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