Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1972)
SECTION 3, PACE 10 Significant Continued from Page 9 some of the leading citizens of the town formed a joint stock company and came to his relief, thus Insuring the success of the venture. On Dec. 2. 1891 the S.P. Carrlgues' planing mill was destroyed by Are. The ci tizens, by forming a bucket brigade, saved the lumber yard and surrounding build ings. The city council, In Jan. 1892, determined to con struct three cisterns on Main street to give protection to the business district-but this project was never carried out. The Gazette reported many indications of great pros perity in Morrow County In 1891. "Some2,325,000pouods of wool were received by the Morrow County Loan and Trust Co.'s warehouse alone, 600,000 pounds of which were graded and packed for direct eastern shipment. It was es timated that 65,000 bead of sheep were driven out of the county and sold, but that the total number of sheep in the county was not thereby di minished as the exported an- s Hgddv Birthday Old Mel tyye lmals were replaced numer ically by the Increase. The cattle raising industry was extended considerably, en couraged by the prevailing high prices, but the rearing of horses was allowed to pass into comparative neglect owing to the depressed con dition of the horse market. Fifteen thousand acres of homestead land were added to the taxable domain of the county by the making of final proofs, and the Indebtedness was reduced some 390,000." Many other statistics were given such as a long listing of those who paid taxes on one thousand dollars or over for the year. Of course (be agricultural prosperity was reflected in the businesses in the towns; merchants built up their stocks, citizens improved their properties. Crops of 1892 were rather light, owing no doubt partly to the tact that the land needed rest after the heavy yields of the two previous, but more especially to a drouth. A heavy rain came to Heppner Sept. 6th which flooded the town as water poured in from the bills. 1893 was also very dry through most of the Gar Aviation growing season, and on July 3rd citizens around Heppner and at Eight Mile tried to Induce rain by heavy firing however, their efforts failed. THE 1893 DEPRESSION There was a general fi nancial panic throughout the country that year. Business went to a cash basis. Mr. Schiach writes, "It may be confidently asserted that the burden of financial stringency did not weigh as heavily upon the people of Eastern Oregon as in many of the older com munities, and failures in bus iness were few, but here as elsewhere, an effectual check was put upon almost all pro gress and retrogression be came the order of the day." Citizens of Liberty and Hard man assembled and passed resolutions asking that their creditors be as lenient as possible. This depression lasted for four difficult years. Four Portland banks bad to suspend payments that year. HEPPNER SCHOOL FIRE Heppner s fine five-room school held 244 pupils In its ten grades In the year 1890-91. In 1892 that building on Gale Street was destroyed by fire and a new school was built on the bill east of tow n an Imposing structure with eight class rooms. (The first high school graduation was the class of 1893 with five Timer! ! s 989-8422 5 S 8 members: Ben Patterson, Effie (Fields) Rhea. Frank jones, Jay W. Shipley and Roy Glasscock.) In the early spring of 1892 Heppner purchased a great deal of flre-flghting equip ment for freight prepaid, about $1000. This equipment in the bands of an enthu siastic volunteer fire com pany was valuable, but a bet ter water system was urgen tly needed. Toe town con contracted with H.V. Gates of Hlllsboro for a water sys tem and electric light plant. He successfully utilized the old well which bad been bored years back and at last Hep pner got "The best, most effective, permanent and sat isfactory light and water plant of all cities of like size in the Northwest" (Schiach, Pg. 299). A corporation known as the Heppner Light and Wa ter Company took over from Mr. Gates and operated the new systems. SEVERAL POLITICAL MANEUVERING Morrow County's political leadership was eager to pro mote growth. Back in 1889 there was an almost success ful attempt to extend the southern boundary of the court' ty to the John Day River and take in fifteen of the nor thern townships of Grant County, Hon. T.E. Fell in troduced the bill in the state legislature and it passed in the house but failed to reach the senate in time to be con sidered before adjournment. The people in the territory involved were greatly in favor of the change. In 1893 the state decided to locate a branch asylum for the insane in Eastern Oregon. Heppner's leaders felt they could get it for their town as the new water and light sys tem favored expansion. In Jan. 1894 the decision was reached after careful Inspec tion of Baker, North Powder, La Grande, Union, Echo, Pen dleton, Milton, Heppner, and The Dalles, to award the hos pital to Union, presumably on Great Grandmother made and wore her knuckles raw as washboard. Try the new in 1972 Heppner Laundromat Clean, Cool, and Comfortable fbppncf is a true tod of Homesteads bd Heritages W.V.Wcatherford account ot the toot lake and spring in its vicinity. (Schlacb. Pg. 300). PROSPERITY RETURNS The years 1893-4-5-6 were weary and discouraging. Most of the products of the county had to be sold tor less than the cost of their production. Wheat In 1894 sold as low as 15 cents per bushel, lambs for 75 cents per bead and wool and cattle for prices pro portionately low. In 1897 prosperity returned in earn est. The fall crops brought good prices; wages rose In proportion; debts were paid; mortgages cleared; con fidence and credit re-established. Judge A.G. Barth olomew succeeded in clearing up a school lands purchase mess making considerable land salable which did much to brighten Morrow fi nancially. OREGON'S MOST PROSPER OUS YEAR The Oregonian summarized the year of 1898 thus: "The year ending Dec. 31. 1898, was the most prosperous year Oregon has ever known. Every line of trade reports a large increase in business, except for a few lines, such as soap, coffee, tea and spi ces. Some lines, notably ag ricultural Implements and certain kinds of building ma terial, increased from 50 to 75 per cent. Most of the increase was cash business." The year 1899 did not seem quite as good, but 1900 brought better crops. It was un usually favorable for the pro duction of mutton, the av erage increase being over 100 per cent, or about 20 per cent higher than that of any former year. This must lave brought great Joy to the Irish shepherds who had come into Morrow in considerable numbers in the years from 1870 through the lego's. A Gazette supplement states that the shipments over the O.R. It N. from Heppner during 1900 were: Wheat and C ontinued Page II her own soap, boiled clothes, she rubbed each piece on her Lexington, uregon