Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1973)
I u o r o E'JQCNC ORE. 07403 nouspcpor, Tbo Ufaostfoae!, uas a lively Journal 1 1 " 1 -T-TTT r r ; ! ! i ' i .rv'V'. - , , ' L i - , ! Housing needs are critical Kinzua reports Allen Nistad, general man ager of Kinzua Corporation, told members of the Chamber of Commerce Monday that his firm appreciates the cooper ation shown by the citizens of Heppner in housing the influx of new plant workers. "We ask the community to join with us in seeking out t builders and investors who will provide the necessary housing for even more wor kers," he said. Kinzua is in the process of getting approval of a 40-unit low-cost housing project to be located on the site just below the high school. Too, the Heppner Hotel is seeking Council names neu librarian Mayor Jerry Sweeney o pened the regular monthly "meeting of the Heppner Com mon Council Monday night by welcoming 11 students from Heppner High School, who were there as part of their civics class requirements. Gene Pierce, member of the Utilities Commission, rec: ommended the council appoint a member to the Utilities Commission to act as a laison between the two groups. Councilman Clyde Alstott was chosen to represent the coun cil at commission meetings. In other recommendations, Pierce urged that the pro posed water increase be Tour of the uoardman area Where production is the name off By MARCIA BEDORTHA How can 6,000 acres of desert sage land be turned into' fertile fields of corn, alfalfa, potatoes, sorghum, pasture and grain? Twenty members of the Morrow County Chamber of Commerce and residents of the Heppner area found an swers to that question Satur day when they made a special tour of the fast-growing, progressive north section of ' the county around Boardman. On of the answers, appar ency, is to turn those unpro ductive acres over to Desert, Magic Farms Inc., which bat worked something akin to a miracle of production in once-barren area. Howard Kartchner, presi dent of Desert Magic, opened . The Hardman Community Hall, an ancient structure which has been unofficially re-named the Opry House, dominates the old town. During the years it has served many purposes. Today it is best know for it's Saturday night dances. investors to aid in securing federal loans to renovate the hotel and turn it into low-cost apartments for the elderly. Doug Stevie, Housing Divi sion, State of Oregon, was present to explain that inves tors in the renovation of the hotel could earn from 20 to 50 per cent on their investment. Local investors are preferred, he said, because outside interests are unfamiliar with and a little afraid of invest ment in Heppner because of administrative problems in volved. Nistad said the new plywood plant will open as scheduled, about March. There are 179 disregarded, and the present water rate remain. Justine Weatherford has been selected as the new librarian. The council has agreed to meet with her to determine the exact date she will assume her new duties. City Attorney Bob Abrams read a letter from the Attor ney General's Office regar ding the notification of the news media for public meet ings. "If two or more mem bers are present for a meet ing, the media must be notified, even though the regular meeting is posted in the newspaper," said Abrams. Chief of Police Dean Gilliam the tour at the new Desert Magic Potato packing plant in Boardman. The $170,000 plant opened this summer and employs 50 people. Potatoes are packed in cartons, sacked according to grade. The packing process begins when potatoes from Desert Magic farms are .dumped onto conveyor belts from trucks. They are cleaned . of leaves, dirt and debris before being washed and sprayed. The spuds are grad ed according to the size and weight and are packaged in cartons, or" sacked in 100 pound bags. The cartons and bags are then loaded into box cars and shipped all over the United States. During the peak of the, 'summer, the plant can pro-' duce enough cartons and workers at the Heppner mill with an annual payroll of $2,111,000. Logging contrac tors living in Heppner employ another 54 people with a payroll of $550,000 a year. "This means 223 people and a $2,661,000 payroll now as compared to 79 people in the spring of 1972 and a combined payroll of $933,000," he said. About 120 new workers are projected for the plywood plant. There are opportunities for both men and women. Sixty people are expected to be hired from the area and 60 others will be moved here next year. He spoke of the company reported that he had collected $176.06 from the parking meters and $27 in fines during the previous month. Mayor Sweeney commen ted, "I would like to thank the newspaper for the interest it has taken in civic affairs, especially the parking met ers." He also added, "The ballots on the parking meter poll have been delivered to the council. Any interested person wishing to examine them may do so." In other business the council approved a new contract for Telek Engineering Co. Reported the state will now collect 1 per cent of all sacks to fill 25 box cars. Kartchner pointed out that inext year the plant is going to double its operation by provi ding more storage space and will employ more than 100' people during the 10-12 month operation. Kartchner also commented that their potato fields pro duce more per acre than an average field in the potato capital state "Idaho." Desert Magic . .produces per acre. 440 100-pound sacks of pota toes and Idaho produces 220 100-pound sacks per acre. At Desert Magic potato, storage plant, members of the lour saw the capacity of the two 350 feet by 60 feet cellars. When completed this winter, the two cellars will bold 14,000 tons of potatoes. The potatoes can be stored up to eight $2.6 million safety program, declaring it has the best safety record of the 1700 firms in Eastern Oregon reporting to the State Industrial Commission. Literature was distributed showing the new mechanized unit, the second one on the West Coast, that cuts, trims and stacks timber at a rate of about 250 a day. The Catepil-lar-built machine, he said, leaves no tracks in the forest. "We are now engaged in long range planning programs with key people assigned to inventorying the timber stands of this area to deter mine the type of logging operations required," Nistad building permists issued with in the city limits. Noted that the population of Heppner has increased to 1,480 from 1,425 persons new re siding within city limits. Read a letter from the State of Oregon Water Quality Control Board stating that it has rejected a proposed plan to supply Lott's Addition (subdivision) with water. The state estimated the necessary valves, fittings, pine, and tank necessary for its approval would cost the subdivider $6,000. The council aggreed to meet with Lott within the next few days to discuss the proposal. months in the 48 degree temperature. The group then visited the irrigated crop lands of Desert Magic. On these farms, vari ous types of irrigation sys tems, pipes, circulator, wheeled, and permanent are in use. One of the newest systems observed was a sprinkler system which was under experiment. The sprinklers are set 90-100 feet apart and are elevated above the crops. Each sprinkler has an automatic gauge that directs the amount of water. The gauge detects the time and mount of water needed and then sets off the sprinkler: accordingly. This system was being tested on corn and a .grazing grass, (awn fescue. s There probably aren't many people around who can re- l! member thai Hardman owe ' i had a newspaper, the Hard- man Homestead. J Back at the turn of the i century, E M. Shutt owned the Shutt Publishing Company of J Hardman, which published k the Homestead. Shutt was 1 once sheriff of Morrow Coun- I ty, and was a relentless chaser I of bootleggers back in Pro- htbilion days. Shutt founded J the Times at Heppner in 1897. It was later to become the Gazette Times. The Home stead's editor was Virginia Deaton, who was also editor of Ione's first newspaper, the Post. The March 17, 1900 edition of the Homestead was brought to the Gazette-Times office last week by Vic Johnson, now of The Dallas, who was born at Hardman and who lived in Morrow County SO years before moving to The Dalles. ' The Homestead was a Saturday paper, and a lively one, judging this one issue. The type in the four - page paper appears to have been set by hand. This issue was the last one published, being Volume 1, No. 36, which indicates this issue was the last of 36-a short lifespan for a newspaper. In it the publisher THE Vol. 90, No. 33 said. He said visitors to the tree farms this year will notice ' newly thinned stands of trees, brush piled and ready to burn, and grass seeding op erations and fertilization un derway by helicopter. These activities since the 60s have resulted in better growth, increased forage for game and livestock, increased water run-off into streams, and healthier trees. Disc-plowing of the areas to be replanted is one of their practices to increase growth and hold moisture. Howard Carrells, chief en gineer now living in Heppner, Poachers nabbed Oregon State Police arres ted two men Sunday afternoon 1 and charged them with illegal possession of game animals. I Dennis P. Stoddard and jKimberly L. McConnell, both of Portland, were apprehend ed during a game check up Willow Creek. They were in possession of one doe and one fawn. Their two dogs were eating the fawn. The pair were jailed in Heppner and later appeared before Judge Ernest Jorgen son at Irrigon and were fined $205 each and sentenced to 30 days in jail, the jail sentence being suspended pending payment of fine. A rifle used to kill the deer was consficated. Fields of. corn, grain, sor ghum and grass were visited.' Desert Magic produces two crops a year on their potato farms. As soon as the potatoes are harvested water and fertilizer are applied, and grain is seeded. "One reason Desert Magic produces an additional crop preceding " another one is because of the high wind ,erosion in the area," said1 Harold Kerr, member of the tour. A tour through the Eastern Oregon Farms pelleting plant was made. Rob Lamb, co owner and manager of the plant, guided visitors through the facility. The million dollar corn and alfalfa plant is patterned after a similiar pelleting operation in the midwest. GAZETTE announced cessation of pub lication, telling his readers that "H w to our interest to move the plant to Twicken ham, and the Homestead is henceforth discontinued." The final issue carried an ad by Mrs. J B. Brown, adver tising a complete line of general merchandise. CM. Hogue was announcing he had been appointed a U.S. Com missioner for Oregon and was authorized to take final proofs and filings, and transact all kinds of land business. Henry Royse was proprietor of the Hardman Hotel, the only hotel in Hardman. He advertised board and room at $12 a month; single meals, 25 cents. "A large quantity of hay and grain always kept on hand, and the best possible care taken of all teams left in my charge," he noted. Mrs. E E. Bleakman had the Post Office Store, and carried a full line of patent medicines in addition to gen eral merchandise. The Rock Creek Sawmill was offering rough and dres sed lumber. The Heppner Canyon City Stage Line told its traveling public: "Having stocked up this line with new covered coaches and good teams, I am prepared to give first-class service to the Heppner, Ore.. Thursday October 4. fJ payroll here has been given the immediate assignment of eliminating the waste problems at the mill. At present, dry waste wood is shipped to Island City at La Grande for making particle board. The excess bark, up to 130 trucks a month, hauled to Kinzua for fuel. A waste wood chipper has just been installed to process wood blocks now being dumped on the hill opposite the plant and made available free to local residents. Nistad pointed out that the bark is an excellent soil stabilizer and conditioner. He hopes to convert the special bark trucks into dump trucks that will enable local farmers to use the product on their land. Once the new plywood plant is completed, Nistad said Flash (flood alarm "Heppner's future flood sit uation could be lessened by use of a flash flood alarm system and precipitation gauge," according to Dave Bauman, hydrologist for the Portland River Forecast Cen ter. Bauman visited Heppner last week on behalf of the National Weather Service in setting up two possible flash flood alarm systems and precipitation gauges in upper Shobe Canyon and on Balm Fork. The process of pelleting starts when truck loads of chopped whole corn plant are dumped into piles. These piles are transported to a huge dryer that decreases the water moisture from 30-40 per cent to 7 per cent. The dry matter is then crushed and ground' to meal.' This meal is put through a heating' process and produces a V inch diameter corn pellet. The pellets are then conveyed to storage tanks. "At the present time, we don't know our production average, the cost of produc tion, or the market value," stated Lamb. Lamb also stated that corn pellet will be stored this falL and will be sold this winter. Next year an alfalfa pellet will be made. public." A trip from Heppner to Hardman cost II. 50; $ to John Day and Canyon City. The stage connected with trains at Heppner. The undivided profits and surplus of the First National Bank of Heppner were $33,000. C.A. Rhea was bank president and T.A. Rhea, vice president. Heppner'i football team was going great, even in those days. An item reported that the Mustangs took on Walla Walla at Heppner and won 18-0. The front page reported the progress of the British army in the Boer War. The war in the Philippines was also reported. From Indianapolis, the Homestead told its readers that Eugene V. Debs was the nominee of the Social Demo cratic party and Job Harri man of California, vice-president. "They say the candidacy of Debs will attract hundreds of thousands of voters to their party. They profess to see the beginning of a great national victory." There was an article on the women of Spain, "Interesting Statistics as to Their Social and Intellectual Condition." "Greater New York," a two line filler said, "has one negro policeman." And public schools cost Berlin $3,000 a permanent fencing will be erected along the plant side of the highway and the offices will be moved across the highway to improve driving conditions and improve the public safety factor. - Bill Nelson, contractor,' was ' present to announce that construction of about 30 hous ing units above Pioneer Hos pital is moving ahead. He said material for the project will be arriving on the site within three weeks. "I have received the best cooperation in Heppner of any town I have worked in for the past 25 years," he told the group. Barry Carter, also present from the Oregon Division of Housing, said "we have worked with Bill Nelson and The flash flood alarm sys tem detects warnings of a flood and conveys this infor mation to downstream com munities in form of audible and visual alarms. This sys tem has three stations; a river station, intermediate station and alarm station. The river station would be installed below the bridge at the proposed sites. The system would consist of an enclosed float switch and weatherproof box containing a tone trans mitter, battery and intercon he: game "The Eastern Oregon Farms has purchased some 14,000 acres of Shell property and is planning on develop ing next spring. Pipelines will bring the irrigation water needed for the proposed crop lands," stated Lamb. Before the tour headed to Dodge City Restaurant in Boardman, they visited one of Desert Magic's unique irri gated farms. Four hundred acres of fawn fescue was planted last spring and cattle have been grazing on the land this summer. The acreage is divided into three sections and has a crematory irrigation system. Howard Kartchner spoke on the future developments in North Morrow County at the year. "Sunday" is Hebrew term for the period as well at quality of time, and means "rest." There is a section devoted to science and invention, and the manufacturers of Swanson't S Drops made this pitch for their product: "An appeal to humanity generally! We need your assistance in announcing to the world the Greatest Remedy that Science has ever produced, and you need our assistance to secure relief for yourself and friends through Swanson't 5 Drops." It was "good" for neuralgia, rheu matism, lumbage, catarrh, toothache, backache, creeping numbness, liver and kidney trouble, sleeplessness, bron chitis, etc. etc. On the right-hand "ear" of the Homestead was this leg end: "The Homestead was established with a view to encourage the development of the great and rich belt of agricultural land in the south ern part of Morrow County, of which the enterprising town of Hardman is the center. The cause is a worthy one. Give us a lift." There are many stories about Hardman and its past, and this one about the Hardman Homestead, is one of them. 15c, Mr. Nistad for several months, and I can say that Heppner is the best town I have worked in" as far as cooperation in housing is concerned. He said Morrow County's housing needs will not be forgotten, although loan money is 8 to 10 months away. Carter also said that if local investors formed a corpora tion and renovated the Hepp ner Hotel, loans could be secured to provide apartment space for as low as $25 per month for the elderly. This would include 42 apartment units and ground floor office space. Bill Collins introduced Pete Meyers, who has rented the building adjacent to Heppner Cleaners to open the town's first real estate office. studied necting circuitry. Flood information from the river station is transmitted to the intermediate station by a metallic pair of wires. The intermediate station will con tain a telephone transmitter which will signal the alarm station located in Heppner. The alarm station could be installed at the fire station or at the hospital. It contains an audible and visual alarm and relay contacts for operating an external alarm. It also (Continued page 8) noon luncheon at Boardman. "Next year, Desert Magic Farms Inc. will be putting 2,000 acres of desert land under irrigation, Saber Farms will put 13,000 acres under irrigation, and Eastern Ore gon Farms will be piping water into 14,000 acres," stated Kartchner. Other developments include building housing facilities in the Boardman and Irrigon areas, and establishing rec reation facilities and a golf course at Irrigon. Kartchner pointed out, "that within five years,. Boardman area will . have more citizens than Heppner. Boardman Mayor Dewey West and Port of Morrow directors also commented oa the new developments in the . area, and concluded the tour.