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Copies 10 Cents
Wilkinson Ranching Operations
Win Grassman Award For 1957
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COUNTY GRASSMEN, Frank Wilkinson, center, his itn-in law, George Rugg, right, and son Dick.
r,ot innMhor nvpr ninna for future develoomsnt of their ranch operations. The three were named
this week os Morrw county Grossmen of the Year by the Morrow
of the award.
By Irene Wilson
Maintenance of adequate range
cover, grass seedings and con
struction of stock ponds are am
ong the practices which have
won for Frank Wilkinson and
Sons, Heppner, the Morrow coun
ty grassman of the year award
for 1957. Announcement was
made Tuesday night at a meet
ing of the Morrow County Farm
Bureau, sponsor of the county
contest.
Wilkinson, his son, Dick, and
son-in-law, George Rugg, own
and lease, upwards of 100,000
acres. This includes the home
place and other properties on
Willow creek above Heppner,
forest service allotments in the
Blue mountains in the south end
of Morrow county and Taylor
grazing allotments and the Six
mile ranch in the sands of north
Morrow county.
Coming here as a young man
from England in 1905 with some
572 in his pockets, Frank Wilk
inson started the operation after
working for wages for 10 years in
the Fossil area for the Gilman
French concern, or the Prairie
ranch. During that time he had
acquired sheep and cattle which
he sold to enter World War I.
On arriving in Portland the arm
istice was signed. After working
around the stockyards there for
a couple of years, Wilkinson mar
ried Wavell Ball of Fossil. On
their return from a wedding trip
to England, Mr. and Mrs. Wilk
inson settled on the original Wil
low creek ranch of 2260 acres.
As he developed his own place
and acquired additional holdings,
Wilkinson carried out, a rotation
al grazing program to hold and
improve his grass. Originally
mainly a sheep ranch, Wilkin-
lone Grange Gets
Thanks From Ullman
For Dam Support
At the regular meeting of Wil
lows grange of lone a letter was
read concerning Hells Canyon
dam from Al Ullman thanking
the grange for their views and
telling of his continued support.
It was voted to dispense with
the July meeting and to hold a
picnic in, place of the August
meeting with time and place to
be announced later.
Donald Heliker was appointed
chairman for the princess dance,
with Hershal Townsend and Leo
Crabtree as helpers.
Mrs. Lewis Halvorsen and Mrs.
Hershal Townsend were appoint
ed chairmen for the grange
booth at the county fair.
The Home Economics club met
at Mrs. Earl McCabe's with a
potluck dinner. Additional grange
business was discussed includ
ing the annual bazaar which is
held every fall.
Pomona grange was announced
as being held at Boardman, June
29 and all members urged to at
tend. Following the meeting the
grange "was host for a house
warming for Mr. and Mrs. Lewis
Halvorsen. A large crowd attend
ed and cards were played after
which refreshments were served.
A money tree was presented the
Halvorsens from the group, by
Mrs. Ernest Heliker. Sue Town
send had charge of the guest
book.
- i i j i Hi' v V'mm7fy y "l f
son and Sons gradually branched
into cattle along with the sheep.
They now run about 500 head
of Hereford breeding cows and
five bands of sheep, one of year
lings and four of ewes and lambs.
Band numbers range from 1000 to
2000 head. Bulls are registered
and run with from 25 to 35
cows depending on pastures and
water supplies.
Sheep are wintered and lamb in
the sand areas and are moved ,
to the mountains while the
range is still in top condition to
guarantee feed for the following
year. Cattle graze on Willow
creek pastures and under a rota
tion system most are moved to
from four to five different past
ures, each year, starting at the
lower elevations and advancing
to the foothills and mountains to
preserve forage. Calves are fed
grain through the winter to the
yearling stage and sold in the
spring. Top heifers are held for
replacement. Regular vaccina
tions and spraying are done at
branding time and feedlot stock
is sprayed again when necessary.
Over 150 miles of fencing is main
tained over the entire operation.
Hay production on irrigated
pastures last year totaled about
900 tons, or some 23,000 bales,
Dick Wilkinson 'estimated. All is
fed to the cattle and most stored
in feeders located along Willow
creek. An additional 500 tons is
purchased for sheep feeding with
any extra going to feedlot cattle.
Since 1950 conservation pract
ices on the holdings have includ
ed seeding of many varieties of
grasses on 96 acres; 54 acres of
land leveled to increase hay pro
duction; moving of 12,560 cubic
yards of dirt on channel changes;
development of 3,128 feet of
drainages; building of 14,320 lin
ear feet of ditch and construc
tion of nine stock ponds along
the Willow creek area. In add
ition nine ponds have been de
veloped in the mountains in co
operation with the forest reserve
program. Majority of the channel
changes are just below the city
wells on Willow creek and drain
ages are divided about 50-50 on
the home place and the former
Mary Kirk place.
Poids were constructed both
for irrigation and stock watering
holes and permanent ditches
were built for irrigation on Wil
low and Skinner creeks. Diver
sion gates and flumes are in
cluded in the water development
system which follows the CCC
program started in 1939.
In addition to the stock opera
Hon, Wilkinson and Sons have
about 560 acres in wheat and
summer fallow and 420 acres of
Cropland. All farming is done on
the contour. They have been co
operators with the Heppner soil
conservation district since its
foundation in 1943.
Modern equipment for the op
eration includes nine tractors, a
carryall land plane, bulldozzer,
nine pickups, jeeps and trucks
and other farm machinery. This
year three bands of sheep were
hauled in trucks from the sands
to the mountains. Hired help
varies from 10 to 20. Following
the recent windstorm in the
Boardman area which destroyed
the Wilkinson sheep camp, a new
sheep camp will be built with
wind protection planned.
C
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St-
County Farm Bureau, sponsors
Radios Used
To facilitate management of
the holdings "which range the
length of Morrow county, Wilk
inson and Sons recently installed
four two-way radios with the
base station at the Heppner TV
site, the first such rancn com
munication system in this area.
They have approval for 10 radios
from federal communications
system.
Children of Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Wilkinson include Dick, who is
married and has two daughters;
Shirley (Mrs. George Ruggs),
with two daughters and Frances
(Mrs. Walter Osland) Newcastle,
Wyo., with three daughters. All
attended Oregon State college.
Dick Wilkinson . handles the
cattle and farming operation and
Frank Wilkinson and Rugg the
sheep operation
Selection committee for the
county contest was Harold Beach
and Alvin Wagenblast, Lexing
ton, and Don Heliker, lone. Wilk
inson and Sons will compete for
the state title in the "grass is
gold" contest sponsored by the
Portland chamber of commerce.
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Parent-Teachers
Stress Program
On Child Safety
Local Parent-Teacher officers
joined with the national organiz
ation in promoting child safety
with emphasis on bicycle
swimming care.
and
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Included in the program is a cwt; utility-commercial cows, 12..
drive to educate youngsters on 110 to 14.20 cwt; canner-cutter
proper riding of bicycles; teach-1 cows, 9.50 to 13.80 cwt; shells,
ing little girls not to accept rides, 7.10 to 8.90 cwt; and bulls, 17.10
with strangers and stressing the 'to 18.90 cwt.
safest nlarP to swim is in a su- HOGS Weaner pigs, 11 to 15
pervised pool. They strongly em
phasize that a youngster should
never swim by himself.
The national P-TA convention
was held recently in Cincinnati
where it was reported that there
are now 11 million members
throughout the nation. The PTA
in Oregon comprises 127,000
members and 245 belong locally.
In the state association, Mrs.
Helen Rondeau of Condon is the
art chairman.
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GT Requests Early
Copy Next Week
The Gazette Times again
requests advertisers and news
correspondents to get copy In
to the paper ct least one day
early next week.
Because of the Fourth of
July holiday falling on Thurs
day the Gazette Times will be
published one day early and
ell deadlines are advanced by
one day Heppner subscribers
will receive their papers Wed
nesday afternoon while those
living in other areas will get
their's as usual Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Judson and
daughter Karen and Anne Dallas
all of Salem visited last week at
the home of the C. E. McQuarries.
Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Espy and
sons and Gary Jones of Potlach,
Idaho were overnight guests Sun
day with her mother, Mrs,
Thompson.
P.- A.
Linda and Judy Wellman of
Baker are visiting at the home of
their aunt and uncle, Mr. and
Mrs. Richard Meador.
Heppner, Oregon, June 271957
Small Timber Fires
Fought as Training
Session Opens
Forest Service fire suppression
crews Sunday fought their fourth
timber fire of the season in the
Madison Butte area when a
"sleeper" fire from previous light
ning storms broke out. The fire
was confined to a single snag
which had been smouldering for
several days it was thought.
The first fire reported this year
was a snag blaze on June 2 in the
Kingbolt Spring area. Others were
controlled in Cupper Canyon on
June 17 and Gilman Flat on June
19. All were set by lightning and
none grew to any size, the Hepp
ner district ranger's office re
ported. The annual Umatilla National
Forest guard training school op
ened at Tupper Guard Station
Monday with about 60 Umatilla
forest employees attending the
sessions which are given under
the direction of Charles Rector,
Umatilla National Forest super
visor and other training person
nel. The school will end Friday
and all lookout and guard as
signments will be made next
week.
Even though this winter and
spring has been unusually wet,
the dry weather during recent
weeks has dried forest areas
greatly, it was reported, and the
public is urged to take every pre
caution against starting fires in
the timbered areas.
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Livestock Prices
Holding Srtpng
HERMISTON Prices remained
strong at the Hermiston Live
stock Commission Co. sale Friday
in a fast moving market that
81 consignors place 278 cattle,
93 hogs and 84 sheep on the auc
tion block. '
Hog prices wert high with
:feeder pigs topping at $22.30 cwt,
fat hogs jugt below at mm cwt
cwt
and sows at $18.10 cwt. Most
cattle prices were steady with
veal continuing where prices lev
eled olf last week. Dairy cows
ranged from $115 to $147.50 per
head whUe the best stock cows
and calves brought a very re
spectable $195 per pair.
Dry cows and heifers and
steers for feed lots will be espeel
ally needed for next Friday's
sale. The market:
CATTLE Baby calves, 4.50 to
29 per head; steer calves, 20.10
21.80 cwt; heifer calves, 18.30 to
19.60 cwt; veal, 20.10 to 22.75
cwt; stocker steers, 16.75 to 18.30
cwt; feeder steers, 18.30 to 20.10
cwt;. grass heifers, 15.60 to 18.60
cwt; dairy cows, 115 to 147.50
per head; feeder pigs, 20.10 to
22.30 cwt; fat hogs, 20.50 to 21.660
cwt; sows, 14.75 to 18.10 cwt; and
boars, 5.50 to 13.50 cwt.
SHEEP Feeder lambs, 15.20 to
16.10 cwt; and older ewes with
lambs at side, 9.25 per head.
Those earning top prices at the
market included Paul Partlow,
Boardman, 15 per head for 7
weaner pigs; Federated Livestock
Co., Pendleton, 21.60 cwt for 15
fat hogs of 2845 pounds; A. M.
Shaffer, Condon, 18.10 cwt for a
360-pound sow; W. E. Brock, Tou
chet, 16.10 cwt for four lambs of
320 pounds; Leo Klaus, Hermis
ton, 22.75 cwt for a 260-pound
veal; D. L. Lemon, Arlington, 18.
90 cwt for a 1570-pound white
face bull; Ned Roberts, Patter
son, 195 per pair for three sows
with calves at side; and Pete Kos-
fos, Pendleton, 16.10 cwt for an
890-pound white face cow.
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COUPLE TO OPEN
REST HOME IN HEPPNER
Mr. and Mrs. H. Workinger of
Condon this week announced
that they will open a home for
old couples or single men or wo
men in Heppner. They have rent
ed the Bob Davidson house here
and will provide board and room
in a homelike atmosphere.
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FISHING AT COAST
Among those from Hepner who
were fishing at Wesport, Wash.,
last weekend were Mr. and Mrs.
Walter Becket, Mr. and Mrs.
Claude Buschke, Mr. and Mrs.
Max Buschke, Mr. and Mrs. Del
mer Buschke, Mr. and Mrs. Har
old Evans and Doyle Keyes.
OPENING OF FIRE SEASON BRINGS
STOP TO ALL OUTSIDE BURNING HERE
Heppner fire chief C. A. Rug-areas because of the very heavy
gles today announced the annual
ban on all types of burning with
in the city of Heppner by pro
claiming the start of fire season
here. He stated that effective im
mediately no burning permits of
any kind will be issued.
The ban, according to city ord
inance, applies to all types of
burning whether in the open or
in containers and prohibits the
burning of any material except
in commercial quantities in an
approved incinerator. At present
time there is no approved incin
erator in the city, the chief said.
In opening the fire season, the
chief urged extreme care in all
Plans Announced
For 1957 Oregon
Youth Range Camp
The 1957 youth range camp,
sponsored by the Pacific North
west section of the American So
ciety of Range Management, has
been scheduled for July 29
through August 3, reports John
Houston, U. S. Forest service,
Portland.
Clouston, chairman of the so
ciety's youth committee, said the
camp will be held at the Tupper
guard station in the Umatilla
national forest near Heppner.
Eastern Oregon counties and
Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson,
and Josephine counties, are elig
ible to send four boys to the
camp. The boys, ages 14 to 18,
will be selected through plant
identification contests, or on the
basis of leadership, citizenship
and love of the outdoors.
Scholarships covering camp
costs of each boy will be provid
ed by local organizations and
Individuals in each county. A lo
cal committee in each county
will arrange the scholarships and
help select the boys. Chairmen
of these committees will be an
nounced soon.
At the camp, boys will study
range and soil judging, plant id
entification, ranch organization
and management, and predator
control. There will be time for
supervised swimming, Softball,
and other sports, and for ses
sions on photography and camp
ing. Outdoor manners, sports
manship, and woodsmanship al
so will be featured.
Camp manager this year will
be Bill Currier, USFS, Portland.
Jack Ross, Oregon State college
farm crops specialist, is camp
program chairman.
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Savings Bonds Sales
Improve in County
The sale of the new United
States treasury department sav
ings bonds, with their improved
interest rates, went up last
month in Oregon, according to
word received today by county
savings bonds committee chair
man Jack Bedford.
"There has been so much
curiosity concerning what the
May sale of savings bonds
would be, because of the change
of interest rate from 3 to 3'4,"
said Bedford. "In most years
since the end of World War II,
our sales in May have been less
than in April, both in Oregon
and in the country at large. This
year that pattern has been re
versed. Sale of E and II bonds In this
county in May were $15,007, com
pared to $21,7883 a year ago. To
tal sales in Oregon of the two
series last month were $3,085,531,
up 9.47(. Sales in Morrow county
for the year are ahead of 1956
by $36,000.
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NEW WATER LINE goes into the ground as crews are nearing the
completion of the project which renews two miles of Heppner1!
main water line from the Willow creek wells. Shown are Vic
Groshens, city superintendent, foreground, and Frank Hamlin
readying the section of 8 inch pipe for laying. Handling the
digger is Bob Dcbbs. The crew hopes to complete the work by
this weekend.
rank growth of grass which is
now getting dry and causing a
fire hazard. The fire department
has fought two grassfires already
this season, the last Tuesday
morning along Linden Way in
North Heppner. The department
has done some controlled weed
and grass burning in the last
two weeks where it has been
requested to do so.
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County Wheat Men
Approve Quotas
Wheat growers in Morrow coun
ty last Thursday approved mark
eting quotas on wheat by the
wide margin of 235 in favor to 11
votes against, the county ASC of
fice reported this week. The na
tionwide vote was held on June
20.
Glowers in Oregon approved
quotas by an 85.9 percentage,
but figures nationwide, were not
available. Quotas were approved,
however.
The secretary of agriculture
had proclaimed marketing quotas
o.a wlveat for next year, but
growers must approve them each
year in the referendum.
Northern Lights
Seen Here Tuesday
Northern lights which are of
ficially known as aurora borealis,
put on their first reported show
of the year Tuesday night but it
is doubtful if many persons liv
ing right in Heppner viewed the
demonstration.
The continually changing pil
lars of light were first noticed
about 10:30 and gradually faded
out shortly after 11 p.m. They
showed some slight change in
pastel colors and brightened ab
out 90 degrees of the northern
skyline.
Lights of town would have
blinded most viewers but the
lights were particularly brilliant
when watched from the Top of
Heppner hill or other high point,
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Medical Costs
Account for Increase
In Welfare Budget
The Morrow county public wel
fare department this week gave
explanation for the 10 percent
increase in the county budget for
its share of public assistance
funds which raised to a total of
$13,847'.
The department advises that
this increase in contingent on an
overall increase of 12 percent in
the total funds required for wel
fare recipients for the next fiscal
year due solely because of the
increasing need for medical care
and related services which now
consume nearly 40 percent of the
total expenditures for the indl
Kl.m uun ui u.c tuum,.
compares with 25 percent of the
total costs for these purposes fori
the two proceeding years. '
The total budget for the next.rormer locoi nesiaenT
fiscal year is $87,839 which in
cludes state 'and federal funds
but no administrative costs.
Heppner Man Named
State Director
Dale Brown, well known Hepp
ner trapshooter, has been named
a director of the Oregon Amateur
Trapshooting Association. He was
chosen at a meeting of the ors
anization last weekend in Port
land.
74th Year, Number 16
First County Barley
Harvested As
Elevators Emptied
Grain was both coming and
going in Morrow county this
week as the first local barley was
received at the Lexington elevat
ors of the Morrow County Grain
Growers, and at the same time
the last of the 1956 crop of wheat
was leaving the Paterson Ferry
dock of the co-op.
The credit for hauling the first
load of 1957 crop barley went to
C. C. Carmichael of Lexington,
who started cutting Tuesday in
a field just north of Lexington.
Al Lamb, MCGG manager said
Wednesday that the barley was
good quality, with a 46 pound
test and a moisture content ot 9.
As far as is known no wheat
has yet been cut in the county,
unless possibly well to the north
along Butter creek, but harvest
ing is expected to start In the
northern end by the first of the
week.
Shipping Heavy
As the new crop grain was
starting to arrive, the Morrow
County Grain Growers today
shipped the last bargeload of
last year's wheat crop from Its
Paterson Ferry elevator and dock.
Lamb reported that since June
10, 550,000 bushels of wheat have
gone out of the dock, making
MCGG the largest shipper on the
river during that period. All the
co-op's elevators are now clear
of the 1956 wheat.
While the wheat was being
cleared, trucks have been in the
process of transferring nearly
600,000 bushels of barley from the
co-op's other elevators In the
county to the Paterson Ferry
dock for in-transit storage. The
movement is being made to open
all storage facilities for the 1957
crop which wil soon begin to
roll in.
Crop expectations are still high
though there has been some com
plaint from farmers in certain
sections that winds during the
past several days have caused
some shriveling. Wednesday's
light rain, which amounted to .05
inch in Heppner, was generally
welcomed by most wheat grow
ers, but farmers with hay down
took a rather dim view of the
sprinkle. Generally the light fall
was more beneficial than detri
mental, however.
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lone Board Awards
School Bus Routes
The lone school board Monday
evening awarded school bus
routes for the coming year to
the following:
Dry Fork, Adon Hamilton;
Rocky Bluff, Hershel Townsend;
North lone, Earl McCabe; Goose
berry, Ernest McCabe; Heimbig-ner-Halvorsen
route, Delmer
Crawford. The large buses which
were purchased by the. school
Histrirt uill ha rlriinn VT Prhorf
DcSpain, Ray Barnett and Pete
Cannon
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Dies in California
Word has been received of the
death on June 19 of Harry Solby
at Woodland, Calif., where he
has made his home for a number
of years. He lived in Heppner for
a number of years as a boy and
later served some time here as
deputy sheriff.
He had been in poor health for
some time and his death was
caused by a sudden heart attack.
Among his survivors is a nephew,
Bob Selby of Shelton, Wash.
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Rev. and Mrs. Charles Knox
and family left Sunday for Ind
ianapolis, where he will attend
a special session at Butler Uni
versity. They were accompanied
as far as Denver by Mrs. Pete
McMurtry, who will visit there
with her son Glenn.
Mr. and Mrs. Al Lamb and Mr.
and Mrs. Harlan McCurdy, Jr.,
were in Spokane the end of last
week to attend a. grain conven
tion. WEATHER
The Heppner weather station
reports:
Hi Low Prec.
76 55 .
70 46 .
68 41 .
78 47 .
88 46 .
76 44 .
80 59 .05
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Rainfall at Heppner for the
week, .05; for June, .38; for the
year, 10.01 inches.
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