Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 30, 1978)
E.S S X E-W E'T 2'E t L si' 0 OF ok i UEVSPAPER EUGENE OR L I B 97403 Musty Draper Show tonight, dinner & Gazette -Times celebrates 95 years of recording county history The Gazette-Times is getting to be an old-timer this week marks the 95th birthday of Morrow County's oldest newspaper and Heppner's earliest business establishment still in operation. The first edition of the old Heppner Weekly Gazette was printed exactly 95 years ago today on March 30, 1883, making it the third oldest weekly paper in Eastern Oregon and the eighth oldest in the state to be published continuously since its founding. Vawter Crawford, an early editor of the Gazette, bought out its rival, the Heppner Times, established in 1897, and consolidated the two papers under the name Heppner Gazette-Times on Feb. 12, 1912. Though its name was changed, the Gazette-Times has always claimed the Gazette's birthday. A fire in 1918 destroyed early newspaper files, but lively accounts of the 'old days' in Morrow County newspaper printing, complete with details of ownership transfers, appeared sporadi cally in the Gazette-Times editorial and letters-to-the-editor columns whenever the , paper's anniversary rolled around. The following history is a composite of several such accounts which were promp ted by birthday number 60 (1943) and 75 (1958). The Gazette was established on March 30, 1883, by a stock company formed by Jack Morrow, Henry Heppner, Ellis Minor and several other old-timers. J.A. Stine of Walla Walla, Wash., who launched many early Oregon papers, was a principal owner and first editor. Less than a year later, the fledgling paper was sold to John W. Redington, an old scout and Indian fighter, commonly known as J. Water melon. This colorful figure deserves more than passing mention. J. Watermelon had been chief of scouts for General O.O. Howard who once wrote a glowing tribute to his scout's courage, resourcefulness and industry all qualities he car ried into his editorial work. He was both humorous and eccen tric, and, one of the most picturesque editors of the day in Oregon, or anywhere else for that matter. While running the Gazette, Redington painted snappy signs on fence boards and rocks all over the countryside advertising his newspaper. "The Heppner Gazette Hell on Horse Thieves and Hypo crites", and "The Heppner Gazette Sangup fcr Bustles", read two such signs. J. Watermelon sold the paper in less than five years to one of Heppner's first mini sters, the Rev. Henry Ras mus, who kept the paper until 1886 when he sold it to the Patterson Publishing Co. with i Otis Patterson as editor. When i he moved to The Dalles, i Patterson turned the paper f over to Corleis Merrit, who i continued as editor until February, 1900, when the i Gazette was again sold to J. V Watermelon Redington. By this time, one rival, the ' Heppner Record, had quickly been absorbed by the Gazette, 1 and the Gazette's longest standing competitor the Hepp ner Times was established by E.M. Shutt. During his short second stint as Gazette owner, Redington delighted in taking verbal shots at his rival "on the lower side of Stewart's livery sta ble", jabbing the vain Shutt about "strutting". Finally the goading drove Shutt to desper ation and he laid in wait for J. Watermelon, a much older man, and beat him up, his honor vindicated. It is questionable whether the incident had anything to do with his next action, but Redington soon sold out to Fred Warnock and E.P. Mitchel. Warnock bought out his partner in a short time and kept the paper until he sold it to Vawter Crawford. Crawford's brother, O.G. Crawford, a later editor of the Gazette-Times, wrote a letter to the editor in 1958, recollec ting some early days as a Heppner newspaperman : "...I started 'at the case' about two weeks after arriving in Hepp ner (early March 1901), work ing alongside my brother Garfield who worked alter nately for the Times and the Gazette for several years. At the time he was Shutt's right hand man. I added to my printing skill be learning to feed the cylinder press, an old Country Campbell, the power being furnished by a little German, Jack Newcomb. His usual pay was 50 cents and a bucket of beer while I drew down 25 cents my week's wages for the first three months. From this momen tous outlay of cash I gradu ated, by December 1901, to the imposing wage of $9 a week 60 hours mind you by changing my attachment from the Times to the Gazette..." Soon after Vawter Crawford bought the Gazette from Warnock, he purchased the Heppner Times and edited the two papers as the Gazette Times, and to this day it has been known by that name. O.M. Yeager, former Hepp ner resident and building contracter who supplied much of the data in this history, ended his account printed May 1, 1958: "...The Gazette-Times was in the possession of the Crawford family until the year cf 1351 wicn O.G Crswrford sold the paper to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Penland, who still own and edit the paper. The paper is still going under the able management of the Penlands and it would take a strong paper indeed to gain a foothold in the newspaper field of Morrow County." The Penlands published the Gazette-Times until October 1960 when they sold the paper to W.O. and Frances Wild man, who kept the Gazette Times only eight months before they sold out to Mr. and Mrs. Wes Sherman. Sherman carried on the active role the Gazette-Times has always played in promo ting Morrow County's inter ests until his death on June 22, 1969, in Washington, D.C., during the first vacation the popular editor-publisher had taken in eight years. Ironi cally, Sherman died the day after it was announced by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association that the Gazette Times had won two first place awards in the annual news paper contest best news continued on page 16 auction April 8, to benefit X-Ray Fund Rusty Draper, mistakenly identified in last week's Gazette-Times as Rusty Drake, will perform in a special concert tonight (Thursday) in the Riverside High Schol gym with proceeds going towards the purchase of X-Ray equip ment for the Boardman Clinic. The performance will start at 8 p.m. Draper, a country-western vocal star on radio, network y;:-l. r, :;. u 1 T C i .- t . .4 Growing school enrollment prompts budget increase The operation of Morrow County schools next year as proposed by the district's advisory and budget commit teesis subject to voter ap proval of a $2,067,639 special levy next Tuesday, April 4. If approved, the special levy will add about .94 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation to the $7.58 per $1,000 assessed valuation currently paid by taxpayers. In addition to the levy, voters will cast ballots for school board and advisory committee members. The only school board posi tion open is a four-year term for Zone 1 in Boardman. Candidates are Kenneth Broadbent and Larry D. Leichleiter. Two advisory committee positions are open in Heppner with Frank Pearson unop posed for the Position 2 seat. Judy Currin and Stephen K. Peck are vying for Position 7. Earl Trudeau and Francine Evans are unopposed for the Position 1 and Position 6 advisory committee race in the Boardman-Irrigon area. Mary J. Martin is unop posed in her bid for the Position 4 advisory committee seat for the lone area. Comments by the candi dates appear on page three of this issue. The special levy amount reflects an increase of 13.4 per cent over last year according television and in recordings for the past three decades, has performed live in every state and in Europe and Japan.; Tickets can be purchased for $5 from Gardners Mens Wear, Heppner; Alice Bart lett, Boardman; Pat Mc Donough, Irrigon; and JB's Records Shop, Hermiston. Admission at the door will be $7.50. The X-Ray Fund for the run DA , iUAKCil 30, I .) 7o . , . J fr,S. t' - ? . - to Superintendent Matt Do herty. The largest increase 8.3 per cent came in the area of salaries, fixed costs, mainte nance and improvements to facility and programs. A four per cent increase is due to district growth and equaliza tion of educational opportuni ? 'fW fi! is'-' ' Hi i I n? VII1!', 'ilk iril..-hlili-m -' t ' i - l r , . p I j ft ! V - ? r - ... . -, . ....... - .- ... ' ? .. . . ... . "We Can Handle It" the sign said on the side of the 130-ton, derailed engine and handle it the Union Pacific Crews did. It took several hours last week to lift, nudge and baby the locomotive back on the track. The derailment was caused by debris in the crossing near Vern's 76 station. clinic will also receive the profits from a noon meal, prize drawing and auction scheduled for Saturday, April 8, at Riverside High School. Beginning at 11:30 a.m., diners will be able to choose between Bar-BQ beef or fried chicken as a main course, complimented by potato sal ad, rolls and beverages. Cost for the meal will be $2.50 for adults; $1.75, 12 and under,; or "I ' i if FFA Slave auction slated next week Fifty prime head of Future Farmers of America members will go on the block to the highest bidder next Thursday, April 6, at the Heppner chapter's annual Slave Auction. Bidding is expected to be brisk at the event, scheduled to start at 8 p.m. at Heppner High School. The auction is the local FFAers only fund raising project this year and proceeds will go to support the chapter's many activities. Buyers can expect their husky, young purchases to put in a full eight hours in the type of labor of their choice anything from hoeing gardens to pulling rye to barn cleaning to house work. Slaves of all sizes and shapes will be available at the auction, so everybody needing help around their ranches, gardens or homes is invited to make their selections on April 6. Refreshments will be served at the event. "Ilocin"' Jo Lynn Daly tests the muscle of fellow slave "Deceiving" Steve Marlatt. in preparation for the big FFA auction to be held at Heppner High School on Thursday, April (i. at X p.m. Both will be among the 50 slaves to be sold to the highest bidder for eight hours worth of labor. 4 ties and a 1.1 per cent increase was noted for the education of handicapped children. Within the district's budget the largest single amount, $1,617,244 is spent for instruc tionthat is, where students are actually doing classroom work. Support sei vices such as administration, transporta $10 per family. Prizes donated for the drawing include a half of beef, cut and wrapped, courtesy of Kroll's Department Store; four hams from Hill Meat Co. ; and a television video pinball game donated by Cal-Am-Fuhrman Co. Tickets for the drawing are available from members of the Lions Club in Boardman and Irrigon, the Greenfield Grange, the Board- 1IEITNER, OREGON . . , tion and food service re quire an addtional $1,406,915. Morrow County taxpayers are favored with one of the lowest tax rates in the state for support of schools. If the levy receives voter approval next Tuesday, tax continued on page 3 man Eagles, Alice Barlett, and D.O. Nelson in Heppner. Ticket-holders need not be present to win. Items so far donated to be auctioned to the highest bid der after the dinner and prize drawing include two loads of gravel, a chain saw, two vented kitchen range hoods, one light fixture and gift certificates from several stores. ! Vi ! ! 10 PAGUS News School elections face voters Tuesday An important election date for Morrow County voters is next Tuesday, April 4. At that time voters will be asked to approve special levies for the Morrow County School District and Blue Mountain Community College. A separate story appears on this page concerning the Morrow County School District election. In the BMCC election, of utmost importance to local voters is retaining Bob Rietmann on the board of directors. The incumbent, Rietmann is Morrow County's only representation on the BMCC board and he is being seriously challenged by a Pendleton resident. BMCC is also asking voter approval of a special levy that would cost taxpayers an estimated $1.05 per $1,000 assessed valuation. That amount reflects a drop of three cents per $1,000 from the current year. Morrow County provides about 25 per cent of the district's share of operating costs and without Rietmann on the seven-member board of directors, all representation would be from Umatilla County. Dave Harrison resigns as CBEC manager Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative Manager Dave Harrison submitted his resignation to the utility's board of directors Monday, March 27. Harrison told the board he was resigning to enter private enterprise in the Spokane area. When contacted by The Gazette-Times Harrison said details of the business he plans to start in Spokane will be revealed at a later date. Harrison's letter of resignation stated that he would remain here for 60 days. A manager of rural electric cooperatives for the past 20 years, Harrison has been at Columbia Basin for the past five and one-half years. No comment was available from the CBEC board. Heppner doctors won't staff Boardman clinic Heppner physicians J.H. Diehl and Richard Carpenter notified the Morrow County Court last week that they would be unable to staff and operate the medical clinic in Boardman. The doctors were to start practice at the clinic April 1. In a letter to the Court dated March 21, the doctors said, "We now find that we will be unable to begin practice on that date or in the near future. "This decision is regrettable but necessary considering the present conditions and circumstances with regards to the clinic in Boardman." When the clinic in Boardman was being constructed, a third physician, Dr. Joe Gifford, was a member of the partnership. Gifford moved from the area recently which added to the workload of Diehl and Carpenter in Heppner. The doctors said losing the third member of their team caused them "considerable concern regarding our ability to adequately staff the clinic in both Heppner and Boardman." Mrs. Joe Barlett, chairperson of the North Morrow Medical Advisory Committee said a search is underway for a doctor to staff the clinic. Mrs. Bartlett said anyone having information about a physician wishing to start a practice should contact her at 481-5505. 7cn!lier by Don G-.f!r.:n The X-Ray Fund drive has so far accumulated $2,640 from such money raisers as a Taco Feed in Irrigon last week and from private donations, but, as fund chairman Alice Barlett said, "We have a long way to go." More than $14,000 is still needed to purchase the equipment. 1 i 20C Briefs 111 I A Wed.. Mar. 22 C5 "i Thurs.,Mar.23$6 lj Fri.,Mar.;4 59 ' Sat.. Mar., 23 69 it Siii)., Mar. 07 ( M m., ?.7,.tr. 7 i Tues.,flar.28. 63 U
