Bicentennial Forum
Pioneer
Profiles
TIIEFARNSWORTHS
By Justine Weatherford
In 1874 Orin E. Farnsworth
came from Portland to settle
on Rhea Creek, tie had been
born and educated in Haver
hill, NH. He enlisted in the
cavalry and served nearly one
year, or until the end of the
Civil War, being mustered out
in 1865.
He traveled to California via
the Isthmus of Panama. In
San Francisco he was em
ployed in the service of the
Internal Revenue Dept. and
was In the mercantile busi
ness. In 1869 he migrated to Port
land, engaging in the general
merchandise business for four
years before moving to Mor
row County.
He began with one quarter
section of land and 163 sheep
and was very successful,
. increasing his flocks to over
15,000 sheep and becoming one
of the largest real-estate
owners in this section of the
country. He and his wire the
former Katie M. Pray had
been married Just one year
when they moved from Port
land to upper Rhea Creek.
They became parents of
Frank P., Lucy H., Edward
T., Flora M., Mary H., Emma
E., and Karl William.
The Farnsowrths lived on
the ranch at the mouth of
McKinney Creek in the sum
mers and in Heppner during
the winters. The 1902"History
of Umatilla and Morrow
Counties" relates "his resi
dence in Heppner and two of
his ranches are connected
with telephone. He is a heavy
stockholder In and president
of the Morrow County Land
and Trust Company, which
has the largest warehouse in
Heppner. He is also stockhold
er in the Heppner building and
Loan Association, which owns
some fine city property. Mr.
Farns worth has served as city
councilman for seven years."
An interview printed In the
May M. 1915 Heppner Herald
quotes him: "We hauled our
wool to the river, usually to
Arlington, and piled It along
the river bank. I used to take a
flour sack and nail it to a pole
to attract the attention of the
captains of the boats and
would leave a letter for the
captain Informing him whose
wool he was getting. We never
waited for the boat to come
along and we never lost any
wool by parties stealing it.
Wool averaged in price about
30 cents per pound in the 70s
but later it went lower. At one
time it went down to 6 cents
and I concluded that I would
hold mine, so I piled up over
loo.ooo pound on my ranch,
covering it with a board roof. I
didn't insure it or do anything
else to protect it except plow
several furrows of ground
around it. The next year wool
was 12 cents and I sold.
I never heard of anyone
losing anything by theft, and I
remember several occasions
when I was on my way back
from the river or going to
sheep camps that my team
would wander off at night
when they were hitched to the
wagon and would take an
entire load of provisions and
be gone for a half day before
we would find them and
nothing was ever taken."
Frank P. Farnsworth, like
his father, was a prominent
stockman. He was a baby
when his parents brought him
to this area. He was educated
in Heppner and San Francis
co. He sold his holdings here,
and like his brothers, left this
area.
The four girls married.
Lucy and Mary left this area.
Flora married J.W. Beymer
they had no children. Emma
married Louis Bisbee and
their children Kathryn and
Orin are well known here.
Orin completed high school
here and then his business
career took him elsewhere. He
is deceased. Kathryn Bisbee
became a nurse and then
teacher. She lives In Toledo.
OR. where she had taught
for some time. She has been
generous lo the county mil
teum and the Heppner li
brary, presenting memorials
In the name of her brother and
their parents.
Fred John Lowes. 45. Van-1
c'ouver. WA. was airlifted,
from St. Anthony'a Hospital,;
Pendleton, to Emanuel Hos-,
pilal. Portland. Saturday. ;
Lowes was pinned beneath
his logging truck for over an ;
hour Friday, when his truck
overturned on Highway I SON
near Boardman.
The Labor
Force
"Labor unions are the worst '
thing that ever struck the
earth because they take away
a man's Independence." Bo
oklet distributed to Ford
workers, 1936.
"Some day men will work
together In a grand scheme.
But until that day the trade
union must stand as the only
safeguard of the working
man; the only instrument by
which he can maintain himself
and his family." Clarence
Darrow.
Even as Thomas Jefferson
was extolling the virtues of an
agrarian society, a very
different sort of society was
coming to life along the
swift-flowing rivers of New
England. Yankee ingenuity,
abundant water power, scarce
labor and new labor-saving,,
machines all combined to
give rise to the factory and to
a revolution that rivaled the
American devolution in its
meaning for mankind. As
industry grew, so did its
demands for workers; mil
lions of immigrants filled the
factories and mills human
tools, replaceable parts on
production lines. The nature of
work began to change, and
with it the concept of dignity
and even the reason for
working. Laborers began se
eking some form of protection
for themselves, some way of
sharing in the fruits of their
labor. After decades of often
bloody clashes, 22 million
Americans are unionized to
day. Would they be paid as
much or protected as well
without the unions? Should
limits exist on the right to
strike? Some Americans re
gard work as a necessary evil
with wages the only objective.
Is unionization in any way
responsible or is the nature
of work? How does the distri
bution of wealth and income
among workers affect the
meaning of their work? What
is the fairest basis of compen
sation in a free society?
With immigration swelling
the ranks of laborers, hours
run as high as to to 90 a week,
and wages are so low that
wives and children have to
work as well. In 1890 the
average pay for unskilled
workers is f 10 a week.
In 18G9 Uriah Stephens, a
Philadelphia tailor, organizes
the Knights of Labor, open to
all workers, skilled or unskill
ed, of whatever race or
national origin. Membership
grows to 700.000 by 1886, but
the Haymarket Riot in Chica
go in 1886 and the 1894
Pullman Strike lead to the
Knights' decline. Many of its
white, skilled members join
the American Federation of
Labor, formed in 1881. Its
goals are an 8 hour day, 6-day
week, better wages, job tenure
and the abolition of child
labor.
Henry Ford creates the
assembly line to turn out his
automobiles. Its Impact on
other industries and on con
cepts of productivity is im
mediate. Automation. the"se
cond industrial Revolution,"
changes the nature of work of
millions after WW II. displac
ing blue collar workers at the
rate of 2 to 3 million a year in
the late 1950s and 1960s.
MORROW ("Ol'NTY GEM
AM) MINERAL SOCIETY
The Morrow County Gem
and Mineral Society will hold
their first meeting of the year
at the First National Bank
Conference Room, Jan. 19, 8
p m.
Officers were elected at the
Christmas dessert potluck at
the Ed Hunt home, Dec. 15.
They are: President, Bud
Springer; Vice-president, Gen
Springer; Secretary treasur
er, Ardith Hunt, Refresh
ments will be served by Mr.
and Mrs. Bud Springer.
We Kill, cut & wrap
We Kill, you cut
We Kill, we cut. you wrap
You Kill, we cut & wrap
slaughter beef Monday &
Wednesday
Hogs Friday
Dependable service
'Hermlston
Doctors sign lease
with county
A lease with an option to
purchase the Heppner Medi
cal Clinic from Morrow Coun
ty was entered into by Drs.
Joseph Gifford and Richard
Carpenter, last week.
The doctors opened practice
In the new modular building
last year. At that time they
had an agreement to set up
practice with the stipulation
they could have free rent for
the first year.
The five-year contract gives
the doctors the right to use the
building without charge until
July 1, 1976, then continues for
Crisis faces
livestock industry
"A 50 per cent increase in
public land grazing fees,
announced last week by the
Bureau of Land Management
and the US Forest Service, has
threatened the existence of
thousands of cattle ranch
operations in the western
United States. This increase
will cost the livestock operator
eight million dollars for the
year 1976 alone. Since 1968,
when grazing fees were 33
cents, these new fees repre
sent a 358 per cent increase to
the livestock public land user
during the past seven years,"
stated Donald Ostensoe, exe
cutive vice-president, Oregon
Cattlemen's Association.
BLM grazing fees for the
1976 grazing season are going
from $1 00 to $1.51 per Animal
Unit Month (AUM) and Forest
Service fees from $1 . 1 1 to $1 .60
per AUM.
"This extreme increase for
1976, comes at a time when
livestock producers in Oregon
and throughout the west have
been losing money for at least
the past two years, and losses
are expected to continue into
1976 for a large majority of
cattlemen. Last year, Presi
dent Ford put a moratorium
on grazing fee increases due to
the financial crisis within the
livestock Industry. The Ore
gon Cattlemen's Association
and the American National
Cattlemen's Association had
sought to have the morator
ium continued through 1976
because economic conditions
in the livestock industry have
not improved all that much
and a loss position is in store
for the basic cow-calf produc
er." "It seems inconceivable
that an Administration which
professes to be so inflation
conscious would approve such
a big one-year increase," said
Donald Ostensoe. "Because of
such factors as low carrying
capacity and low calving
rates, most producers using
the public lands already have
high production costs. With
the b-g fee increase, many
operators, particularly the
smaller ones, undoubtedly will
be forced out of the business.
However, both small and
large operators will be affect
ed, and the action will have
adverse effects on the econo
mies of many Western com
munities which depend on a
viable livestock industry. Al
most one-fifth of the calf crop
comes from the western
states, and a large portion of
the cows producing the calves
are on public lands at least
part of the year. Thus, the
BLM and Forest Service
action can have far-reaching
effects on the entire industry.
"It appears that the policy
of these agencies is to force
livestock off the public lands,
as has been advocated by
some environmental groups,
even though wild life habitat
actually will be hurt if cattle
men are not permitted to use
the grazing land. The huge fee
increase also Is Inconsistent
with claims that greater use
has to be made of otherwise
wasted resources, like grazing
land, In order to produce ade-
547-4631
another four years at 1350 per
month. Presently the doctors
pay utility charges, repairs
and maintenance within the
new building, while the county
pays for outside maintenance,
property taxes and insurance
' on the existing building.
During the lease period the
doctors may at any time use
their option to purchase the
building. Should they pur
chase the building the county
will credit them with f 150 per
month for the length of time
they have paid the rental fee
of $350 per month.
quate supplies of protein food.
If cattle are taken off the
public lands, more pressure
will be put on grain and other
crop producing areas."
Ostensoe continued, "As if
this wasn't enough, for the
livestock producer, you should
be aware that the environ
mentalists have won their
court case insisting that Envi
ronmental Impact State
menU, regarding use of graz
ing land be made. Therefore,
during the next several years,
there will be 212 Environmen
tal Impact Statements at a
cost of over $55 million. The
first one is underway in Idaho
and another one will com
mence in the Eastern Oregon
area of Drewsey sometime
this spring. Our industry be
lieves in environmental pro
tection as much as anyone.
For reasons of necessity, the
American farmer is readily
the first conservationist. But
enough is enough. It is our
feeling that environmentalists
have really gone too far. It is
time we bring this situation to
a halt before it is too late."
County
receives
$51,200 .36
The State Highway Division
has distributed $16,765,734.42
in highway-user funds to the 36
counties of the state during the
period July 1-Dec. 31, 1975. it
was announced by Fred B.
Klaboe. Highway Division
administrator.
The allocation is based on
the statutory 20 per cent with
the appropriation being made
to the counties on a monthly
basis as a result of legislative
action during the 1975 session.
The funds come from the
following sources: motor ve
hicle registration and opera
tor's license fees, gasoline tax,
use fuel tax, motor carrier
fees, and fines and penalties
collected for violation of the
size and weight statutes where
complaints are made by the
Highway Division weighmas
ters. The allocation to each
county is based on the number
of vehicles registered in it
during 1974. The allocation for
Morrow County follows:
Registered vehicles: 5.365;
apportionment: $51.288 36.
ANNUAL
MEETING
Willow Creek
Country Club
January 22
7:30 p.m.
at
Columbia Dastn Electric Co-Op.
All members and
prospective members are
urged to attend
(A public MTvkr advert iwment by your friends
at Columbia Basin).
Columbia Dasin
Electric Co-op
I7III44
fUnzua
1 Ax f ifMB
..... ..V" yV J "r
Larry Van Camp, green end
supervisor, started work at
Kinzua Corporation, Heppner,
Dec. 22. He is formerly of
Roseburg, OR. Larry and his
wife Neva have 4 children, 2 in
grade school and 2 youngsters
at home.
Traffic fatalities
increase
Only one Oregon county
managed to end 1975 without
recording a single traffic
fatality even though the state
had its lowest traffic death toll
in more than a decade accord
ing to the Motor Vehicle
Division.
Wheeler county went death
free for the year. Several
other counties Gilliam, Hood
River, Lake and Sherman
each recorded only one death
during 1975.
Multnomah county recorded
100 traffic fatalities according
to preliminary figures. Lam
county reported 67 fatalities.
Marion county reported 43
deaths and Clackamas county
reported 40 fatalities for the
year. The four counties alone
Unemployment fraud
The Oregon Employment
Division reported that fraud
control activity in the fourth
quarter of 1975 (Oct-Dec).
through its Unemployment
Insurance Benefits section,
brought recommendations for
prosecution of 14 new cases,
bringing the total number of
cases during the quarter to 55.
The Division reported that
even though the number of
Unemployment Insurance
claims were at record levels,
fraud was kept to a minimum
through the continued vigi
lance of claims personnel, tax
auditors, fraud investigators,
and the cross-matching of
claims through the Division's
computer.
Low unemployment
Morrow County maintained
a significantly low unemploy
ment rate with a 5.4 per cent in
November, only 0.7 per cent
higher than the 4.7 per cent
level reported in October.
Both figures are considerably
below the 13.6 per cent unem
ployment rate of November
1974. Only one other Oregon
county-Malheur had a low
er unemployment rate. Sea
sonally adjusted, Morrow Co
BCPPNC1
Page
has now employees
Frank Pearson is the new
accountant at Kinzua Corpor
ation. He previously worked
for Boise-Cascade, Indepen
dence, OR. He and his wife
Chole have 2 children, ages 4
and 1.
accounted for 44 per cent of
the 565 reported deaths for the
year.
Twenty-four of the state's 36
counties had lower death tolls
last year than in 1974. Three
counties had no change in
deaths for the two years and
nine counties went against the
statewide trend by recording
higher death tolls in 1975 than
in 1974.
Counties showing increases,
ranging from one to 11, were
Benton, Deschutes, Gilliam,
Jackson, Jefferson. Klamath,
Marion, Morrow and Wasco
Counties.
Morrow county recorded 3
deaths in 1975 as compared to
1 in 1974.
A total of 14 cases were
completed during the quarter
leaving 41 cases pending. The
completed cases brought
three convictions in Marion
county; three convictions and
one declination in Multnomah
county; 2 convictions in Lane
county and one conviction
each in Polk, Linn, Josephine,
Lincoln and Clackamas coun
ties. The courts ordered restitu
tion in ten cases; suspended
sentences in 13 cases; impos
ed sentence of three days in
one case; imposed a fine in
one case of $500; and set
probationary periods in 13
cases ranging from six mon
ths to five years.
unty's rate of 5.4 per cent
(identical to the raw figure)
was the lowest of any Oregon
county.
THE
in (o) lo) fo)
3. THE GAZETTE-TIMES, Heppner, OR, Thursday, Jan. 15, 1976
Georgia Seal is a new
accountant secretary at Kin
zua Corporation. She pre
viously worked on the string
machine before going into the
office. She and her husband
Geral have 2 children.
Revision of
equine
regulations
Revision of two of Oregon's
animal health regulations, one
dealing with equine infectious
anemia and the other with
brucellosis, will be proposed
by the Oregon Dept. of Agri
culture. Both of the proposed revi
sions have the support of the
department's Livestock Di
sease Advisory Board and the
State Board of Agriculture.
The changes in the equine
infectious anemia regulations
also have the endorsement of
the Oregon Horsemen's Asso
ciation. The department will issue a
temporary order amending
the equine infectious anemia
regulations. This will be in
effect for 120 days and then a
hearing will be called to give
consideration to making the
changes permanent.
The temporary order will
permit importation into Ore
gon without a test for equine
infectious anemia of horses,
mules and asses or other
equine that are Oregon owned
and stabled moving in and out
of the state for purposes other
than for shows, rodeos or
other public gatherings; equ
ine moving to or returning
from or originating in a state
having "equal status" with
Oregon in regard to the
disease.
lanHarH
276-0330
6-ft. or 7-ft. Stretch
Tan S
ervicG
will be In Heppner every
Thursday, starting January 15,
in motor home at Cat's Arco.
Hours 10 a.m. 5 p.m.,
later appts. taken.
More information contact
Hermlston Office, 567 8498
INCOME TAX F0rU
1025 North First St.
Hermiston
Obituary
WALTER H. HAYES
Walter H. Hayes was born in
Heppner, Oregon ApriU, 1896.
He died at Good Shepherd
Hospital, Hermiston, Jan. 11
at the age of 79.
Mr. Hayes had been a resi
dent of Boardman since 1949,
moving there from Condon.
He had a grocery store in
Condon and also one in
Boardman.
Mr. Hayes was a Morrow
County Commissioner for 12
years, until his resignation in
1975 because of ill health. He
was a member of the Christian
Church, the Masonic Lodge in
Condon, the Scottish Rite and
the Shrine. He was Past
Master of the Masonic Lodge
and a 50 year member of the
Masonic Lodge, the Shrine,
and the Heppner Elks Lodge.
He was a member of the
Desert Shrine Club, Hermis
ton and the Greenfield Gran
ge. Boardman.
He is survived by his widow,
Phoebe, Boardman; two sons,
Jeff. Maupin, OR. and Melvin,
Condon; two daughters, Mrs.
Louise LeTrace, Boardman,
and Mrs. Ted Putman, Fossil;
nine grandchildren and four
great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held
Wednesday, Jan. 14 at the
Boardman Community Chur
ch, at U a.m. with the Rev.
James Wilson officiating.
Paul Jones, as acting Wor
shipful Master, was in charge
of Masonic services at the
church.
Heppner Elks Lodge condu
cted graveside services. Vault
Interment was at Heppner
Masonic Cemetery.
For those who wish, contri
butions may be made to the
Shriners Hospital or the Am
erican Cancer Society in
memory of Mr. Hayes.
Keep
the spirit of
1776 ringing.
.We have a fine selec
tion of used trucks, pickups
and cars.
Contact: Dan Hays "
LvleSpriggle
Larry Brows
Gene Browa
Marbro Datsun
SI5S.E. Dorian
Pendleton