Reids MHiGoin' Concern
Mr, and Mrs. James Reid,
Martin, the twins, Clarence
and Clara, and AJonzo and
grandfather Alonzo Roberts
came to Heppner April 1901
from Bradley, S.D.They ship
ped their household goods and
10 head of cattle by train.
Fresh from the blizzards of
South Dakota they thrilled to
the many fruit trees blossom
ing in Heppner.
They first stayed in the
Heppner Hotel that stood
where Lois Reid Winchester
now lives. It was swept away
by the big flood.
Another son, Arthur, was
already in Oregon at Joseph.
Another son, Robert, and his
wife came from Fargo, N.D.
Robert was killed in 1902
during construction of the
mill. The next year James
bought a sawmill in Hood
River and moved it near
Looking Around
Cont. from page 8
Royal Rands, the F.F. Kli
tzx, Jack Gorham, and the
Buster Rands. Though the
first unit opened in June 1916,
little development took place
until after the second open
ing in March 1917. About 40
families came at that time.
PROJECT PIONEERS
The first to file on this
project was C.H. Dillabaugh,
others coming in were Paul
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( Cal's Cafe
( and Lounge
The Very Best
I in Service and Food I
( Our Lounge is Just Open,
to Serve YOU Better 1
For Orders To Go I
Call 676-5015
Heppner
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Thorn Creek. Later it burned
and the mill was rebuilt on
Thorn Creek. The mill pond
and smoke stack now on the
ground are visible remnants
of the once very prosperous
mill.
About 1910 Martin and
Arthur bought the mill. James
Reid built the house in which
Clara Reid Gertson now lives
and Mr. and Mrs. Reid moved
to town.
The mill continued to flour
ish on the site until it was sold
and the new owners moved it
out.
While Martin and Arthur
had the mill they bought the
lumberyard which stood
where the old hotel had been in
Heppner. The apartment
house which recently burned
was the original barn where
they kept the horses for the
lumberyard.
the County
and Frank Partlow, Charles
Nizer, R.C. Mitchell, Geo
rge Mitchell, RobertandAlex
Wilson, W.A. Price, Joe Cur
ran, Tom Hendricks, H. Ca
son, A. P. Ayers, J.J. Wes
ton, R. Wasmer, Frank Otto,
1. Skoubo, Leslie Packard,
John L. Jenkins, J.R. John
son, the Attebury Brothers,
W.H. Mefford, M.C. Mar
shall, Jess Lower, John
Brice, Ira Berger, W.W.
Arthur Reid on the wheel
horse and Martin Reid stand
ing by the wagon. The wagons
Bechdolt, Gratton (Hi) Hoff
man, Charles Hango, O.B.Ol
son, Ray Brown, Ralph Hum
phrey, Earl and Frank Cram
er, Adolf Skoubo, Mrs. Sam
Shell, Paul M. Smith, Mrs.
Gladys Gibbon, Nick Faler,
W.O. King, L.V. Root. The
roads on the project have been
named for many of these early
settlers.
BOARDMAN TOWNSITE
It was in 1916 that Sam
Boardman sold 40 acres to
the Boardman townsite com
pany, and E.P. Dodd of Her
miston , organizer of the com
pany, platted the town, which
existed until it was relocated
with the building of the John
Day Dam down stream. O.H.
Warner and C.G. Blayden
were first residents of the
townsite. An interesting
early resident was Ferdinand
Emberger who erected a wa
ter tank and the city water
works and is remembered as
the little man who pedaled up
and down the river panning a
little gold It was on one of
these trips that he was hit
by a car on the highway and
killed, (His early water tank
was greatly overtaxed and
collapssd.)
Mrs. Sam Boardman start
ed the first Sunday School
with an attendance of 5. When
attendance reached 13, they
began to meet in the little
school housethe community
church was built in 1917.
The first school house was
previously used at Castle
Rock and was moved to the
new townsite as a temporary
school building. The first
telephones came in 1919; the
cemetery was built; the rail
road built a depot in 1922
(now relocated and the re
sidence of the Rupert Ken
nedys.) A very significant
organization, the Greenfield
Grange was chartered with 70
members in April 1919; it
has been followed by other
clubs and lodges.
HIGHLIGHTS OF "OLD"
BOARDMAN
Leo Root built a movie hou
se there about 1925. Three
churches were built on land
donated by E.P. Dodd. A
golf course opened in 1925
and flourished for some time.
Ditch Riders have been in
charge of the irrigation pro
ject; the first two were
CP. Stanyen and Dan Ran
sier (who came in 1919 and
rode ditches for 28 years
until he died in 1947.)
- - -
are loaded with lumber from
Reid's Mill on Thorn Creek to
be sold at the lumber yard in
A North Morrow County
Fair which was an annual
event since 1921 gained new
buildings in 1952 and was la
ter consolidated with the Cou
nty Fair at Heppner which the
area has strongly support
ed and has always contribu
ted one member to the Mor
row County Fair Board.
A fine city park was de
veloped in the center of town
by local individuals and by
community groups aided by
Navy men and the Air Force
Wives Club. World War II
brought Boardman an Air
Force Bise and the bombing
range later used by the Navy.
THE BROOM FACTORY
A newsstory of 1931 tells
about a little-remembered
Boardman industry. "Board
man's independent broom fac
tory using project grown corn
is proving highly successful
said C.G. Blayden, Justice of
Peace of that city, on a visit
to Heppner yesterday. Mr.L,
Schnitzer, a broom manufac
turer with 30 years exper
ience in all leading
broom corn centers of the
country, is managing the pl
ant, and with two assistants
is turning out from 10 to 15
dozen brooms a day. Demand
for the brooms has been good,
L. E. Dick
Distributor of
Petroleum Products
Serving South
Morrow County
Since 1933
Featuring:
Standard Oil Products
and
Dick's Chevron
Heating Service
Norge Appliances
Zenith Television
( Heppner Phone 676-9633
Heppner. Arthur and Martin
were Clara Reid Gertson's
brothers and Martin Reid is
Lois Reid Winchester's father.
and providing production of
corn is sufficient to justify,
the factory will be permanent.
This year about 50 percent
of Boardman' s corn has been
contracted for before the lo
cal plant was started. Mr.
Schnitzer was reported as
saying that the quality of
Boardman corn was the best
he had encountered any
where." FULL CIRCLE
In 1967 Boardman .was re
located almost a mile south
on higher ground, and the
old town was soon covered
with backwaters of the John
Day Dam. All the town's
buildings and even its
cemetery were moved, and
the town was built anew with
federal money.
Presently the Boeing Co.
has many employees there
working on developments for
the land they lease, and much
interest centers on this area.
Now the excitement in
these northern acres, along a
major interstate highway,
a busy national railroad, and
the bargeladen river is a full
circle completing iself. A
real population growth seems
logical there-so accessible
by land, water and air.
as
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