OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PUELIC AUDITOSIUV.
PORTIA : D , Or.?.
Volume 57, Number 39
Michael Kenny, 81
Receives Tribute .
At Final Rites
Pioneer Who Drove
Stagecoach, Passes
While Reading
Relatives and friends over a wide
area assembled at St. Patrick's Ca
tholic church at 10:30 this morning
to pay last respects to Michael Ken
ny, 81, an honored pioneer. Mr.
Kenny passed away in this city
shortly after 5 o'clock Monday eve
ning at the home of his daughter,
Mrs. William Bucknum, dropping
into the permanent sleep while sit
ting reading the paper and smoking
his pipe.
Rev. Francis McCormick, pastor,
conducted services at the church,
with interment following in Hepp
ner cemetery beside the grave of
Mrs. Kenny who passed away sev
eral months ago.
Michael Kenny was one of the few
remaining Morrow county builders
to whom tribute was paid in the
history of Morrow county written
by W. S. Shiach in 1902.
Born in Corrigallen, county Lei
trim, Ireland, March 2, 1859, the son
of Michael and Bridget (McEntire)
Kenny, Mr. Kenny spent his minor
ity on the Emerald Isle before com
ing to America and directly to Ore
gon as a young man in 1879. Land-:
ing was made at the old Umatilla j
landing from where most of the
goods were freighted into the Hepp
ner section at the time.
For a number of years upon his
arrival in this section he and a bro
ther operated a stagecoach line be
tween Ukiah and Pilot Rock and not
uncommonly carried mail by horse
back into Heppner and other points
about their base of operations.
Mr. Kenny first settled in Ken
yon canyon, a branch of Sand Hol
low, taking a homestead right and
from this small beginning built up
a stock-raising and farming opera
tion that included seven thousand
acres. He was one of the earlier
sheep raisers in this section and
throughout the years sheep raising
continued as a major part of his
operations.
While building for himself the
fine home and barns of the home
ranch being an example Mr. Ken
ny also took active interest in the
affairs of the community. His in
terest was unselfishly shown in ed
ucating the rising generation thru
many years' service on the district
school board.
On December 16, 1884, Mr. Kenny
married Miss Mary Doherty, native
of county Donegal, Ireland, daugh
ter of Francis and Katherine (Grant)
Doherty, who arrived in the United
States the year before on the steam
er Encoria, arriving October 8, 1883.
To this union were born John F.,
Sarah, Rose Ann, James T., Michael
F., Joseph B., Emmett F. and Ce
celia, of whom John F., Sarah (Far
ley), Rose Ann (Healy), Joseph B.
and Cecelia (Bucknum), all of this
county, survive.
Mr. and Mrs. Kenny retired from
the farm in 1924 and made their
home in this city for several years
before returning to the farm to re
side again for several years. They
were both active supporters of the
local Catholic church throughout
their residence here. Mr. Shiach's
history records that Michael Kenny,
paternal grandfather of the deceas
ed, "rendered himself famous in Ir
ish history by his firm advocacy of
Irish independence."
WIGIITMAN BUYS GUERNSEY
Salt Lake City. The American
Guernsey- Cattle club, Petersbor
ough, N. H., reports the sale of a
registered Guernsey bull by Minnie
W. Miller to J. J. Wightman of
Heppner. This animal is Esquire
of Thousand Springs 281076.
mpnmt (S
Heppner,
E. O. W. L SPEAKER
N. E. Dodd
N. E. Dodd, director of the west
ern region of the AAA, who will
speak at Pendleton on "Farmer Pro
grams for Meeting Wheat Problems."
Committees Preparing
For E. O. W. L. Meet
Pendleton. Committeemen from
all parts of the Columbia basin
wheat belt will arrive here Thurs
day, Dec. 5, for the preliminary
sessions of five committees of the
Eastern Oregon Wheat league, which
will open its thirteenth annual con
vention Friday. The committee meet
ings begin at 1:30 o'clock and will
continue throughout the afternoon
and evening.
The advance committee method of
handling farmers' meetings was ori
ginated by the wheat league at its
first session in Moro and has been
continued ever since. The idea has
been adopted by a number of other
state associations as a method of
making sure that action taken by
the session has been thoroughly con
sidered in advance.
Following are the committees and
their officers as appointed by C. K.
Barker, Condon, president of the
league:
Federal Agricultural and Con
servation Programs Robert Taylor,
Adams, chairman; Roy Ritner, Pen
dleton, vice-chairman, and W. A.
Holt, Pendleton, secretary.
Land Use E. H. DeLong, La
Grande, chairman; H. V. Smouse,
lone, vice-chairman, and C D. Con
rad, Heppner, secretary.
Production, Handling, Marketing,
and Weed Control Charles Nish,
Mikkalo, chairman; Clarence Pyles,
Enterprise, vice-chairman, and G.
R. Hyslop, O.S.C., secretary.
Taxation, Legislation, and Rural
Electrification Millard Eakin, Grass
Valley, chairman; George N. Peck,
Lexington, vice-chairman, and L. C.
Wright, Moro, secretary.
Transportation Ed Hulden, Ar
lington, chairman1, James Hill, Jr.,
Pendleton, vice-chairman, and W. F.
Marshall, Condon, secretary.
BLEAKMAN-EVANS
Their many friends have weleome
ly received announcement of the
marriage of Mrs. Ora Bleakman and
Mr. Harold Evans, an event of
Thanksgiving night at Lewiston,
Idaho. After a short wedding trip
to Spokane the newlyweds return
ed to Heppner and are making their
home on the farm down Willow
creek which Mr. Evans assists in
operating. Mrs. Evans will continue
her work as operator on the local
telephone switch board.
BENEFIT DANCE AT LEX
There will be a benefit dance at
the Lexington grange hall next Sat
urday, November 30 for the benefit
of the local Boy Scout troop. The
affair is sponsored by the Lexing
ton P. T. A. and the Grange. Wright's
Orchestra from Pendleton has been
engaged to play.
Mr. and Mrs. Dillard French were
in the city today to attend rites for
their late neighbor, Michael Kenny,
f
Oregon, Thursday, Novrmber
Basketball Season
Starts Tomorrow
With lone Here
Both 'A' and 'B'
Teams Play; Mus
tangs Show Strength
The basketball season gets under
way here Friday (tomorrow) night
when the Mustangs entertain the
lone boys at the high school gymna
sium. Both the "A" and "B" teams
will play, the first game to start at
7:15 o'clock.
Although but two lettermen from
last year are back, the team is ex
pected to be quite strong this year
because of many experienced re
serves. The boys have had two prac
tice games to date, one with the CCC
team and the other with a pick up
team of former players. In both of
these games the Mustangs demon
strated potential scoring punch by
running up large scores and defeat
ing their opponents.
Buddy Blakely, Don Evans, Claude
Snow, Jim Barratt, Hugh Craw
ford, Don Bennett, Bob Pinckney,
Bill Scrivner, John Skuzeski, Dubby
Aiken are making strong bids for
first string positions. The "B" squad
consists of Kay Ferguson, Claude
Drake, Bill Padberg, Wade Both
well, Ray Parrish, George Davidson,
Herbert Schunk and Calvin Craw
ford. The seaon's schedule, with the
two Hermiston dates as tentative, is
given by Coach Bob Knox as fol
lows:
lone at Heppner, Nov. 29; "Pen
dleton at Pendleton, Dec. 7; Lex
ington at Lexington, Dec. 17; Her
miston at Heppner, Dec. 18; Condon
at Condon, Jan. 10; lone at lone,
Jan. 14; Arlington at Heppner, Jan.
17; Fossil at Fossil, Jan. 24; Pendle
ton at Heppner, Jan. 28; Arlington
at Arlington, Jan. 31; Lexington at
Heppner, Feb. 4; Condon at Hepp
ner, Feb. 7; Hermiston at Hermis
ton, Feb. 11; Fossil at Heppner, Feb.
14.
Christmas Seal Sale
In County Organized
The Christmas seal sale money col
lected by local chairmen in Morrow
county is used to pay $200 a year
towards the county nursing service,
reports Miss Rose Leibbrand, seal
sale chairman. Last year, 75 per
cent of all monies remained in the
community for local use.
The Christmas seal sale will be
conducted in communities through
out Morrow county by the follow
ing local chairmen: Heppner, Rose
Leibbrand; Eightmile, Leonard Carl
son; Hardman, Mrs. Neil Knighten;
Lexington, Alonzo Henderson; lone,
Mrs. Omar Rietmann; Boardman,
Mr. George Corwin; Irrigon, Mr.
Ladd Sherman; Pine City and Lena,
Fay Finch and Mrs. Ed Hughes.
Primary purpose of the seal sale
is to detect and prevent the spread
of tuberculosis. This disease is on
the decrease, but only by constant
vigilance exercised by the county
health nurse, Lucile Vale, can this
menace be kept under control. Other
diseases and needy children requir
ing medical care are under the su
pervision of the county nurse.
Your Christmas seal money, by the
new census, will allow 80 per cent
to remain in this county if we keep
our sales equal to those of 1939, is
all spent at home. There has been
no money spent the last two years
for any administrative work, and
supplies bought have been kept at
a minimum.
Support your county nursing ser
vice work for the six months to
be extended to twelve and buy
Christmas seals, beginning Decem-
ber 1st.
28, 1940
Electric Co-Op in
Engineering Stage
Morrow County Electric Co-Op
has made good progress with sign
up of prospective users and now
has an engineer on the job drawing
a rough prospectus for submission
to Washington, D. C, for approval,
reported Lester Rambo, project
manager, to the Monday Lions lun
cheon at Lucas Place. If approval
of the Rural Electrification Admin
istration is given the rough pros
pectus, then complete engineering
estimates will be formulated and
submitted to contractors for bids to
do the actual line construction, Mr.
Rambo said. Rhea Luper of Port
land, who received his elementary
schooling in Heppner, is doing the
engineering work at present.
A proposal to bring Helen Keller,
internationally famous blind wo
man, to Heppner sometime in the
spring was discussed by the club
and favorably considered though
further details on arrangements were
needed before final action can be
taken. Miss Keller's proposed tour
is in connection with her work with
the American Foundation for the
Blind which she helped institute.
Frank W. Turner and Conley Lan
ham were named by Presdent C. D.
Conrad to represent the Lions on
the community Christmas commit
tee. Harry Brown Dies
From Lingering Illness
Funeral services were held from
All Saints Episcopal church here at
10:30 yesterday morning for Harry
Brown, 57, long time resident of the
county who passed away at his home
in this city Sunday following a long
illness. Rev. Eric O. Robathan con
ducted the services, largely attend
ed by relatives and friends, and in
terment was in Masonic cemetery.
Harry Brown was born in Neb
raska City, Neb., January 22, 1888,
being the son of John and Sarah
(Gentry) Brown. He had lived in
this county for the last 53 years.
He married Blanche Frye in Hepp
ner, Sept. 3, 1916, who- survives be
sides one sister, Mrs. E. J. Starkey
of Naches, Wash., and one brother,
Orve of Heppner.
Spending the majority of his life
in Hepppner and vicinity, Mr. Brown
followed farming and the trade of
blacksmithing, having the reputation
of being a hard, conscientious work
er and considerate of his friends.
COLLEGE STUDENTS HOME
Many college students returned
to their respective Morrow county
home for Thanksgiving, most of
them departing Sunday for their
studies. Among those noted were
Len Gilman, Harlan and Maxine Mc
Curdy from Pacific university; Paul
and Frances McCarty, Norton King,
Shirley Wilson, Clifford Carlson
and Kemp Dick from University of
Oregon; Betty Happold and Frank
Anderson from Oregon State col
lege. Their presence enlivened ev
ents of the holiday season.
MARKETING FINE HONEY
E. B. Wattenburger of Pine City
reports a lively demand for his fine
alfalfa honey, for the marketing of
which he recently adopted a spe
cially made jar with small wire bail.
Mr. Wattenburger has been selling
honey for many years, but reported
when in the city Tuesday that the
new container, which also bears a
neat label, has abetted sales through
merchants of the territory.
TAKES CCC POST
Ed Burchell, who has been in
Heppner for several months with his
family, left Monday for Vancouver,
Wash., to report for CCC duty, hav
ing been called by virtue of a com
mission in the reserve officers train
ing corps. He will be stationed with
a camp at Reedsport on the coast.
Mrs. Burchell and children will re
main here for the present.
Burton H. Peck was in the city
today from the Lexington farm.
Subscription $2.00 a Year
Open House at
New Postoffice
Set for Saturday
Heppner to Get
Mail at New Stand
Beginning Sunday
Open house will be held in Hepp
ner's new postoffice from 10 a. m.
to 5 p. m. next Saturday, and on
Sunday morning people of the city
will receive their mail from the new
plant for the first time, announces
Charles B. Cox, postmaster. Assist
ing Mr. Cox in receiving the public
will be members of the force, James
Driscoll, Mrs. Vera Happold and
Walter ' Carlson.
The new arangement of boxes
doe not permit giving each subscrib
er the same box number as he has
been accustomed to, and the com
binations on the new boxes are dif
ferent from those at the old stand,
but to aid folks in getting their mail
slips showing the new numbers and
combinations will be placed in the
present boxes before the new post
office is opened, the postmaster says.
An entirely new mail distributing
center will be presented to the
Heppner public with opening of the
new postoffice. Not only will the
building be new, but almost all the
equipment in the rear will be new
in addition to the mail boxes.
The building received final touch
es of fnishing ths week. Construct
ed by T. Babb, contractor, it has tile
walls finished in front with stucco,
painted white. Its single story front
is set off with tall, wide windows,
curtained with Venetian blinds. Pub
lic entrance is set to the left side
of the front. A second door a few
feet inside cuts an alcove off the
lobby, on the right of which is the
office entrance, while the door
straight ahead leads into the lobby
where the new mail boxes are lo
cated. Bottoms o the new boxes are
sloped toward the front to keep
mail from being pushed out behind.
Practically new equiment through
out, with metal fixtures replacing
wooden ones used before, provides
the clerical force with a handy, dur
able plant, designed to better the lo
cal postal service.
Mr. Cox, the postmaster, who has
worked assiduously for such a plant
since his inception to office, express
es much pleasure for its realization.
He complimented the building own
ers for ther pogressiveness in bring
ing the new building to Heppner,
ard expressed a hearty welcome to
everyone to attend Saturday's open
house. Not only will the open house
cTford everyone opportunity to see
the new plant, but it will also give
them a chance to become acquainted
with their new mail boxes and the
new combinations which are entire
ly different in design from those
now in use.
RETURNS FROM TRIP EAST
Claude Drake, member of the
state FFA livestock judging team,
returned home the end of the week
from Kansas City where he partici
pated in the national FFA meet with
other FFA judging team members
from Oregon and Washington. His
team ranked eighth in the United
States. A royal time was shown
the visitors at Kansas City and they
enjoyed stop overs at points of in
terest going and coming.
CONDON WINS SMOKER
Cold weather Friday evening was
not conducive to a large turn-out
ft the Heppner-Condon FFA smok
er at the swimming tank building,
but those attending witnessed some
lively bouts. Condon emerged win
ner by taking three of the five bouts.
Heppner won one and registered a
draw in another.
Mr. and Mrs. W. Y. Ball returned
home yesterday from a two weeks'
visit at Portland.