Page 4, THE GAZETTE-TIMES, Heppner, OR, Thursday, April 15, 1976
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By Justine Wealherford
The audience who attended the Historical Swap night at the
Heppner Elementary School Tuesday were able to re-live
Morrow Counties history as the six guest panelists told of
their early days in the county.
The panelists, Delia McCurdy, Frances Mitchell, Martha
Van Schoiack, Rachel Harnett, Harold Becket and Ebb
Hughes were introduced by Ines Erwin, who served as
moderator.
Delia Davidson McCurdy told of her husband Harlan's
family. Some of them homesteaded where Mayville is today,
long before Condon was thought of, and whose predecessor
were Boones, children of the brother of the famous Daniel
Boone. Delia presented interesting facts about her own
families, the Lovgrens and the Davidsons of near Hale Ridee
in the S.W. county. Her parents were married at Eight Mile
Center in 1894 and operated several sheep and wheat
ranches. She related her early childhood experiences telling
of the Democrat Gulch School and other neighboring schools.
She recounted sheep camp experiences and told of her days
of service in the cookhouse. During her childhood, visiting
Indians fascinated her. In 1903 the family moved to lone so
the girls could attend school and they had just settled there
when the flood hit Heppner.
Martha Campball Van Schoiack remarked, "Delia has
already told it all." Then she recalled her arrival in Heppner
as a new bride in 1916. She and her husband entered into a
partnership with Art Minor and later had a ranch of their own
in the vicinity of where their son Bob and his family now
F Martha told of cooking for large groups of men at their
ranch and at the Glavey Ranch during sheep shearing and
harvest time. In those days meat was kept fresh on the
ground under the cookhouse where the breezes cooled it.
Frances Parker Mitchell told of her family coming to the
area in 1913 so she could attend school . Her description of the
school on the hill and the high winds were amusing in
retrospect. In her first grade there were five children named
Frances, three were boys, she also reminicsed about early
classmates and teachers. She recalled some of the
youngsters using their wagons for books when the school
moved to the new building below the hill (the present Junior
High). The hill top school was destroyed in 1928. She
RUMMAGE SALE f
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Friday & Saturday
April 23-24
Gilliam & Bisbee Building
Sponsored by Heppner Swim Team Association
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remembered the janitor and his family living in the
basement of the new school, which many folks considered too
large for the town and claimed would never be filled.
Rachel Scherainger Harnett told of her grandfather,
Heppner's pioneer physician, Dr. Lewis Shipley, who rode
hundreds of miles on horseback tending to the needs of the
families in the area. Her father, Henry Scherxinger and her
mother Charlotte Shipley were married in 1905 and lived
many years on their Spring Hollow Ranch. Rachel recalled
the mule drawn freight wagons coming to stop at their place
on the way from Monument to Heppner. As the horses and
mules were watered and pastured for the night, her mother
would cook for the men and after a night's rest they would
continue to Heppner.
Harold Becket's grandparents farmed at Eight Mile in
1886. His parents were married in 1906. He recalled many
economic ups and downs and the changing scene from no
money to better times. When he attended Liberty School
there were many children in the area and Harold named all
the neighbors. He described early family-type transportation
on muddy and dusty roads. He related the time the buggy
turned over as they were returning from town and how his
father was the only person who thought it was funny. He also
talked about early river travel, having spent some years
along the Columbia River across from Cascade Locks.
Ebb Hughes told of early turkey and hog drives from
Monument over Sunflower Flat to Heppner. He spoke of a
world champion bull that drowned when he tipped off a ferry
into the Columbia. Ebb said "This country has produced
some of the world's finest cattle and the world's fastest
horses." He showed a scrapbook, given to him by the Hynd
Family, that has many articles about W.O. Minor's Mountain
Valley Farm and the tremendous international champion
cattle produced there. He told of an early lumber mill on
Johnson Creek that ran its vertical saw with a raw hide belt
and a rope belt, one of which would always tighten when the
other got slack. He stated that for some time Echo was the
largest cattle shipping center in the state. He was asked
about early rodeos, and said many communities kept their
own rodeo stock, but bucking horses were trailed from rodeo
to rodeo.
The last clipping pasted in the old scrapbook that Ebb
passed around dealt with 1911s new transportation problem.
"The automobile is a fine thing for those who can afford It,
but there are a lot of people buying them who haven't the
price and will pay dear for the whistle. An investigation
disclosed that in Portland 700 of the last 1000 automobiles sold
were bought by mortgaging the purchasers' homes. This
mean a lot of people will be afoot and homeless in a few
months and somebody who has the cash and wants to buy a
home will take advantage of the situation. The good old horse
is not fast but is safer and cheaper and lasts a lot longer.
Better stay with him till you have the price at least."
Ruby Shear, who completed her master thesis on Heppner
history at Eastern Oregon State College in 1975 brought many
interesting pictures and charts to the meeting. Justine
Weatherford. as a National Library Week feature arranged a
display of Morrow County and Eastern Oregon Books from
the Heppner Library.
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More than 200 people at
tended Spray's annual grange
auction and dinner Sunday,
April 4, sunny skies holding
throughout. Several groups
came from Portland, Madras
and other Oregon points,
adding to the local turnout. It
was a good day, good food,
good friends. A fun day,
people going home laden with
treasures that may give pause
for thought tomorrow. For
Instance, my good friend and
neighbor's grab-bag pur
chase putting forth, much to
that gentleman's chargrin,
two corsets, complete with
back lacings. But, in these
days of changing personali
ties, how could one go wrong
with a wasp waist and an hour
glass figure? Bargain day
indeed!
Seriou Jy the sale was a real
success with much valuable
and useful merchandise going
over the block and the village
anticipates a bigger and
better sale and the return of
all these good folk April 1977.
Guests at the Don Griffiths
through the week included Mr.
and Mrs. Gary Hunt and
family, Newport, WA and
John and Wilda Rottray, Con
don. On the weekend Brian
and Donita Adams came from
Prineville and enjoyed a
dinner prepared by Donita 's
mother in observance of her
19th birthday anniversary.
Other guests joining them for
the dinner included Toni and
Tammy Toll. Heppner and
Donita's grandparents, Merna
and Billy Richards, Spray and
Eva Griffith, Heppner.
Thirty-eight senior citizens
attended the weekly dinner
and bingo party at the Grange
Hall Thursday.'
Preparing the dinner were
Lou Cress, Alice Deitz and
Laver'e Peck.
Penny Jo, daughter of the
Billy Chapmans has been va
cationing at the ranch home of
her parents recently. Penny is
employed at Portland's Wash
ington Square as a security
dispatcher, is now in uniform
and will be on the floor soon,
she states, as a security offi
cer. Other guests at the Chap
man home last week were
Joyce Smith. Salem and Jerry
teach, Pendleton.
The Rick Shaffers, Fossill,
weekended at the DeWayne
Simmons Alder Creek Ranch
and assisted with branding
and dehorning.
Joining Cora Burnside at
her home Sunday for her 88th
birthday were seven of her
children and included Vir
ginia, who baked and decorat
ed the cake, with her husband
Jack Sitton. Kinzua. Willie
Steagall, Lebanon, Wilbur and
Marie Steagall, Lexington.
Lola Belle Breeding. Irrigon
and George Steagall. Hepp
ner. Others present were
Cora's grandson and family
the David Sittons and Whit
ney, Fossil and a sister,
Veenie Anderson, Brookings.
Another son, David, contacted
his mother by telephone from
Portland.
' Mr. and Mrs. Glen Peck
have returned from a weekend
in Sweet Home where they
visited members of their
family.
An extensive remodeling
operation is rapidly nearing
completion at Spray's Legion
Hall. Twenty-five Legion and
Auxiliary members enjoyed a
potluck dinner there Sunday
after a morning's work at the
hall.
Due to weather conditions,
Everett and Josephine Howell
cancelled plans for a Nevada
vacation last week and spent
the time with relatives of both
in Portland and Newberg.
News was received Wed
nesday of the death of Roy
Snable, Seaside. Roy who
spent his childhood here is a
brother of Effie Stirewalt and
Ellen Nash of Spray.
Another former Spray resi
dent, David Kilgore was re
portedly killed in a car acci
dent out of Klamath Falls
Friday evening. David is the
son of Mrs. John Samatore.
Klamath Falls.
Willard Wilhelm was the
victim of a fatal car accident
early in the week near Fossil
where funeral services were
held. He is a nephew of Mrs.
Bill Howell, Spray.
Bud Nash's step-father pas
sed away recently in Idaho.
The sympathy of this com
munity is extended to these
families.
Effie Stirewalt, a recent
Portland visitors, reports her
sister, Velma Maley recu
perating satisfactorily follow
ing recent surgery at Hermis
ton's Good Shephard Hospital.
Lynn Skold. Grand Forks.
B.C. a 4 H exchange student,
has enjoved the hospitality of
the Bob Waiden ranch home
through the weekend.
Lynn and Yvonne Walden
exchanged many interesting
points of view concerning the
common interest, feeding and
raising cattle.
Also school and community
activities in B.C. and Oregon
and generally enjoyed one
another through the weekend.
Clara Jenkins and Amine
Nichols report a most enjoy
able and informative home
extension tour when they
joined 57 other people from
Wheeler and Gilliam counties
foradayatPortland'l Pittock
Mansion and Jantzen Woolen
Mills, March 30.
The Assembly Church an
nounces the expected arrival
of Rev. Duane Stewart, a mis
sionary recently , turned
from an African field, for the
Easter Services, April 18.
A film, "A Time To Run"
will be shown at the Assembly
Church Sunday evening, April
11. A film of interest and Im
portance to all. states Rev.
Allen Gordanicr, local pastor
Mrs. Art Stephens has re
turned to The Dalles for a
checkup following her recent
lengthy illness and treatment
for a burn sustained when she
fell against the range at her
home.
Mike Adams has returned
from Echo where he was a
student rider at Sid Britt'i
bare back school through the
weekend.
See you in 7 days-mean-while,
call a friend who Is
alone, take time to listen to a
small child and become sur
prisingly more knowledge
able. Have a good week.
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