Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 11, 1957)
I I 3KARY U OF 0 E 'J G E S E . Copies 10 Cents UFO SIGHTED WEDNESDAY - Forest Service Men Two Heppner men Wednesday noon got a brief but good look at a fast moving object that Air Force officials call "UFO", Un identified Flying Object, but what the men graphically de scribed as a flying hat. The two, Morgan Medlock and Buddy Taylor, both of Heppner, told the Gazette Times last night by phone from their Forest Serv ice post at Bull Prairie guard station, that they sighted the ob ject at 12:10 p. m. Wednesday while they were piling brush about one half mile east of Craw ,ss Near $25,000 in Hay ire Monday Near Neighbors Help To Control Blaze; Stubble Burns Fire Monday afternoon com pletely destroyed three big stacks of baled hay on the Harold Wright ranch at Ruggs with an estimated loss of almost $25,000. In the stacks were between 800 and 900 tons of new crop hay. The flames started from a gas oline motor on a hay stacker, and it is surmised that some hay fell onto the exhause from the motor which flared quickly and within minutes enveloped the pile. Heat from the flames al most immediately spread to the other three stacks and within 20 minutes the entire area was a mass of flames. The fire jumped the Rhea Creek road which runs just north of the piles and burned to the top of the ridge before being brought under control through the efforts of the Wright haying crew and many neighboring farmers who joined in the fight as soon as the smoke was noticed. Many passersby aided in fight ing the fire and kept the flames from running into fields along (he road. A bulldozer was used to help stop the spread of the fire along the ridge to keep it out of adjacent wheat fields and to trail the hay piles. The stacks burned for nearly 24 hours be fore being consumed a n d a sprinkler irrigation system was laid out around the area to pre vent further spread. The fire started just as the crew was finishing stacking the last of the bales to be placed In that area and Wright stated that in another few minutes they would have been through. He ex pressed his appreciation to neigh bors for their assistance in pre venting further loss. The loss was covered by insur ance. The Wright fire was the first big hay fire in this area since a huge stack containing several thousand tons was destroyed two years ago on the Kilkenny ranch on Butter creek. Late Tuesday afternoon a stubblcfield on the Cliff Dough erty ranch near Lexington burn ed "over but immediate efforts by harvesting crews and neighbors koDt the fire confined only to stubble. This fire started appar ently from a truck exhause and the combine had just moved out of the field before the flames be gan. Most harvest crews in the county are taking extra precau tions against fires because of the heavy growth and unusually tall grain and grass. o Morrow Student on U of 0 Honor Roll UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, Eugene The university's honor roll for spring term totals 311 students. Thirty-seven of these have perfect grade scores of 4.00 or all A grades. The roll includes all under graduate students making grade .oint averages of 3.50 or better, based on not less than 12 term hours. The grade point average is figured with A equalling 4.00, B is 3.00 and C is 2.00. Among those on the roll is Donald D. Casteel, freshman in liberal arts, of Heppner. ORE. ford Spring, nine miles from Bull Prairie. They estimated the object to be about half the size of a forest service Power Wagon truck and said it was traveling at terrific speed. They guessed it to be about 3000 feet high, and said they watched It for about 10 seconds before it disappeared from view. Medlock said the best descrip tion of the object was that it was round, shaped like a hat and was brown in color, similar to dried pine needles. It had no visible means of propulsion, j'et BLAZING AWAY A portion of two of the three big piles of baled hay which went up in smoke Monday afternoon is shown in this photo. The feed belonged to Harold Wright of Ruggs and in the piles were over 80rj tons of bales. Heat from these stacks started fires which burned over some surrounding grassland before being controlled. (GT Photo) LITTLE LEAGUE BALL TURNING IN HIGH SCORES; DOUBLE HEADER SET Heppner little League baseball continued to provide ample fun and interest among players and spectators this week as two more games wound up with scores more closely resembling football than baseball. Monday' night's game between the Bluejays and the Clippers was a free-for-all hitting fest that fin ally wound up 17 to 17. The game was finally called at the end of five innings because' both sides were wearing down their play- Junior Legion Nine Slates Pendleton Sunday at lone Field The Heppner-Ione Junior Le gion baseball team will play their fourth game of the season Sunday at 2:30 at the lone field. Their opponent will be the Pendleton squad who rapped the locals 26 to 2 in their last en counter. The Heppner team has a rec ord of three losses against no wins but last Sunday played their best game of the year ag ainst Milton-Freewater finally losing by one run in the 9th inning 5 to 4. Tom Green pitch ed the entire MF game and Berl Akers of lone was behind the plate. o LOCAL ELKS HEAD AT SAN FRANCISCO CONVENTION Mr. and Mrs. William Labhart left Wednesday for San Francisco where hey will attend the na tional convention of Grand Lodge of Efks. Labhart is Exalted Ruler of B.P.O.E. No. 358, Heppner. While their parents are away, Laurie and Mark will visit 'at the home of their grandparents, Mr. and "Mrs. Henry Tetz, in Mon mouth. Chris will be at the home of his uncle, Robert Labhart, in Cor,vallis. ACCIDENT BREAKS LEG Lee "Red" Morgan suffered a broken ankle shortly before noon today in an accident while working on the demolition of the McClintock building in Heppner. He was taken by ambulance to Pioneer Memorial hospital for treatment. o Tress McClintock of Monmouth, former Heppner resident, was in Heppner on business this week. feette Heppner, Oregon, July 1 1f 1957 Watch "Flying Hat' Soar Over the. men said it made a sound similar to a jet plane only with a very noticable whistle. It traveled in level flight, not ro tating or undulating such as many reports in the past have described "flying saucers" as do ing. It lefttno vapor trail of any kind and as it disappeared Ihe men described its sound as a sort of "Plup", similar to the sound of a small bullet shot In to the water. It was traveling in a northwesterly direction. Reported Immediately Medlock and Taylor immedi Ruggs ers and, besides, it was getting dark. Tuesday night the Clippers nudged the Indians by a score of 19 to 13. Well over 60 youngsters are members of the four teams. A special double-header has been scheduled for Saturday night, it was announced today. The local Indians team will tangle with a Boardman squad in a Little League fray set for 6 o' clock and this game will be fol lowed by a Babe Ruth League game against Boardman at 8 p. m. under the lights at the rodeo field. Standings in the Little League show the Skippers on top of the pile with a record of 3 wins and no losses; the Bluejays and Dodg ers are tied for second with a 1 win, 1 loss and 1 tie record, and the Indians occupy the cellar with a record of 3 losses and no wins. Better Farming Tour Set July 13 In North County The annual conservation and better farming practices tour will be. held in the Boardman and Ir rigon communities on Saturday, July 13. This tour will start at . the Glen Aldrich farm in Irrigon at 9:3o a.m. During the day many practices will be observed, among them weed control in irrigation ditches, new land leveling jobs done with the Boardman Soil Conserv ation heavy equipment, sand blow control, crops on reclaimed alkali land, pasture seedings and other good farming practices. A free fried chicken dinner will be served at the Boardman city park at noon. Everyone is invited to attend. Heppner Boy Now In Shrine Hospital David Lee Cox, four year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Cox of Heppner entered the Shrine hospital in Portland June 29 and underwent surgery July 1. His treatment will require that he stay in the hospital at least un til September 1. David likes to receive mail and he may be sent cards, candy or cookies, or anything that can be shared with others In his ward, his mother stated. i. ately reported the object to the j nine cross the sky while they . j. n l.irn.it hoh in were repairing telephone lines on Madison Butte lookout high in I KlatBThose were do the Blue mountains southeast of scribed as being extremely large Heppner, and their description an(j shaped like inverted dinner and information was relayed by radio to the Pendleton office of the Umatilla National Forest. From there the Portland office of the service was advised of the sighting. The last time Hying saucers, or unidentified objects, have been reported in this area was May 6, near Winlock in the Spray area. 1954 when three local men, Al He said he distinctly remembers Lovgren, Robert Minck and Elm- the occasion, but cannot now de er Palmer watched a group of I scribe the object. Cutsforth Named Youth Range Camp County Chairman Orville Cutsforth of Lexington, has been appointed county chair man of this year's Youth Range Camp committee, according to an announcement from the Pacific Northwest section of the Ameri can Society of Range Manage ment. Cutsforth will head up the loc al committee which will ar range sponsors and help select boys to attend this year's camp. The camp will be held July 29 through August 3 in the Umatilla National Forest near Heppner. Four boys, 14 through 18 years of age, will be chosen to go to the camp from Morrow county. Cutsforth says the boys will be selected through plant identifi cation contests, or on the basis of leadership, citizenship, and love of the outdoors. Each boy chosen to attend the camp will receive a $25 scholar ship to cover transportation and camp costs. Local organizations and individuals in the county are now being solicited by the com mittee to provide these scholar ships. The camp gives boys a chance to live out of doors for a week and learn more about plant and animal life, according to John Clouston, U. S. Forest service, Portland, and chairman of the society's youth committee. This year's camp will stress range judging and management, pred ator control, forestry, and how to live in the great outdoors. Each Eastern Oregon county and Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jack' son and Josephine counties, are eligible to send boys to this yearS's camp. Local Bank Deposits And Loans Show Increase on June 30 A slight drop in deposits and loans were reported Wednesday by the First National bank of Portland when the statewide bank "released its June 29 quart erly statement of condition. Total deposits of $759,105,488 and loans amounting to $419, 261,810 were revealed by the 74 offices of the bank on the last business day of June. A year ago the bank reported deposits of $774,376,788 and loans totaled $426,600,519, C. B. Stephenson, bank president, said. Figures released by the Hepp ner branch of First National show that on June 29, 1957, de posits at the branch were $5,819, 109 and loans were $3,728,582, ac cording to J. H. Bedford, manager. Released at the same time were comparable totals for the branch for June 30 1956. On that date, deposits were $5,357,376 and loans totaled $3,411,103. Historically, deposit totals are at their low point each June, but the present two per cent de cline reflects a combination of heavy consumer buying, the slowdown in Oregon's forest products industries and large corporate tax payments to the government, the bank president said. Closure of Heppner post master James Driscoll received word today that the Hardman post office will be closed on August 31. but will be made a rural station to handle the sale of stamps and money orders. A story out of Washington, D. C. last week announced that the Hardman postoffice would be among six small offices In Ore gon to be closed In the near fu ture. Heppner postmaster James Driscoll, said this week that he had understood a closure was slated, but has not yet received tme$ 74th Year, Number 18 plates or saucers a description not too dissimilar from Medlock's and Taylor's flying hat. Medlock said that this is the second time in his life he has seen such an unidentified ob ject. The first time was when he was a small boy at his home Heavy Crop Seen From Reports on Early Harvesting Wheat and barley in ever increasing quantities continued to roll into elevators this week as harvesting was well under way in all sections of the county. Heaviest hauling currently is to the North Lexington elevator of the Morrow County Grain Growers where about 30,000 bu shels of wheat and barley a day is now being received. The Ltx ington elevator of the co-op is now handling about 15,000 bu shels per day with the other sta tions getting smaller amounts. Even the Ruggs elevator is start ing to get its first barley and wheat will start coming in there within a short time. Al Lamb, Grain Growers man ager, said Wednesday that test weight of both barley and wheat is good, but that none of the present crop has yet been graded under the new grading regula tions which are more severe than in past years. Barley yield appears to be run ning about a ton to the acre on the average and the early wheat is showing at least a 30 busTiel average giving indications that the county is now harvesting one of its biggest crops in some years. The average is expected to climb as fields in the higher ele vations which normally are heav ier producers, begin to come in. Some pinching has been report ed from spotty sections in the north end of the county's wheat growing area, but the increased number of grains per head is said to be more than offsetting any loss due to damage. The Morrow County Grain Growers said Wednesday that it is storing most of the barley and shipping a great quantity of wheat for terminal storage. At the present time the co-op is running five trucks during the day and six at night hauling to the Hogue-Warner docks at Pat erson Ferry, and it is planned to add two more trucks next week to handle the incoming crop. In addition to the quantity of grain that is going out by truck anu water, a considerable am ount is also being shipped by rail, and it is expected that daily train service will be needed in about a week. ' o Hunters and Anglers To Meet July 15 The Morrow County Hunters and Anglers will hold a meeting Monday, July 15, at 8 p.m. at the court house, it was announced today by officers. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss tentative hunting regulations for the coming season. A wildlife movie is scheduled fallowing the business. o Mr. and Mrs. L. L. Robbing and family left Tuesday for some fishing in Canada after spending a few days in Ontario, Oregon. Hardman Post Office Due Soon any official word. When the office is closed Hard man area residents will be serv ed by star route from Heppner, Driscoll said. The Hardman office is one of the oldest in Morrow county, hav ing been established in 1881 with Dave Hardman as the first post master, according to a compila tion of post offices in Morrow and Grant counties made in 1954 by William H. McNeal of The Dalles. The office has operated continu ously since that time with the exception of a short period be tween September 1943 to April New Bank to Open Soon In Temporary Quarters Work started Wednesday on the ner early this week to oversee demolition of the McClintock , the operations, announced that building on Main street to make way lor the construction ot a new buildingg to house the Heppner branch of the Bank of Eastern Oregon. Cimmiyotti and Sons of Arlington is tearing down the old structure. At the same time E. R. Morton, manager for the recently chart ered bank, who arrived in Hepp- I ' ' ff:. - ''' ', ' I v ; , r?v . .... " . fa ' ', HERE TODAY. GONE TOMOR ROW 108 foot red and white steel tower near Eightmile which is being used by tele phone company engineers for experimental purposes. It will be dismantled within a few days. See story. (GT Photo) Area Towers Used For Experiments Microwave relay towers which have been erected during the past week in two locations near Heppner by Pacific Telephone and Telegraph engineering crews has caused much comment and specu lation among local residents, but they won't have to worry about them for long, Telephone officials said this week. The towers are being used for testing experimental locations for long distance phone service between Portland and Pendleton and will probably be dismantled and moved to other spots with in a couple of weeks. The tallest tower, 150 feet, Is located north of Heppner atop a high point at the upper end of Blackhorse canyon. The other is on top of a ridge southeast of Eightmile and is 108 feet high. County Budget Gets Court OK The county court Monday ac cepted the budget for the county for the coming fiscal year follow ing the public hearing at which there was no objection filed. Only two minor changes were made by the court in the budget published last month. The gen eral road fund was increased $10,000 to $203,000 because of ad ditional anticipated receipts dur ing the year which were not known at the time the budget committee prepared the figures. Also the Bangs disease control fund was reduced by $800 due to additional responsibility being taken over by the state. The total budget was well within the six percent limitation. o Morrow County Picnic Slated at Portland The annual Morrow county pic nic will be held in Portland's Laurelhurst park, N. E. 39th and Ankeny, on Sunday, July 28, It was announced this week. Coffee will be provided for all visitors. 1946. Though the Hardman post of fice Is one of the oldest in the county, there are several which were in existance prior to its opening In 1881. The first office was at Cecils (not Cecil) and was established in 1867. It was locat ed on the stage stop between The Dalles and Salt Lake and James Rast was its first post rrlaster. The office had a short life, being closed in 1870. The Heppner office was opened as Heppner in 1873 with Henry Heppner as first postmaster. One year earlier a post office was space has been obtained in Em- pire Machinery Co., immediafely south of the new building sTte, and that the bank will open temporary quarters there within 30 to 45 days to offer its services to residents of this area. Officials of the bank, which has its main office at Arlington and now operates under the name of Gilliam County Bank, recent ly announced that they hope to have the new building complet ed and open for business some time in September. The building will be of modern design, With dimensions of 30 by 60 feet and will include a large customer parking area alongside. At the time the new bank re ceived state and federal approv al, it was revealed that capital would be increased to $120,000, with $80,000 surplus and $40,000 undivided profits. Approval for the sale of the additional stock" was recently granted and it is now being subscribed, it was said. At the present time there are five directors on the bank board, but four additional dir ectors will be named from stock holders in Morrow county. o Morrow Sends Two Delegates on UN Pilgrimage Miss Joann Brosnan, Heppner high school junior and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Brosnan, land on the first leg of her trip land on the first legt of her trip to New York as a delegate on the United Nations Youth Pil grimage sponsored by the Odd bellows lodges. Morrow county this year was the home of two of the 16 dele gates chosen to make the annual tour. The Other contest winner who will make the trip Is War ren Inskeep of Irrigon. Miss Brosnan and Inskeep, al ong with the other Oregon dele gates, met Wednesday night In Portland for a banquet and to receive their Instructions, and left this morning (Thursday) for Spokane where they will join oth er delegates from Washington and British Columbia. The group will make the trip across the continent by chartered bus. The pilgrimage, now In Its eighth year, will take the young men and women to New York City where they will spend nearly a week observing the op erations of the United Nations. Their trip both ways is planned to give them opportunity to view many of the country's most hist oric and scenic spots. Miss Brosnan, who won her chance to make the trip by com peting against other students in this district, has been very active in school and other activities. She was a delegate to Girls' State and was elected to the of fice of state librarian; she was student body treasurer, president of the Heppner chapter of Future Homemakers of America, and the National Honor Society; she i3 a member of the Future Busi ness Leaders of America, the Pep club and the Girls Athletic as sociation; she was football home coming princess and junior class secretary, in addition to receiv ing several other school honors. Miss Brosnan will return to Heppner early in August and will tell local groups and organiza tions of her experiences. WEATHER The Heppner weather station reports: Hi Low Free. Thursday 77 45 . Friday 87 55 . Saturday 92 51 . Sunday 76 43 . Monday 74 45 . Tuesday 87 49 Wednesday 81 51 . No rainfall during week nor so far for July; 10.01 inches for the year. opened here under the name But ter Creek with George Stansbury as the postmaster, but the name was changed in 1873. Other old timers In the county Included lone, 1884; and Salineville, which was the predecessor to Lexing ton, opened in the same year, and Lena which was established in 1873. In all, there have been 35 post offices in Morrow county at one time or another, though that figure has dwindled to seven, still counting Hardman. The last to be closed was the Morgan of fice over two years ago.
