Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1972)
1. r easy m Heppner's Main Street (Courtesy Zetta Brosnan) MORE 1920'S C ontinued from page 14 basin. The 1927 crop was very good. Herbert Hoover was elected in 1928. Banks were closing. Chain stores came into Heppner-Red & White, MacMarr, and J.C. Penney. Personal debts rose, business slowed, and the de pression dominated the entire U.S. TROUBLES OF THE THIRTIES Money was short, people were badly frightened, banks failed, bankers jumped out of FARMERS AMD RANCHERS Whatever your Insurance needs. Life Health Auto Fire Hail Liability Farm Owners Home Owners Inland Marine JOHN GOCHNAUER 676-5862 676-5818 HEPPNER, OREGON windows. Men were out of work everywhere. The C. W. A. and the W.P.A. and P. W.A. came into being as "Make Work" relief measur es. Many farmers were in debt - salaries were reduced-people went back to a bar ter system for food. Frank lin D. Roosevelt was elect ed and was inaugurated the same January that Heppner put out its sheepskin scrip. THE SHEEPSKIN SCRIP The Lions Club backed $5000 in scrip in amounts from 25 cents to $10. Ma yor Gay M. Anderson appoi nted Dean Goodman chairman and Charles Thomson, Earl Eskelson, J.J. Nys, Lucy Rod gers, Josephine Mahoney and Spencer Crawford to the scrip project. The scrip was be ing backed by county and school district warrants. Teachers could draw ten dol lar warrants-never full sala-ries-and get scrip. The scrip could be spent for groceries or other merchandise. War rants were negotiable. The novelty of the sheepskin scrip appealed to many who ne ver turned it in for redemp tion, preferring to keep it for souvenirs. F.D.R. STIMULATES BY Justine Weatberford The new administration reached out into every com munity with many programs. Banks reopened. The Natio nal Recovery Act set prices for goods and labor. Prohi bition was repealed. The Civilian Conservation Corps brought 200 eastern boys to Morrow County. Soil conser vation practices found more general acceptance. Heppner built its swimming pool. Go ing to high school became more popular. The county population dropped down to 4337 by 1939. Land prices were down. A small lumber and box business started in Heppner, prospered, p.nd was sold to Kinzua Lumber Co. THEN CAME THE FORTIES In 1940 most of the world was becoming involved in World War II. The U.S. did not become officially in volved until the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Har bor on Dec. 7, 1941. Gi les French states, "The . history, of Morrow County during most of the 1940's is a history of the nation at war, so completely we re Mor row Countians involved. Na turally people died and were buried, children were born aitbough in reduced num-bers-and life went on, but it was a strange life. " When it was over all tra ce of the ebulllance of early Morrow County was gone. Men looked to the government for guidance and help in all endeavors. It was war that subdued the pioneer spirit. It was not depression; de pression tested it and stren gthened it." However, in spite of the war's domination, some splendid progress took place in Heppner. The Morrow County Grain Growers aquir ed complete control of the grain storage business and advanced in other lines too. MCGG headquarters grew at Lexington. The Columbia Ba sin Electric Power Company was incorporated. Morrow County leaders were power ful in woolgrowers and wheat producers organizations. The Heppner Rodeo and the Morrow County Fair were consolidated. Steps were ta ken to build a fine hospital on hillside land donated by Garnett Barratt, the county judge. 1950 UNTIL TODAY As in earlier periods, Mor row County continues to nave SECTION 3, PAGE 15 ups and downs. The com pletion and dedication of the Pioneer Memorial Hospital on June 11, 1950 was an up. The hospital was enlarged In 1955 and considerably Impro ved In 1958. In early times the south county was the lively section with the area closest to the John Day west-east trade route most significant. Now the action is in the north changing the landscape The north end of Morrow County is seeing many changes with the development on the Boeing tract. Huge pumps are bringing water to arid but fertile lands, bring ing big increases in alfalfa and potato production. Port land General Electric pro poses a big nuclear power plant at the Carty reservoir site. The coolant water for the plant will go into the reservoir and from there to thousands of acres for irri gation. This will mean a num ber of new crops for the county and, no doubt, some processing plants and popu lation growth. In Heppner, theKinzuaCor poration has spent $2,500,000 on the most modern new veneer plant in the west. C ontinued page 16 How Ikes Have Changed t . at Wagon Wheel Cade and Lounge Featuring The Finest Foods Refreshments and Fine Entertainment in the Lounge Banquet Room Ron and Olivia Palmer Heppner
