Hkl'l'NtH K Citv Hotel stood between the Mi.sonic Bailding and
Thomson Store. Ojierated by Stanley Minor's grandparents, the
Ellis Minors shown here with members of their family.
Oregon Grows
Continued
Ellis Minor, George Noble,
S.P. Florence.
Giles French writes, "The
fact is there wasn't a farmer
in the lot. Probably every
head of a liousehold raised
a few crops on his land, but
grass grew on the creek bot
toms by nature's hand and the
income was from stock and
there wasn't much of that
nor much of a market for what
there was. It was not until
1874 that Joseph Glidden ob
tained a patent on the manu
facture of barbed wire. Be
fore that, land was fenced with
poles or with rock. Cattle
and sheep ran at large and
tilling the soil -the occupa
tion of a farmer-was diffi
cult without the possibility
of enclosures more con
venient than poles or rocks".
(Homesteads and Heritages,
THE rv' HEPPNER
GAZETTE-TIMES
Serving
Morrow County
And
Parts of Grant, Wheeler, Umatilla and Gilliam
Counties
For
89 YEARS
The
PLACE
To Get Your Job Printing
Wedding Invitations Letterheads and Envelopes
Invoices and Business Printing
For Anything Printed
Call 676-9228 Or 676-9492
SECTION 3, PAGE 5
Pg. 2. )
About then, Joseph Mason
of Portugal came east from
Salem, Oregon into the Rhea
Creek Valley, He bought 160
acres and later built the first
brick house in Morrow County
w here a large fa mily grew up.
Mr. Mason planted the first
orchard and berries on Rhea
Creek and early travelers
found this an ideal place to
camp and rest and were happy
to find a place to buy such
fine food.
1870 brought many familar
names to Morrow. Edward
Cluff, the Irish founder of
lone arrived. Albert Wright,
James Ayers, Thomas Mor
gan, J. Crockett Kirk,
brothers William and Frank
Gilliam, Henry Padberg and
his family, Eli Summers and
his family moved in.
Very close to this time the
A.M. Mallory family and Tom
and Mike Quaid settled on
Balm Fork. Many Irish were
beginning to arrive including
Black Horse James G. Do
herty and Mike Kenny. From
England came the Hynd Fam
ily. Frank Maddock, Anson
Wright, the Hayes Brothers
-Jim, John and Jeff, Tom
Matlock A.G. Bartholomew,
Wm. P. Dutton, George J.
Currin, Orin Farnsworth,
Milt Hale, came in rather
near the time of Heppners
founding.
HEPPNER'S FOUNDING
Astory in an old newspaper
quotes Frank Gilliam's story
that the city of Heppner came
near to being located some 15
miles south on the waters
fo upper Rhea Creek. When
Mr. Gilliam fist arrived in
this area there was no town
and the territory was settled
only by stockmen who had
homes on the creeks and ran
cattle and sheep over the roll
ing hills which were covered
with bunch grass and sage
brush. No one thought of grow
ing wheat on the hills until
some 15 years later.
Quite early in 1872 a store
was established on the
Heppner-Hardman road at the
present site of the bridge
(now Ruggs). Later the same
year Henry Heppner and J.L.
Morrow debated whether to
place a store there also, but
selected the site on Willow
Creek. Taylor Spencer moved
his store into Heppner in
the summer of 1873 to com
pete with them.
Several stories are given
about why Henry Heppner' s
first store was built where
it was. Various persons
claimed to have influenced,
him. The matter of who start
ed whom in the partnership
of Heppner-Morrow is also
questioned. It is certain that
Henry Heppner had been
through this area often; J.L.
Morrow wasaLaGrande mer
chant. At that time supplies were
hauled into the area from
' Umatilla Landing which was
over fifty miles away, or from
Pendleton, John Day or The
Dalles. Mr. Morrow and ,
Mr. Heppner were exper
ienced businessmen, and no
matter who had the idea first,
they decided to plunge. Jack
son Lee Morrow came to
Stansbury Flat and began to