
Mrs. Daisie Frazier of Riverside,
Cal.; Mrs. Arthur Means of Seattle;
Miss Kate Stanfield of Echo; Mrs.
R. W. Allen of Spokane, and Mrs.
Carl Helm of La Grande. He leaves
also a half-sister, Mrs. J. B. Perry
of Pendleton, and a half-brother,
Ralph Stanfield of Echo.
District Legislators
Giver Assignments
Committee assignments given out
for Oregon legislators this week have
resulted in important places for rep
resentatives of this district. The
senate, being half the size of the
house, puts more committee work
on its members, especially this year
when house committees are compar
atively small in number.
Representative E. R. Fatland will
again act as vice-chairman on the
alcoholic control committee which
will have considerable work to do
with the numerous amendments that
are proposed for the liquor act. He
will serve on the education and
game committees and will again be
on the highways and highway rev
enue committee where his experi
ence as head of the John Day High
way association will be of value,
As one of the members on the labor
and industry committee he will be
in position to work for the perman'
ent settlement of labor troubles that
beset the farmers of the district.
Representative Giles French will
serve on commerce and navigation
which may have to handle legisla
tion regarding the development of
the Columbia river for navigation
Counties and cities and education
will be other committee assignments,
He has also been appointed chair
man of the committee on public in
stitutions which is expected to han
dle the building proposals for the
state and determine the fate of a
new parole system for the peniten
tiary.
Senator Rex Ellis has been plac
ed on agriculture, alcoholic traffic.
game, penal institutions, public
lands, roads and highways commit
tees, several of which are of mater
ial value to the people of his district,
PLUMBERS KEPT BUSY.
Earl Gilliam and Lester Doolittle
the city's plumbers, have been kept
on the trot since start of the storm
two weeks ago, straightening out
frozen and bursted water pipes. In
many instances they could take time
only to straighten out the house
holders cold water enough to
bridge the emergency not attempt
ing to put the entire water system
back in repair, in order to get water
for everyone as soon as possible,
TO MOVE OFFICE.
Victor Peterson, Federal Land
bank representative, who has been
sharing office space with Harlan
McCurdy in the Roberts building,
expects to establish his headquar
ters soon in one of the new office
spaces upstairs in the First National
bank building.
Mrs. M. R. Wightman and baby
daughter left Heppner hospital this
week, returning to their home down
Willow creek.
President's Birthday
Ball to Again
Benefit Paralytics
Dr. McMurdo, Chair
man, Names Helpers
For Event of 30th.
The annual President's Birthday.
ball benefitting infantile paralysis
sufferers will be held Saturday eve
ning, January 30, at the Elks hall,
announces Dr. A. D. McMurdo, who
is serving again as chairman of the
event on appointment from nation
al headquarters.
Dr. McMurdo has named E. L.
Morton treasurer, and C. B. Cox,
Father James O'Reilly, R. B. Fer
guson, R. C. Phelps, J. V. Crawford,
James Farley of Heppner, Bert Ma
son of lone, and Ralph Phillips of
Lexington as members of the gen
eral committee.
Again this year 30 percent of the
net proceeds will go to the national
foundation for infantile paralysis
sufferers while 70 percent will re
main in a local fund to be expend-j
ed in behalf of victims of the disease
in this county.
This year's event honors the 55th
birthday of President Roosevelt, and
is one of a series of similar events
to be held throughout the nation at
the same time. Dr. McMurdo asks
everyone to support the worth
while cause by buying the tickets
to be offered ta $1 each.
GERMANS HARD HIT
FOLLOWING WAR
V. M. Sackett Tells Lions Club
Experiences With Army of
Occupation After Armistice.
Vernor M. Sackett had spent six
months at the front and was sta
tioned at a little outpost on the
Meuse in northern France when the
armistice ending the World war took
effect. Mr. Sackett, son-in-law of
S. E. Notson who with Mrs. Sackett
is visiting at the Notson home from
Salem, recalled the incident before
the Monday Lions luncheon, also
telling of experiences with the army
of occupation in Germany following
the armistice.
A half dozen American soldiers
were at the outpost. They heard ru
mors the evening before that the
armistice would be signed on the
morrow. They were skeptical until
the next morning when soldiers be
gan passing by, shouting and sing
ing. The last cannon boomed at 11
o'clock that morning of November
11, 1918.
With interjection of considerable
levity, Mr. Sackett told anecdotes
from his experiences soon afterward
when he was ordered to the Rhine
with the army of occupation. No
horseman, though everyone from the
west was supposed to be, he became
chagrined when he found it impossi
ble, with a 60-pound pack on his
back, to mount a rolly-polly nag as
signed him on which to make the
trip. After making the first day's
journey on foot, he accomplished the
rest of the distance atop heavily
loaded supply trucks.
Retreating Germans had felled
trees in the road and otherwise
blocked the progress of the occu
pationists. An impression was made
by many dead horses along the road,
all bony in appearance, for which the
retreating army apparently had in
sufficient provender and had left to
die along the way.
The rolling green landscape was
enjoyed as they passed through the
German countryside, in contrast to
the war-torn terrain of France. At
Prum they were stationed in an old
army hospital, built about a large
court. Here as before on the trip
they spread their blankets on hard
board floors. Only once on the trip
Continued on Page Five
Funeral Rites Held for
John Woodward, 91
Funeral rites were held from the
Methodist church here at 1 o'clock
Saturday afternoon for John Wood
ward, 91, pioneer stockman of this
section who died at his home in the
Columbia district near Hermiston on
Wednesday last week. Interment
was in Masonic cemetery.
Mr. Woodward was for many years
a prominent sheepman with head
quarters at Heppner before moving
to Hermiston several years ago. He
lived here at the time of the 1903
flood in which Mrs. Woodward lost
her life and the home was swept
away. He also experienced the Chi
cago fire.
Mr. Woodward was born in Eng
land October 16, 1845, coming to the
United States just at the close of the
Civil war. He made two trips to the
native land and has a brother who
still resides there. He first married
Clara Hale of Heppner, and in later
years wedded Ada Julia Waddell
who preceded him in death two
years ago. He is survived by three
sons, Bob and Harold of Hermiston
and Roy of Enterprise; and a daugh
ter, Mrs. Frances W. Jones of Spo
kane. Camas Prairie Man
Digs Out for Feed
Foster Collins came to town yes
terday from his Camas prairie farm
after working for three days to clear
the road from his place to the high
way. He had to make it out for feed
for his stock, he said.
The mercury dropped to 25 below
at the Collins place, hovering be
tween there and 2 below for two
weeks. Snow on the prairie meas
ured between 16 and 18 inches, and
when he left for town a new fall was
so thick that he couldn't see his
hand before his face. The old snow
was very light. While at work the
other day, he had the experience of
seeing two does which laid a short
ways away And watched him work
all day.
SMITH RITES HELD.
Last rites for Emmett F. Smith
who died the Wednesday previous at
Clark county hospital, Vancouver,
Wash., were held from the Christian
church here at 2 o'clock Saturday
afternoon, Alvin Kleinfeldt, minis
ter, officiating, and interment was
in Masonic cemetery. Mr. Smith, a
resident of the Knights of Pythias
home at Vancouver and who had
been in poor health for several years,
died as the result of shock when he
fell and broke his hip. A sister, Mrs.
A. G. DeVore, was here from Port
land for the funeral. He is survived
also by sisters, Mrs. D. S. Barlow of
Eight Mile, Mrs. A. L. Anderson of
Portland apd Miss Oma Smith of
Pendleton. Mr. Smith followed
ranching on Rhea creek for 25 years
and many old-time neighbors and
friends paid their final respects at
the funeral services.
DEBT ADJUSTER CALLS.
S. T. Bailie of La Grande, district
farm debt adjustment supervisor
with the Resettlement administra
tion, met with the local committee
at the county agent's office here Fri
day. A program of work for the
year was considered. He advised
that anyone wishing the services of
this volunteer committee should see
the county agent.
ASKS $7500 DAMAGES.
Suit to collect $7500 damages for
injuries sustained in an automobile
accident was filed in circuit court
here this week by E. R. Nelson of
Portland against Ernest M. Lundell
of lone. Shepperd and Phillips of
Portland appear as attorneys for
plaintiff.
24 COYOTES TAKEN.
Burton Barnes, A. J. Knoblock and
Alva Stone, biological survey hunt
ers in Morrow county, killed 24 coy
otes in December, according to the
monthly report. The score was
Barnes 7, Knoblock 6, Stone 11.
North End Range
Improvement
Plan Progresses
District 7 to Elect
Officers on 30th;
Blanks Available.
The Department of the Interior
took the first definite step toward
range improvement in the large
block of range land involving some
350,000 acres lying mostly in Mor
row county, but partly in Gilliam
and Umatilla counties, when on De
cember 18 this whole section of coun
try was set up as Oregon Grazing!
District No. 7.
. There has been a demand by
stockmen in that area for some type
of range control which would en
courage the control of grazing to the
end that this large section of coun
try could be brought to something
like its former carrying capacity.
Last year Wm. D. Campbell, Mor
row county judge, George N. Peck
and Frank S. Parker, county com
missioners, attended a hearing of the
Eastern Oregon Land Planning board
at Prineville, to urge organization of
a Taylor grazing district in the north
end of Morrow county. On July 29
a meeting of the range users in that
section was held at Heppner at which
time the rangemen unanimously re
quested that a grazing district be
formed. On November 6 a meeting
was called at Heppner by the De
partment of Interior at which a for
mal request for this district was
made.
It is planned to handle the land
within the area by a grazing asso
ciation. Articles of association, sign
ed by Jack Hynd and John Krebs,
Cecil, L. D. Neill and Chas. Barthol
omew, Echo, and William Kilkenny,
Heppner, have been filed with the
State Corporation commissioner. The
Department of the Interior has set
January 30 as the time and Hepp
ner as the place for the meeting at
which the association officers will
be duly elected and the new asso
ciation can formally start operation.
Applications for grazing permits may
be obtained at the office of the coun
ty agent at Heppner.
The expressed purpose of this new
association, as outlined in its articles
is "To promote, aid and protect the
raising of livestock and to conserve,
protect and improve the range with
in the boundaries of Oregon Grazing
District No. 7, as the same now ex
ists or as same may be amended
from time to time." In the early
days of the livestock industry in this
section, the territory now included
in Oregon Grazing District No. 7,
was in a very different condition
than it is today. Men who saw the
range in . those days say that the
whole area was covered with bunch
grass. It was once fairly common
practice for stockmen in. the south
end of the county to hire riders dur
ing the summer to haze the wild
horses down into the open range to
the north. Year-round grazing by
horses and more lately much year
round grazing by sheep has brought
parts of this range to a condition
which threatens to leave it perma
nently valueless.
The federal government is the
largest landowner in District No. 7.
Land owned by individual stockmen
forms the next largest block, with
the railroad and Morrow county each
owning about 44,000 acres.
Undoubtedly, the mere set up of a
grazing district in this area will not
solve the problem of over-grazing,
but the majority of the stockmen in
that section feel that through the es
tablishment of this district and the
grazing association, the way has
been paved for a constructive range
program which should not only halt
range deterioration but should form
the basis for a real range improve
ment program.