Page 3, THE GAZETTE-TIMES, Heppner, OR, Thursday. May 6, I97
Bicn:i:l Foran
BROSNAN FAMILY
By Jiuline Weatherford
Jeremiah Brosnan and his bride Mary Gafney founded one
of the county's leading ranching families after their
marriage in 1881. Their son John and their grandson Jerry
along with their great-grandson Eddie also have become
well-established livestock growers along upper Little Butter
Creek since the 1870s. Surely, the Brosnan Ranch qualifies as
a Century Farm.
Jeremiah Brosnan was born In Ireland's County Cork.
Along with others who left that famine-poor island, he came
to the U.S. to seek his fortune. He was employed by the Union
Pacific Railroad on its westward expansion and worked his
way west to Promotory, Utah by 1869 where he stood by as
the officials of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific
drove the "golden spike."
After his time with the railroad he made his way to this
area where other Irish were doing well with livestock. In due
time he met Mary Gafney from County Leitrim who had
come around the Horn with a cousin Mike Kenny. His first
work In Morrow was at the stagecoach stop at the foot of
Franklin Hill.
Mary and Mike had come by boat up to Umatilla Landing
where her sister and husband, the Felix Johnsons, met them.
Jeremiah Brosnan was raising Jiorses on his place at Lena
when he married, and he and Mary had their first home
across from where their daughter-in-law Zetta lives today.
This is the mouth of a canyon and their early home was
washed away by a water spout in 1882. They built a larger
home on the location where Jerry and Marian live today.
They lived there until 1910 when they moved to Heppner.
Although the ranch founder began his livestock enterprise
with horses, he went Into sheep and also cattle ranching.
Judge Kilkenny writes "He was one of the outstanding
characters of his time, a wit, a satirist and a great
cattleman."
Jeremiah and Mary had a son John and daughters Katie
and Mary. John carried on the ranch. Katie married Hugh
Currin and their family also flourishes along Little Butter
Creek. Mary married Umatilla County rancher Sam Nelson.
John, affectionately called "Jack", married Zetta Hager of
Heppner in St. Patrick's Church in 1908 and took her to the
ranch at Lena where she rules a cozy trailer home today. At
88, Zetta remembers her early days very clearly.
Zetta was the first child baptized in St. Patrick's Church
when it was where the Legion Hall is today. She completed
grade school in Heppner, then attended a convent high school
in Walla Walla, graduating in 1906 and attended Washington
State College at Pullman. On leaving Pullman she worked as
a telephone operator in Weiser, ID before returning to
Heppner and employment In Jim Hart's Confectionary Store
and in the post office under Postmaster W.W. Smead until
her marriage.
At Lena the Brosnans lived near the Franklin family who
kept a stage station where passengers stayed overnight and
horses were exchanged for a fresh team. The hill east of Lena
is named after this family. For awhile Zetta kept the Lena
post office on her front porch. She recalls the first store at
Lena was just north where the Eddie Brosnans live now. A
later store was built in 1914 north of there about where the
Hughes barn stands along the road. It had the post office with
the store downstairs and had a hall upstairs that was used for
parties and dances. Later lumber from this store was used to
build a shed now standing on the Merlin Hughes place.
Zetta's husband died in 1952 about ten years after they had
built a new home which the Eddie Brosnan family has today.
He had raised sheep and cattle.
The old house, the second home of Jeremiah and Mary, was
lived in by John and Zetta and Jerry and his wife Marian
(Good) and their first three children until It was destroyed by
fire in April 1942. Jerry and Marian rebuilt on the same spot
and live there today. Marian Good came from the Willamette
Valley to this county as a young school teacher. The Jerry
Brosnans have four married children and fourteen
grandchildren. .
Jerry went out of the sheep business in 1956 continuing with
cattle alone. He was actively involved with early area
rodeos-old films show him as an efficient pickup man. He
was on the Lena School Board (was a former student of that
school) He also was kept busy helping build and maintain
the district's telephone lines. He and Marian have continued
the family's support of St. Patrick's Church. In 1963 he and
son Eddie were County Cattlemen of the Year. Marian has
been Altar Society president, Bookworm president and
CowHelle president.
Marian and Jerry's oldest son John married a Eugene girl.
They live at Hubbard where he works for Trustee Steel
Construction Co. and she teaches. They have three daughters
and one son.
In 1959 the Brosnan daughter Joan was a county Rodeo
princess in the court of Queen Pat Steagall. She is now Mrs.
Norman Weister and Is employed by Fred Meyer Inc. in their
Portland accounting office. Her children Craig Robison 15,
Susan Robison 12 and Shawn Robison 9 often visit their
grandparents on Butter Creek.
Second son Eddie ranches with his Dad. He and his wife
Lorraine (Harnden) have Mike 10. Dyann 8, twins Jerry and
James 5 and Mark 4. Like his brothers and sister Eddie was
educated through high school in the county. Lorraine lived In
Mitchell through high school, then went to business college in
Boise She came to Heppner to work as a legal secretary.
Eddie was president of the Morrow County Cattlemen's
Association in 1974 and in 1975. Lorraine is an active
CowBelle and works as needed at the county courthouse
helping in the assessor's or clerk's office.
The youngest Brosnan son, Dan and his wife Doris
(Morris). Heppner. live at Gilchrist where he is employed by
the Oregon State Police, and she does substitute teaching.
They have a son and a daughter.
And so with fourteen great great grandc hildren to carry on
the family enterprise, Jeremiah and Mary'f beginnings on
Little Butter Creek may last forever.
Golden Age Club. Elks Lodge,
Potluck dinner 1st Tues of mo., 6:30
Chamber of Commerce,
Elks Lodge M"- noon
; Heppner Lions Club,
1st it 3rd Tues., Wagon Wheel 6:45 a m.
Boardman Lions Club,
1st & 3rd Thuri., Grange Hall 8 p m.
Senior Citizens Dinner.
Elks Lodge, Tues & Wed 4:30 p.m.
San Soucl Kcbckah Lodge,
Heppner 3rd Fridays
Social Sec. Rep., Neighborhood
Center 2nd Prl. of mo, 10-noon
Newcomers Club, Wagon Wheel 1st Mon.. noon
Legal Aid. Bank of EO
Board Rm 2nd & 4th Tues., 1:30-5 pm.
City Council. City Hall It Mon.. 8 p m,
Boy Scouts, Elks Wed.. 7:30 p m.
lone tJons Club,
Bwhers Cafe May U A 25. 7 p m.
County Fair Hoard.
Fair Dorm Uldg 2nd Mon.. 7:30 pm.
Library Board. Columbia
, Basin Com. Rm 4th Thurs., 8 p.m.
Girls Softball, Fairgrounds Sat, May 8. 2:30 p m
Scholarship
nominee
Two young people with
outstanding records in the 4-H
sheep project have been
nominated for consideration
for the $1,000 Harold A. Cohn
scholarship in the Oregon
State University animal sci
ence department.
They are Skye Krebs, lone,
and Rosemarie Booze, Salem.
They are two of the four
candidates nominated by 4-H
and Future Farmers of Amer
ica for the scholarship which
is given by Superior Packing
Co. and C2L Inc., of Ellens
burg, WA. Objective of the
award Is to encourage the
sheep industry in the North
west, explains Mike Howell,
Morrow County Extension
Agent. The final selection will
be made by the department.
Krebs, 18, a senior at lone
High School, plans to attend
OSU and hopes to follow a
career in sheep production
with the Krebs Brothers
operations. He has been a 4-H
member for nine years, rais
ing bummer lambs and also
participating in the lone
Livestock and Tractor club.
In addition, he has been
active in high school sports
and is ending his term as high
school student body president.
He is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Henry R. Krebs.
Miss Booze, currently a
freshman in pre-veterinary
medicine at OSU, has been in
4-H since 1966, carrying pro-
The Grand Squares Dance
Club of lone held their 8lh
anniversary dance Saturday
night, May 1, at the Willows
Grange Hall, lone. It was well
attended with six squares on
the floor at a time. There were
guest dancers from the Square
Knots, Hermiston and the
Rocket Squares, Pendleton
joining them.
The hall and dining tables
were decorated with the
bicentennial year in mind
featuring the "Spirit of '76."
Some of the dancers wore
bicentennial gowns and out
fits. In recognition of the club's
past history. President Ron
Davis introduced Lee Palmer
who was the club's first
president. -'
I'
t
SKYE KREBS
jects in sheep and beef. She
started her 4-H career with
sheep and then switched to
beef when her first 4-H club
disbanded. Later, she served
as junior leader of her 4-H club
and then as teen leader for
nine members interested in
raising sheep.
The Cascade High School
graduate is also an officer in
the Oregon Junior Polled
Hereford Association and ser
ved as a member of the state
4-H animal science project
development committee and
on a Marion County 4-H
advisory committee.
She is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Conrad Booze.
Home made ice cream by
Lorene Griffith, Suzanne Jep
son and Shirley McNary was
enjoyed.
After refreshments door
prizes were given to those
whose bicentennial printed
paper plates had the date 1776
on the under side.
Caller was Darrel Wilson,
lone but the group also enjoy
ed dancing to the guest callers
from the Square Knots Club,
Hermiston.
Members on the committee
who did an extraordinary job
hosting and decorating the
dance were: Bill and Daisy
Collins, Dan and Barbara
James and Suzanne Jepson,
Randall and Marlene Peter
son, and John and Linda
Breidenbach.
Sale 6.40
Reg. $8. Lact yoked
sleeveless long
gown of easy-care
nylon tricot in
pastels. S.M.L.
Sale 5.60
Reg. $7. Lace yoked
sleevelets waltz
gown of nylon tricot
in pastels. S.M.L.
Two-piece pajamas,
32-40. reg $10.
Sale $8.
.r -. fix
JCPenney
124 S. Main "
Pendleton
if rt JCPwwv Co. tnc
LUBE SPECIAL $14.
Due to the good response to my $14
lube special where I furnish oil,
filter, and give a complete lube job,
I have decided to continue It
Indefinitely. Theonly change will be
$15 for 4-wheel drives. Also see me
for new or used tires and recaps,
exhaust system work, shocks, sport
wheels, batteries, wheel packs, etc.
Competitive prices.
VERM'S UI1I.CHI STATION
Heppner, OH. mm
STUB NO.
SAMPLE DALLOT
OFFICIAL BALLOT
CITY OF HEPPNER, OREGON TAXY LEVY
OUTSIDE THE CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITATIONS
Monday, May 17, 1976, Polls open 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
To be held at Heppner City Hall
The voter shall place an (X) or check mark () in the
voting square before the word YES or the word NO, which
ever indicates his choice.
PROPOSAL
Shall the City of Heppner, Oregon be authorized to levy
for the fiscal year 1976-77, the sum of $93,866.00 outside the
6 limitation set forth in Section 2, Article 11 of the Oregon
Constitution.
EXPLANATION OF BALLOT QUESTION
Without the approval of the voters, the City of Heppner
has authority to levy only the tax base of the City, which is
$39,137.00. This sum, together with available non-tax revenues,
is not adequate to meet the operating needs of the City.
Because the tax base is inadequate, it is necessary to
submit to the voters for the fiscal year 1976-77, a tax levy re
quest in excess of the tax base. If approved, the operating bud
get to be financed by local taxes for the years 1976-77 will be
$93,866.00 greater than for the preceding year. This constitutes
a rate of levy increase over the preceding year in the amount of
S8.08 per thousand of true cash value of taxable property.
The reasons for increasing the levy are: Loss of Federal
Revenue Sharing money, plus increases in cost of equipment and
supplies, contracted services and materials, employment salaries,
social security, workman's compensation, all necessary for the
operation and maintenance of the City of Heppner.
Yes, I vote for the tax levy
No, I vote against the tax levy
NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION
Notice is hereby given that a special election of the
City of Heppner, Oregon, will be held in such City and State
on the 17th day of May, 1976, between the hours of 8:00 a.m.
and 8:00 p.m. PDT, at the following voting place:
CITY HALL, HEPPNER, MORROW COUNTY, OREGON
At this time there will be submitted to the legal voters
of the City of Heppner, the question of establishing a tax levy
for the fiscal year 1976-77 for the sum of $93,866.00 as sub
mitted by Section 2, Article 11, of the Constitution of the
State of Oregon, which fiscal period commences on July 1, 1976,
and ends June 30, 1977. Said levy shall be placed upon the
1976-77 assessment rolls and the. taxes will be due and payable
on November 15, 1976, February 15, 1977, May 15, 1977, and
August 15, 1977. The reasons for establishing this tax levy
are for the payment of increases in equipment and supplies, in
employees' salaries, social security, workman's compensation, con
tracted services and materials necessary for the operation and
maintenance of the City of Heppner, all as required by the laws
of the state of Oregon, plus the loss of federal revenue sharing
money.
The votes will be by ballot upon which will be marked
(Yes, I vote for the tax levy) and (No, I vote against the tax
levy,) and the voters shall cross the parenthesis with an X
by the word "Yes, I vote for the tax levy" or by the word "No,
I vote against the tax levy", whichever indicates his choice.
All voters will vote at the Heppner City Hall, Heppner, Oregon.
By the Order of the Common Council of the City of Heppner.
Dated this 3rd day of May, 1976.
ATTESTED TOt
sr shall I.ovgren
sJ. F. Swecnoy
J. F. Sweeney, Mayor
sM.srsh.y
Marshall
Tovuren
City Recorder