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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.