Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1972)
the County Com from page 5 Like Adantsville, the Sa Unevllle postofftee did not function much over one year when it was retst.iblishedas Lexington. Mrs. Renefteld the earliest woman named to such a position in the county was postmistress at Saline ville. LEXINGTON Heppner' s neighboring com munity and very great his toric rival has an historic past that is worthy of a com plete book-at least much more ordure than it has here. When 1985 arrives Lexington and the entire cou nty will be due a joint, ter rific centennial. Mr. William Penland had sheep there in 1870. He was a man of great resour cefulness and was backed by great wealth that helped in the aquisition of vast hold ings and the establishment of an outstanding ranch. Pen land s headquarters became quite a settlement accumula ting people and businesses and shops. An armory was built as a precaution during Indian uncertainties. Black smith Jack McVey was an important early operator. A fe of those who came after the I'enlands were A. J. Breeding, H. Leach, Hi ram Clark, and, a little la ter, J.K. Willis, George Br own, and William Stauffer. 1885 At Morrow County's birth, Heppner was designated as temporary county seat, and the County populace was given the power to elect the per manent seat about G months later. Will am Penland de termined to build a town that would win this election and gave a part of his ranch for a town site, had it surveyed and streets and blocks laid out. Mrs. Penland (Jane) chose the name Lexington af ter her old home In Lexing ton, Kentucky. Mr. Penland deeded an entire city block to the town, and over $3,000 was subscribed by T.J. Allyn, Andrew Reaney, Thomas Rea- ney, T.W. Halley, Charles McBee, B.F. King, Homer McFarland, Edward Cluff, George W. Harris, Frank Reaney, W.J. Davis, Henry Padberg. A.J. Kimsie, Fred Geiger and H.J. Hale for the erection of a courthouse, in the event that Lexington won the election. The big vote was Carlssen's Gift Nook Custom made gifts, pottery, porcelein, hand painted china, and various other f ceramic gifts. Mary Lou Carlson Lexington 989-8138 so close Hut tic iftier t'n would concede defeat and tlie decision was left to the cou nty court which decided in favor of llepuier. A THRIVING TOWN The first Lexington post master was Nathaniel Yates. Lexington bloomed last, by 1886 It had the following es tablishments, in addition to the Penland enterprises: a general merchandise store of Homer McFarland, managed by him for E.B. McFarland, his uncle; the general store of Davis and Workman; the hardware and tin shop to T.W. Halley; two groceries, W.B. McAllister's and William Bl air's; the implement store of N.A. Thompson; the drug store of E.W. Harris; E. Fen ton's jewelry sharing the po stofflce building; a meat mar ket run by Cooley and Hod son; a millinery store of Mrs. T.W. Halley; the Dave Letsinger and Jack McVey bl acksmith shops; saloon of Henry Keats; the livery stable of Reaney and son; a feed yard belonging to" Tex" Croft; the furniture store of E.T. Carr; the Palace Res taurant; the Allen and Tib bets Hotel; the barter shop of Joe Gibson; William Plinn's saloon; the grist mill of Rice and Davis; a news paper, the Bunchgrass Blade; two halls - the armory, in which school and church services were held, and a large hall over McFarland' s store and the P.O. Lexington's school grew in to a fine building (now the county office) after some of the out-1 vine schools of So cial Ridge, Clark's Canyon, Devine, Hodson, Black Horse, Alpine and Strawberry were consolidated. LEXINGTON HIGHLIGHTS Like neighboring Heppner, Lexington hadupsanddowns vith downs being predomi nate In the late fall of 1386 a devastating fire reduc ed three of the principal bu siness blocks to ashes. In 1888 this was being rebuilt when the rare event, a tre mendous cyclone struck on June 14. This went through the west end of town and cr ossed the northern side as it turned east. It killed several, damaged homes and farm buildings, completely wreck ed one school house. The Heppner flood of 1903 took no lives there, but a great deal of damage was done to pro perty; buildings moved and wrecked, lumber and debris scattered everywhere, wells and basements filled with water and mud. The Me thodist Church and parsonage were moved and so badly wr ecked that they had to be re built; the tracks of the O.R. & N. were washed out from Heppner to below town for about two miles-where trains stopped and wagons took their loads the rest of the way. Another flood in 1925 washed down Blackhorse Canyon do ing considerable damage. LEXINGTON ENTERPRISES Many lodges, three news papers, several banks, and I. A: t ,,, x iiFSTAl'KANT owned by Anna ISM MaSm.t Son this stte. Ann. IVkett is ladv with X changing businesses, were based in Lexington. Its early warehouse eventually became controlled by Morrow Cou nty Grain Growers which Just built a great new headquar ters there In 1971. There were four doctors there. Dr. C.C. Chick practiced there when he first came west later he practiced In Hard man and lone. Dr. Hunter was there for several years and W.M. Lewis and E.T. Georghegan, physicians and surgeons practiced there. in 1889 some of these business-people advertised in Its newspaper. The Budget (formerly the Bunchgrass Bl ade, later the Weekly Budget) were: T.W. Halley Hardware and Tin Shop, George Har ris (successor to N.A.Thom pson) machinery; H. McFar land and Co.. merchandise; George W. Harris, drug sto re; J.O. Kirk, dry goods; Joseph L. Gibson, barberand confectionary; R. Lieuallen, blacksmith; Towns I Ma thews, home restaurant and lodging house; William Estes, blacksmith; J.W. Leiuallen, meat market; William Pen land, general merchandise, managed by William Blair; Henry Padlwrg city drug sto re; J.W. Brock, carriage and wagon maker; J.W. Redford, Lexington Hotel; Nelse Mag nuson, Elkltorn livery and feed stable; E.R. Beach, nur C'ont. on page 7 HM MM MINIM ll.imMM.I.I.l.l.l.lH Hometown Peddler Prices! Del's Market Lexington 989-8133 "Del's Market or bust!" Delberf and Phyllis Piper n
