Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1963)
The Wheat and Cattle Country Greets You if mm WW IIVI 1 a -"sry ... 1 i-x7r. i 4 m rttzzvg? , www' fc .'' . v ""-.i , - V- til.- .-.. - : i' i' m- " ' - -v-: TO MORROW COUNTY ivvl I, 1 . I Growing wheat and barley, interspersed with fallow soil, cover a large part of Morrow county's tillable land and bring color of ever-changing hue, ranging from the dark green of the growing crops in the spring to the golden color of earlv summer. As the wheat ripens, it turns to a rich dark brown. Irregular shapes of fields and strip cropping thus present interesting designs in color that a person may view from higher vantage points for as far as he can see. Harvest time is a thrilling time in Morrow county for visitors and natives alike. Those who come to the county should not miss the opportunity of seeing the big combines in action. Income from grain crops in the county in 1962 was more than $8 million. More than 100,000 acres was seeded to winter wheat and 45,000 acres to barley. Morrow county has more strip cropping than the rest of the state combined. Average size of ranches in the county is 2,875 acres. WHEAT HARVEST on the Wm. F. Doherry place near Lexington shows a combine and truck in action. Some of the romantic flavor of the Old West lingers in Morrow county with its livestock indus try, second largest source of farm income. The cowboy remains a reality here, and cattle drives at the approach of winter bringing stock from the mountains to winter quarters is a stirring spectacle for the visitor. It is an interesting sight, too, to see prime cattle and sheep dotting the range at summer grazing. Of Morrow county's total of 1,317,760 acres of land, 590,497 are in pasture. Income from livestock in 1962 was $1,718,300. About 30,000 head of cattle were in the county and 23,000 head of sheep. Morrow county's fine livestock has won many championships at stock shows and awards. Visitors are invited to stop and view herds. Most ranchers will be happy to visit with strangers and tell them about their livestock. Table place mats, showing all the cattle brands of the county, have been made by the Morrow County CowBelles and are available in some local stores, a good souvenir of a visit here. " - ; toiriglifiiiitiiifiniHi HAROLD WRIGHT, 1961 Uvestockman of the Year, stands beside his big Hereford herd bulL Suggested Tours In Morrow County Morrow County Is a vast land that offers a wide range of spectacular scenery, ranging from the Columbia River In the north to the cool green forests of the Blue Mountains in the south. The "sands" of the Navy bombing range and the Boeing missile testing site in the north, rich croplands, and picturesque rolling hills lie between. Hundreds of miles of roads cross the county and open it to the visitor. In traveling forest roads in the mountains, however, the newcomer is advised to stay on main roads unless he is accompanied by someone who knows the country. For those who wish to "discover" the county on their own, a few suggested tours are listed below on well-marked roads: TOUR NO. 1 Leaving Highway 30 (Interstate 80) at Heppner Junction, 11 miles east of Arlington, go south on the Willow Creek highway 74 via lone and Lexington to Heppner. On the return take hifihway 207 from Lexington 10 miles to the North Lexington elevator. At the elevator, turn north on the Bomb Range road 25 miles back to highway 30. This route will show the irrigated farms of the Willow Creek basin, the wheat lands north of Lexington, and take the traveler along the east side of the Navy bombing range. Should low-flying let planes happen to be crossing the range road, red lights will warn the motorist to stop. Visits to Morrow's northern towns of Irrigon and Boardman, melon growing centers, also will be en joyed. These growing communities are on the Columbia River and Boardman will be moved within a few years as the present site will be covered by waters of the John Day Dam reservoir. TOUR NO. 2 Turn south at lone on the county road that goes up the hill back of the new high school and goes by big grain farms and the historic Valby Lutheran church to the Eightmile dis trict on the Condon highway (206). Go east to Ruggs and return to lone via the lower Rhea Creek road, going north from 206. More fine farms will be seen here. TOUR NO. 3 From Heppner, take the Condon highway (207) to Rurrs. Turn south (still on 207) via the historic old stage conch town of Hardman to Bull Prairie reservoir, a beautiful spot for camping, fishing and picnicking, a distance of 39 miles from Heppner. Rock Creek, canyon, Kinzua Corporation tree farm, and wildlife will be observed on this route. For those who do not mind a gravel road, the Ridgo Road, running west from Hardman back to the Condon highway will add a pleasant diversion with mountain peaks of Cascade range forming a glorious backdrop for the grain fields that cover the landscape. TOUR NO. 4 Follow the Willow Creek highway southeast from Heppner for 26 miles into the mountains to Cutsforth park, the most popular spot for picnics and outings In the county. There are many, many other fine tours that may be taken. When you come to the county ask at any service station or talk to any "old-timer" who will help you in pointing out scenic routes. Logging, Lumbering Though the traveler passing to the north of Morrow county on Highway 30 may never suspect it, lumbering and logging compose one of the prime industries of the county. Timberlands cover about 233,500 acres in the county, of which 202,000 are in the Umatilla National Forest. Kinzua Corporation sawmill at Heppner is- the largest in the county, and with its logging oper ations, employs to 110 men. Heppner Lumber com pany is also located at Heppner, and several logging firms operate in the county. K. THIS IS the Kinzua Corp. sawmill operation at Heppner. Future Development ZJL ' -.,.- -"fS3"- 'mVsr I Boardman Project , fc mm 1 iffsr --- n-- - J THIS AERIAL VIEW of Heppner shows markings of the pro posed Willow Creek dam. Development of the Boardman Industrial park by the State of Oregon and its negot iations with the Boeing Company have fo cused attention on Morrow countv for more than two years. The lease with Boeing for approximately 100,000 acres in Morrow county was completed in the summer of 1963. The Seattle firm expects to use the land for testing purposes and other uses in connection with its space-age program. What this will mean to the county is un certain at this time but prospects appear good for industrial development of the area with a proportionate increase in population. Willow Creek Dam Feasibility survey on a Willow Creek dam, to be located just above Heppner. has been completed by the Corps of Army Engineers but is yet to be considered by Congress. The multipurpose dam, which would be designed for flood control, irrigation, recreation, indus trial water supply and other uses, would cost about S6 million. The rockfill dam would be 145 feet high and store 11,500 acre feet of water with a normal maximum surface pool of 220 acres.
