Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 12, 1969)
M J Testifies bffire Cocigiress m Wihw mdi Pojjestf See Also Page 1, Section 1 By JUDGE ?AUL JONES Monday morning, with Quen tin Bowman, we interviewed Congressman Ullman regarding the Willow Creek dam and oth er projects In Oregon. Following this Interview, we met with Rob ert Packwood and his adminis trative assistant. Mr. Crosbv. Again, we stressed the need for Willow creek. I was Impressed by Senator Packwood s questions regarding many or tne problems Involving reclamation projects In Oregon. i came away with the impres sion that a person should know his subject when talking to the Senators. If he did not know some ol the questions and ans wers to Oregon's reclamation situation he would say so and state that he would do research. I think he has a great capacity ior worK. lie was in shirt sleeves and wet with perspiration. Mr. Crosbv and his office made the initial provisions tor me to ap pear before the Senate Sub committee on appropriations. Senator Hatfield was not at his office but Sam Mallicoat was most obliging and stated that he would assist in helping to get me an appearance before the committee on Tuesday. At least I did appear and did tes tify. we then went to the Con giessional Committee Room in the Cannon building where the House Committee was receiving resumony. Quentin was called first and gave a short but very thorough summation of the needed Bur eau and Corps projects in Ore gon. He stressed Willow Creek very strongly and stated it was among the top priority items in tne Mate or Oregon. congressman uiman was then called. He took only about a minute and a half in which time he stated that Willow Creek was a top priority item and must be included in the appropria tions. He then Introduced me. My prepared talk was about four minutes in duration. At the con clusion I asked if there were any questions. I was asked a few but the full committee seemed very interested. Facts Well Received The written statement and facts concerning the dam were well received and I was compli mented very highly on them and the reproduction of the 1903 Gazette-Times on the flood. In cidentally, Wendall Wyatt, with whom I talked also, stated he would give every assistance possible. Tuesday morning when the Senate Committee convened, Senators Hatfield and Packwood were present and spoke for the Willow Creek Dam. - THE) GAZETTE-TIMES Heppner, Oregon 97836, Thursday, June 12, 1969 Sec. 2 I ', j .... . .' , ' i 3 OMMY HOWELL looks weary and worn from digging muck from behind a house they own on Cannon Street. Basement apartment was flooded and filled with silt. The Howells do not live in this place but on the other side of town. "There were many witnesses that morning and at 5 minutes of 12. Magnuson, who was chair ing the committee, announced adjournment. Senator Hatfield intervened and requested that I be given a chance to make a short statement. I repeated in essence what I had said before the House committee. Later, in the hallway, Senator Magnuson told me, that the project seemed to be quite interesting and he would see what help could be given it. - Had Hatfield not Intervened when he did I probably would not have had a chance to speak at all. Hatfield had mentioned five other projects in the State. He then said: We have another flood con trol project In Oregon that is somewhat unique and it has not yet had a planning start. Wil low Creek Reservoir in Heppner was authorized in 1965 after ,more than half a century of on again off again studies. In 1903, 66 years ago a flood took 247 lives at Heppner in what was then the worst natural dis aster of its kind in the United States. Sixty-six years later we still plead for a planning start on this reservoir project." Packwood Gives Support Following Senator Hatfield, Senator Packwood endorsed the statement of Senator Hatfield and urged that Willow Creek, among others, be included in the authorization. In summary, I feel very grat ified by the attitude and inter est shown In the Willow Creek project by both sub-committees and their membership. I must conclude by saying that I have reached the opinion that person al appearances must be contin uea by local people If we are going: to get this and other proj ects. It is my firm belief that Con gressman Ullman who has worked long and hard for this project, will continue to help us, but he cannot do it alone. Lo cal interest will either "make or break" this dam. We must have support at the county level by our own citizens. My verbal statement before both committees follows: I am here to make a state ment in support of Willow Creek Dam which was authorized by Congress in 1965. The prepared bulletins which I nave Just handed you contain many facts and figures relative to this project: many of these figures prepared by the Corps of Engineers. I will attempt to avoid duplicating what you have in the folder. The Willow Creek Dam is not large project as such. But. it is tailor-made to do the lob needed. The location, Just south of Heppner but below the con fluence of Willow and Balm Creeks, makes it ideally located to serve as a flood control, rec reation. and reclamation project. May I refer you to the front of the folder which shows the dam in reference to these two creeks and the City of Heppner. In 1903 Heppner suffered a disastrous flood and a terrific loss of lifer some 247 persons died that Sunday afternoon In a period of minutes when, fol lowing a severe lightning and thunder storm, a wall of water swept through the citv taking everything before It. The back cover of the folder illustrates a small part of the property damage. May I make It very clear that the identical conditions still ex ist today even as they did in 1903. There have been damaging storms since that time and in 1934 much of the town was gain damaged by a severe Memorial Day storm, fortunate ly without loss of life. Multi-purpose Uses Given rhe Reclamation feature of this project would place some 3000 acres under irrigation from the dam. Part of this land now gets water from the creek when there is any. Last year, with on ly 14 of a normal flow, the downstream area suffered so severely from drought, as did all of the county. Some cattle men hauled hay last winter from as far as 300 miles to pro vide feed for stock. Fortunately, the stream flow Is above normal Una apring and could be filling the dam if it were not built The impact on downstream irri gators of a guaranteed water supply would be a tremendous boon to them and would have a great effect on the economy of the Willow Creek Valley. Last year some 25 wells were drilled in the valley to provide supplemental water when Wil low Creek dried up. Geologists who have tested this water In dicate it is 27,000 years old, thus indicating there is no flow into or out of some of the under ground oools. The probability is that some wells will thus so dry in a short time. When the dam is built much of the pumping from these wells will be discon tinued, thus saving our under ground water. According to the Corps of En gineers, the total expenditure to date on the Willow Creek Res ervoir Project for the prepara tion of the survey report is $57,000. (Bureau of Reclamation $35,000). mere is no lake. dam. or impoundment presently in the Interior of Morrow county. cannot emphasize too strongly the Impact on the county and communities, from a recreation al standpoint, of a reservoir so near the center of our county and at the very edge of the city limits of Heppner. Having an artificial lake so close to town would be a marvelous thing for not only our youth but our oldsters as well. The City of Heppner has al ready Included an Item In their Tibbies fo Get Doctor's Degree Larry Lyman Tibbies, son of Dr. and Mrs. L. D. Tibbies, will receive his Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Oregon Medical School at grad uation exercises Friday evening, June 13. His parents will attend the ceremonies, to be held In the Medical School Student Ac tivities Building in Portland, at 8:00 p.m. Tibbies has been accepted for Intern practice at the Orange County General Hospital In Or ange, Calif. He and his wife, Judy, will move to California soon after graduation to begin work there July 1. After graduating from Hepp ner High school in 1961, Tibbies enrolled in medicine at the Uni versity of Oregon, where he re ceived his bachelor of science degree in 1965, prior to entering the U of O Medical School. 10G9 1970 budget for payment of richts of ways on the channel through the City of Heppner. "Finally, In conclusion, may I again emphasize that the ac tual threat to another loss of life still exists. I urge you to include an appropriation suffic ient to initiate preconstructlon on this project. The actual amounts needed are to be found in the folder I gave you a few minutes ago. "I appreciate your time and the privilege you have given me to appear here. The chance to come to the nation's capltol is one not given to many from our area. HOLDEN S ART SCHOOL ANNUAL Oil Color Workshops ON LANDSCAPE AND PORTRAIT , BY THE WORLD'S LEADING COLOR AUTHORITT IN THE ARTS June 16 thru 27 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. AT THE NORTHSHORE ART STUDIO By the John Dot Dam 20 Miles South of Goldendale, Wash. S75 (or 2 Weeks $40 for 1 Week See and Work With MERLIN ENABNIT With His Amazn? Control of Color Information and Registration Nancy Holden Northshore Art School John Day Dam Star Rte. 677 Goldendale. Wash. Telephone 723-5703 or call 676-5372 (Heppner) Evenings YOUR ATTENDANCE IS CORDIALLY INVITED AT THE KI Honoring The Peterson Bros. (Bob and Herb) STATE CONSERVATIONISTS OF THE YEAR At The Peterson Ranch Just North of the Valby Church WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18 Come and Join Those From All Over Oregon, Interested in Conservation, in Commending the Petersons on Their Fine Work! The Petersons' Conservation Practices: OVER ALL CONSERVATION PRACTICES Diversion ditches 17 miles Sod Waterways 10 acres Subsoiling (1967) 400 acres Rotation Grazing 307 acres Deferred Grazing 2,349 acres Improved Pasture 90 acres Deep Wells 7 Channel straightening & shaping lYn miles Strip cropping 600 acres Sagebrush & Rabbitbrush spraying 300 acres Bird Guzzlers 1 Spring Development 1 Fence Row Weed Control 3 miles Straw incorporation in sandblow areas All cropland is planted and tilled on the contour. - 8 t M V V t 1 - t PROGRAM J ' ? I t'f . 7 i Herb Peterson V- , ' .. - - .. '';: , .1--v Bob Peterson 10.00 A.Mr Assemble at Peterson Ranch which is located 16 miles from lone, near the Valby Church. 10:15 A.M. Introductions by Tad Miller, president Morrow County Wheat Growers League. 10:20 A.M. Welcome by Bob Peterson. 10:25 A.M. Tour Eight-Mile Place. 12:30 Noon Free Lunch, Peterson Ranch. Sponsored by Paul & Helen Pettyjohn, Shell Oil & Chemical Jobbers, lone. Remarks by Louis Carlson, 19G9 chairman of the selection committee. Remarks by Tom Vaughan, president, Oregon Wheat Growers League. Remarks by Don Robinson, one of the sponsors of Conservation Man of Year Contest. 1:15 P.M. Tour remainder of ranch. 4:00 P.M. Tour Ends. Cold drinks furnished by Paul & Helen Pettyjohn THIS MESSAGE SPONSORED BY THE FOLLOWING IN TRIBUTE TO THE PETERSONS AND IN THE INTERESTS OF CONSERVATION: Heppner Branch First National Bank of Oregon Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative Bank of Eastern Oregon Morrow County Grain Growers
