Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 2009)
Co-gen plant may reopen Last Monday, Cas cade Renewable Energy entered into a 100-day op tion to purchase the empty Kinzua power plant site outside of Heppner. Kinzua closed its doors in 1998 and has been empty since. During these 100 days, Cascade Renewable Energy is looking into fuel availability and prices, fi nancing, and if this is the right market for the prop erty. Eugene, If reopened, the power plant would be using wood waste for fuel, which Cascade Renewable Energy is currently in the process of checking into availability. The company plans to purchase the 25 acres where the power plant is located along with 20 adja cent acres. According to Gary Neal of the Port of Mor row, if all pieces fall into place and the purchase goes through, the power plant could be open anywhere be tween 120 days and a year. “(Cascade Renewable En- If reopened, the power plant located outside of Heppner could employ 15-20 people. -Photo by David Sykes ergy) is considering a fairly substantial expansion,” state Neal. "I'm not sure if they would expand and then start operations or start opera- tions and then expand at a later date.” lfreopened, the plant could prov ide jobs for 15 to 20 employees. No stopping the Wranglers Editor s Note: The follow ing story was written by Merlyn Robinson and was published in the July 1995 edition o f the Columbia Basin magazine. VOL. 128 NO. 12 8 Pages Wednesday, March 25, 2009 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Boardman recognizes outstanding citizens The Boardman City Council recently congratu lated the Riverside High School wrestling team for their accomplishments dur ing the 2008-09 seas.on. Brigham Hansen and Carlos Garcia were presented with certificates of accomplishment. Hansen was the OSAA 2009 3A tournament champion in the 171 lb weight class. Carlos Garcia received 3rd place in the OSAA 2009 3A tourna ment at the 140 lb weight class. Mayor Phillips in troduced Evelyn Garcia, a junior at RHS, as an Oregon Ambassador of Music that will be touring Europe this summer. B oardm an C ity Council is proud of the ac complishments ofthese stu dents. Also recognized were officers from the Boardman Police Department: Nat Hughes, Shane Brandon, Chris Tiboni, and Chief Zeiler for their outstanding performance of duty. A resolution was ap proved to be joint sponsors with the Port of Morrow and Morrow County in ap plying for the renewal of Columbia River Enterprise Zone. Intergovernmental Golf team starts swinging Agreements for the new for mation and operation of the Columbia River Enterprise Zone were approved. Mayor Phillips an nounced the “If I were the Mayor for a Day” contest for elementary through high school students in Board- man. The contest runs from March 23-May 29, 2009. This contest is sponsored by the Oregon Mayor’s Associ ation. For more information call Boardman City Hall. In other news, May or Phillips proclaimed the month of April as National Sexual Assault Awareness Month in conjunction with the Domestic Violence Ser vices of Morrow’ and Uma tilla County. Historians claim that horses were domesticated as riding and draft animals as early as 2150 BC. Though today we ro manticize the Old West, we no longer rely on four-foot ed horsepower. However, horses have become a major industry and sport. Horses of all sizes and breeds are the common interest of modem equine owners. And varied horse interests are the glue that has held together the continuous activities of the Wranglers Riding Club for nearly 50 years. Horse owners, in cluding ranchers and Hep- pner-area business people, met to form this club in 1946. Bylaws were pat terned after the rules of the Pendleton Mustanger Rid ing Club. Cal Sumner, now deceased, was elected as the first president. Charter members recall that Cal was a fearless leader when he participated in a suicide race, charging down the steep, rocky hill overlooking the Hughes ranch on Butter Creek. “ Playdays” were held at local ranches where arenas had been built. Most horses were transported in trucks, as there were few horse trailers in those days, but many riders tested their endurance by riding their mounts from Heppner to those outlying ranches. Public meeting set for discussions of fuels reduction strategies The Heppner Rang er District of the Umatilla National Forest will host a public meeting on March 31 at 6 p.m. at the Heppner Ranger District Office, to discuss an upcoming as sessment for identifying fuels reduction and forest stand density projects in the Potamus Watershed Area southeast of Heppner. “We feel it's impor tant to discuss and coordi nate wildfire risk reduction strategies across land own erships,” said Tom Mafera, Heppner District Ranger. “So, prior to developing any project proposals, we want to visit with those interested about specific interests and project ideas.” In 2001, the Morrow County Community Wild fire Protection Plan (CWPP) identified the Penland Lake The 2009 golf season was kicked off in Heppner last week with Wildland-Urban Interface a tournament held at the Willow Creek Country Club. Team member Lindsay Cutsforth makes the putt with ease. Photo by Sandy Matthews ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. ( WUI) area as a priority for fuels reduction projects to lessen the impact of wildfire on lives, property, and the landscape. Presentations will include: Role of fire in the ecosystem; Fire regime and tree species adaptation; his tory of fire and insect dis turbance in the Potamus Watershed area; Current fuel conditions and expected fire behavior; Wildfire risks; Private land fire protection; and Morrow County Com munity Wildfire Protection Plan For more informa tion about the public meet ing or Fuels Reduction as sessment, contact Brian Spradlin (Fuels Specialist) at the Heppner Ranger Dis trict (541) 676-2127. Potluck noon feasts preceded some wild and woolly events, including Dougherty’s Dilly Duster in Sandhollow, the Balm Fork Brawl at the Ralph Beamer ranch, the Rhea Creek Riot at Floyd Jones’ and the Butter Creek Ambush at Martins’, now part of the Hughes ranch. Pole bending and barrel racing were followed by rugged games. The “hide race” required a racer to stay aboard a cowhide, attached to a rope pulled by a partner on the back of a galloping horse. Sometimes a scoop shovel was towed for a wild, bouncing ride over rocky ground. Speed, hedging and strategic blocking were in volved in the “musical rope races,” as a winner muscled his way to victory by hold ing on to the last dangling rope suspended from a line above riders' heads. "Wannabe” rodeo stars often tested their grit on ranch livestock, or an uncooperative bronc. Dan Brosnan recalls that he met his match as a ranch young ster when he was tossed and trampled by a Greenup bull. Ropers remember trying to wrestle hefty ranch calves to the ground. On one occasion, wild goats at the Jones ranch were captured for an arena event that required roping those goats and wrestling them into large wool sacks. It was a dubious victory for the team that roped the herd's old billy goat, a rather smelly individual! Even skilled riders sometimes “bite the dust,” but Wranglers Club par ticipation has given many young cowhands their first education about rodeo their first education about rodeo events. A number of young members have gone on to become high school, college and professional rodeo con testants. Among them are names such as Currin, Healy Steagall and Mahoney -and the tradition eontinues. Other, less strenuous horse interests have also continued through the years. In the early 1950s the Wran glers began supervising an annual horse show, held during the fair. Show-horse quality of that era didn't al ways measure up to today's stringent standards. But horse show superintendent Fred Mankin, now deceased, showed his well-bred Ten nessee Walking horses w ith pride, while Merle Becket, a former club president, rode a well-trained American Sad- dlebred mare. Classes for all ages and breeds became popular as Western riders competed for the “champion performance horse” title. Floyd Jones retired that first revolving trophy after win ning it for three years w ith the same horse. Monthly club meet ings were once held in a former Civilian Conserva tion Corps building on the fairgrounds, where the dor mitory now stands. Lively music, costume parties and entertainment, aided by an old upright piano, rocked that old wooden building. When members first moved that piano in, the floor gave w ay, requiring a repair job. In 1949, as a fund raiser, the club began stag ing cowboy breakfasts, which were held Sunday mornings during the annual Heppner Rodeo. This Cow boy Breakfast has become a traditional event. An avid horse fan. Dimple Munk- ers, also deceased, was the chairperson of the breakfast for many years. It was these fund raisers that held the club to purchase a small parcel of land below Heppner from Harvey Harshman about 1956. The hilly property required a great deal of excavation to create a level arena and a permanent club facility. The donation of equipment and labor by Don Evans made this possible. Members built fences with poles cut and hauled from the mountains. The clubhouse, a former bandstand build ing next to the fairgrounds racetrack, was moved and remodeled under the lead ership of John Newman, an electrician. Charter members Howard Bry ant and Cornet Green say that the buck ing chutes also came from the fairgrounds. These two handymen did repairs and maintenance on club prop erty for many years. For a time, inter club playdays with other horse clubs were held. Horse racing led to competition in relay and baton races, both at Heppner and at the Pendleton Roundup. This crowd-pleasing event pro vided many thrills and spills, as recalled by former jockey Joe Yocom and other rac ing enthusiasts, including -Continued on Page THREE Check Out Our Save on Many Farm and Garden Items Affidale flyer inside! ß Morrow County Grain Growers _^Lexin^OJ^®£^221^1-800^452^7396^?»r^»nrH!2ul£mfnt^lslUuii W(>bjltM|Ijn2n^™j^^
