with Justine Ueathcrford
Seventy-five years ago, in June 1903, several tremendous
happenings took place. The warm, muggy, Sunday afternoon
of June 14, morp than 250 persons were drowned in Morrow
County in Oregon.
On Tuesday, June 16, in an old wagon factory in Detroit,
Michigan, the Ford Moor Company began making "tin
lizzies" which for a time sold for less than $300.
Quite a few local folks can personally recall Heppner's
most horrible day, and I have tnlked with several of them
about their memories of the great flood.
Lena Hughes Kelly told me her family was then living
about 20 miles south of town. She says the big thunder shower
and heavy hail storm was frightening "it broke windows in
our house."
For several weeks now I have been collecting flood
stories from friends at Senior Citizens' dinners. Ed LaTrace
is one of the best authorities on the flood. He was six years old
then and remembers the day vividly. He and his mother and
his sister Pearl (Wright) watched the debris-laden water roll
north of town toward Lexington where it was joined by more
rushing flood waters from Black Horse Canyon. Several
persons were drowned near Lexington.
The evening's heavy waterfall continued its intensity
northward down Willow Creek and Hinton Creek and caused
flooding in both Black Horse and Sand Hollow, too.
Where Balm Fork's water joined Willow Creek "The
waters were at least 20 feet high, that being the lesser of
many estimates made by those who saw it and lived."
Each of the bridges across Willow became temporary
dams as collections of loose boards, pieces of buildings, farm
equipment and the bodies of animals and humans and much
fresh cut hay jammed against them. As these temporary
dams gave way, great new walls of water surged through
town.
Etta Devin Parker and Ella Smith, neither of whom
personally experienced the flood, have both increased my
understanding of that suppertime event. They explained that
Heppner's Chinatown was right along the creek back of
where the Beckett and McBride homes are now. The Chinese
families operated a laundry and several restaurants. They
each kept family pigs penned near the water which that
Sunday evening washed out their homes, the pens and pigs
and drowned seven Chinese.
Heroic deeds were performed that evening. Two
Revere-like young men, Bruce Kelley, 31, and Leslie
Matlock, 30, appropriated horses from the Stewart & Kirk
livery stable, broke into Gilliam & Bisbee's hardware store
for wire -clippers and rode off cross country down Willow
Creek shouting the flood warning to residents.
In the few hours before darkness overtook the area so
many homes and business establishments were destroyed
and so many families shattered by death. The local
photographer, Mike Galloway, wrote an excellent minute-by-minute
account of his actions during that lightening-lighted
evening and until he fell into bed at 4 a.m.
On the next day, Monday, June 15, Galloway took a fine
series of pictures which Bert Sigsbee developed. Bert (Elaine
George's father) had purchased Galloway's photographic
business a month earlier and was ready to take over that day.
Some of their pictures and Mike's story are in "Homesteads
and Heritages."
Several senior friends recount how their parents helped
restore order in the hot, stench-filled community after the
disaster. Ola Ruggles says that her father brought his team
over from Sherman County and spent a week working here.
Catie Padberg told me about her father's efforts in
cleaning up the area. She still treasures a little table that no
one claimed and which her dad brought home and restored.
Rachel Scherzinger Harnett has given the museum an
excellent picture of her father and other men and horses
working at pulling the Methodist Church back into position
after it had been washed northward.
Francis Doherty's home was once the Methodist parsonage
and stood east of the church. The waters carried it north and
then west and it settled and was repaired about where he
now lives in it at the NW corner of Gale and Church streets.
My Butter Creek friend, who will turn 90 this July 8, Zetta
Hager Brosnan, then a friendly mid-teenager, knew
everybody in the devastated community and spent that sad,
sleepless Sunday night mourning with friends and family on
higher ground above the mud, debris and death that filled the
town.
Heppner's 1903 population was just over 1100. That fatal,
hot week in June it had rained some on Thursday and the
folks hoped for more rain. Their hopes were realized when
rain began again Sunday. Soon they noted black clouds to the
southwest and soon heavier rain and hail hit.
Giles French reports "out Balm Fork the black cloud
released tons and tons and tons of water; water in such
amounts that great gashes were cut in the rock on the north
side of that canyon."
The Oregonian's Leslie M. Scott at the close of the
dispatch he sent out on Wednesday, June 17, wrote "The
beauty of Heppner is gone, but not its pride. No community
could rise more bravely under adversity."
My own life is strangely tied to the two anniversaries
being celebrated this week. Henry Ford, a neighbor of my
Peake grandparents, put into effect a $5-a-day wage for
builders of his sensational Model T in 1914, the year my life
began at Detroit, Michigan, and here I am writing of the
anniversary of the Heppner flood in my adopted community
where many of its citizens can hardly recall the Model T or
remember details of their community's catastrophe of 75
years ago.
Allstotts to celebrate
Silver Anniversary
Extension
Events... with
Birdine Tullis
mm
The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, June 15, 1978 THREE
4-H Leader Salute
Rudy and Gerald Bergtrom
Annual "Pre-Fair" fun day camping experience is one of
The children of Mr. and
Mrs. Clyde Allstott are honor
ing them with a reception on
the occasion of .their twenty
fifth wedding anniversary.'
The reception will be held at
the Allstott home, Sunday,
June 18, from one to three in
the afternoon.
.All friends and relatives are
cordially invited to attend.
Scheduled June 20
New and different events
and activities have been
added to the "get ready for
Fair" day this year, as well as
retaining some of the more
popular of the training events
for all 4-H girls (and boys too,
if they wish to attend).
Scheduled to start at 10 June
20 at Heppner Elementary
School, the event will include a
Sandwich Contest, which will
be the lunch for the partici
pants. Training will include
several how-to-do sessions
including demonstrations or
presentations, modeling and
styling, accessorizing for fash
ion fun, and grooming tips.
Other special added fun will
be a puppet show. As a
preview of the Favorite Outfit
Contest at Fair we are asking
each to wear their favorite
outfit. They will get some
inside tips on getting ready for
fair events, and encourage
ment to participate too.
The training is offered this
year on a two-county ex
change basis with Hood River.
A number of our older 4-H
members will travel to Hood
River to assist with a similar
training event there, and in
return, girls from Hood River
will be in Morrow County
assisting with our fun day.
Both counties have outstand
ing older members involved,
and we felt an exchange
offered the older girls addi
tional experiences and oppor
tunities to make new friends,
as well as sharing expertise.
We hope to see all our
4-H'ers there for a fun filled
and educational day!
4-H Camp
Applications are coming in
rapidly for 4-H camp all
interested campers are cau
tioned to get their application
forms to the county office by
June 15 or to call to determine
if there is space available.
Each of the four counties
involved has a quota, and
attendance is accepted on a
"first come" basis. The 4-H
Pettyjohn clan
reunion set
A family reunion for descen
dants of the William S. and
Mary Ellen Pettyjohn clan
will be held at Anson Wright
Park on June 25.
A potluck will start at noon.
Goulds visit at
Marquardt home
Mr. and Mrs. Ira Owen and
family of Gould, Oklahoma
were recent weeklong guests
at the Bill Marquardt home at
Lexington.
ideas
FOR DAD
1 Ideas
I FOR DAD I
IfgMEN'SUJEflRl
X Heopntr 676 9218 82
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People with a
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iavmai tntwred to MO QOG
AND LOAN ASSOCIATION OF PENDLETON
HEPPNER BRANCH
OTHER OFFICES: Hermiston, Boardman &
Pendleton-Home Office
the highlights of the 4-H year,
offering members opportuni
ties for new and growing
experiences, having fun in an
outdoor setting, meeting new
friends, and accepting respon
sibilities, as well as educa
tional classes and new crafts
and recreation. In addition,
this year, the camp period will
allow members to get ac
quainted with their new 4-H
agent, John Nordheim, and an
IFYE from Belgium.
Theme selected by counse
lors tor camp this year is
"Space Odyssey". Morrow
County counselors who will be
assisting with all events at
camp are Julie Grieb, Wendy
Myers, Heather Winter, Lottie
Laughlin, Todd Harrison,
Coleman Devine, Mari Evans,
Erin Evans, and Bobbie
Devine, along with others
from Gilliam, Wheeler and
Sherman counties.
Reminder to 4-11 Project
Members
All market lambs must be
shorn at least 30 days and not
more than 60 days prior to
Fair. Call John Nordheim, 4-H
and Livestock Agent for more
information.
Kilkenny earns
straight A's at
Oregon
John Kilkenny, son of Rob
ert Kilkenny, Lexington and
Vesta Kilkenny, Portland,
received a 4.0 grade average
last term at the University of
Oregon, Eugene. Kilkenny is
majoring in business admini
stration. He will be a senior
this fall.
Two livestock leaders who are well into their first year of
leadership, with a big and active group out in the Gooseberry
area from lone are Rudy Bergstrom and Gerald Bergstrom.
They have taken over leadership of the club formerly led by
Louis Carlson of lone. Both are experienced livestock
growers and have beef, swine and sheep project members in
their club.
, The lone club has a long history of excellence and success
in competitions, which we expect will continue under Rudy
and Gerald's leadership.
We offer our salute to the two! Welcome to the "4-H
Family".
Go electronic.
i
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