TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 14, 2023
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
Doherty Clan was led to Morrow County by
strong women
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
SEARCH OLD COPIES OF THE HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES ON-LINE:
http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/
Published weekly by Sykes Publishing and entered as periodical matter at the Post
Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage paid
at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 188 W. Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676-9228. Fax
(541) 676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or david@rapidserve.net. Web site:
www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times,
P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $35 in Morrow County; $40
senior rate (in Morrow County only; 65 years or older); $30 elsewhere; $35 student
subscriptions.
Chris Sykes ...............................................................................................Publisher
Andrea Di Salvo ............................................................................................ Editor
Cindi Doherty.........................................................................................Advertising
All News and Advertising Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m.
For Advertising: advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Cost for a display ad is $5.50 per
column inch. Cost for classified ad is 50¢ per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $15 up to 100
words. Cost for a classified display ad is $6.00 per column inch.
For Public/Legal Notices: public/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for publi-
cation must be specified. Affidavits must be requested at the time of submission. Affidavits
require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be
specified if required).
For Obituaries: Obituaries are published in the Heppner GT at no charge and are edited to
meet news guidelines. Families wishing to include information not included in the guidelines
or who wish to have the obituary written in a certain way must purchase advertising space
for the obituary.
For Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor MUST be signed by the author. The Heppner
GT will not publish unsigned letters. All letters MUST include the author’s address and phone
number for use by the GT office. The GT reserves the right to edit letters. The GT is not
responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be
placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10.
Death Notice
Alice Vance—Alice
Vance, 95, of Hermiston,
died on June 6, 2023. She
was born on July 7, 1927,
in Condon, OR. At her
request, there will be no
service.
Please share memories
of Alice with her family at
burnsmortuaryhermiston.
com. Burns Mortuary of
Hermiston is in charge of
arrangements.
Work to begin on
Blue Mountain Scenic
Byway
Morrow County Road
Department has begun prep
work to chip seal 22 miles
of the Blue Mountain Sce-
nic Byway on both the
Heppner and North Fork
John Day Ranger Districts,
Umatilla National Forest
staff announced Monday.
This partnership between
the Umatilla National For-
est and the Morrow Coun-
ty Road Department was
funded through the Great
American Outdoors Act to
improve public access on
this main scenic route.
Work will be ongo-
ing for approximately two
weeks and includes clean-
ing the road surface, seal-
ing cracks in the road and
patching potholes, followed
by chip sealing the entire
roadway.
Morrow County Road
Department crews are mov-
ing equipment on-site and
stock piling chip rock. The
chip seal is anticipated to
begin on July 10.
The construction work
will require that the full
length of the Blue Moun-
tain Scenic Byway will
periodically have delays.
Traffic will be managed by
flaggers and pilot cars from
July 10 until approximately
July 21. Construction signs
will be posted at each end of
the project and as needed in
work zones.
The Blue Mountain
Scenic Byway is a pop-
ular 145-mile route that
travels from near Arling-
ton to Granite. This road
is also a major portal to
both the Umatilla and Wal-
lowa-Whitman national
forests, offering numer-
ous opportunities for sce-
nic views and recreation.
In 2022, contractors chip
sealed the portion of road
that crosses the North Fork
John Day Ranger District
(33.6 miles). These chip
seal projects reduce risk to
public safety, protect the
roadway and extend the
life of this scenic route for
10-20 years.
This project is part of
the investment of more
than $100 million for proj-
ects on National Forests in
Oregon and Washington
through the Great American
Outdoors Act (GAOA),
intended to address critical
deferred maintenance and
improve transportation and
recreation infrastructure.
Nationally, the funds will
allow the Forest Service to
implement more than 500
infrastructure improvement
projects essential to the
continued use and enjoy-
ment of national forests
lands this year.
In addition to the Blue
Mountain Scenic Byway
chip seal project, the Uma-
tilla National Forest re-
ceived funding to replace
the Crooked Creed Trail
Bridge on the Pomeroy
Ranger District, which is
anticipated to be installed
later this year. The forest
will continue to share up-
dates on these GAOA proj-
ects as construction begins.
Additional information
about the Umatilla National
Forest is available at www.
fs.usda.gov/umatilla.
$429,000
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home and two lots totaling 13.12 acres could be the
perfect property to keep your horses and livestock.
Pasture and dry land. Tax ID 5378 and 8939. Selling
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177 N. Main
P.O. Box 337
Heppner, OR 97836
Chris@sykesrealestate.net
Broker
Chris Sykes
541-215-2274
A few of the Doherty clan’s female forebears: Mary Doherty
Kenny, Catherine Grant Doherty, Sara Kenny Farley, and
baby Mary Farley Clark. -Contributed photo
Over a century ago,
Irish settlers came to Mor-
row County and converted
virgin grassland to mod-
ern agricultural husbandry.
Overwhelmingly the stories
of this settlement perpetu-
ate the names of men. Lost
or ignored are the stories of
the many Irish women who
led their families, relatives
and descendants to this
countryside.
Descendants of some
of the strongest women in
Morrow County’s history
will soon have a chance to
learn more about the less-
er-known female heroes of
our past.
In his 1968 Shamrocks
and Shepherds: The Irish
of Morrow County, John F.
Kilkenny credits his father
for encouraging him to doc-
ument the names of early
Irish settlers in Morrow
County. His list, published
in June 1968 by the Ore-
gon Historical Society, is
a gathering of important
family names of the Irish
who settled here, but is not
a chronology.
Kilkenny lists 156 fam-
ily names—mostly a list
of Irish boys and men.
Kilkenny says that some
85 percent of this Irish in-
flux were boys and that 15
percent were girls. There
are descendants of those
Irish women who would
say that, though there were
less of them, Irish women
and girls had just as much
of an impact here.
The very large and dis-
persed Doherty Clan of
Morrow and Umatilla coun-
ties, for instance, claims
its share of Amazonian
women. No disparagement
to Doherty men, but the
Doherty women at the fore-
front of Irish immigration
to this area take no second
place.
Catherine Newman
Doherty, granddaughter of
John Doherty of the Isle
of Doagh and the oldest
child of John’s son James,
charged into this country
when she left Ireland in
1844 on a three-month
journey that took her to the
California gold fields.
She was joined in early
1860 by her brother Dan-
iel (later “Tutuilla Dan”).
There in Yreka, Cather-
ine married Ebner Nelson,
a Swede, and previous-
ly a seafaring man. She,
Dan and Ebner traveled
north to Canyon City in
Grant County, OR where
they continued to mine. In
1869, the Nelsons and Dan
Doherty moved to Umatilla
and settled on Big Butter
Creek, upstream and south
of Vinson.
Catherine was part of
a very large Irish family,
and she wrote them fre-
quently, sometimes advis-
ing them of opportunities
for land and livelihood in
Local students inducted
into honor society
the area. Countless numbers
of Dohertys passed through
Catherine Doherty Nelson’s
door and hospitality until
they were settled and inde-
pendent here.
In the Bannock War,
Ebner Nelson sent his son
James to Pendleton with
the women of his ranch, for
safety. On July 6, 1878, a
small band of Native Amer-
icans raided the Nelson
ranch, killing Ebner Nelson
and a hired man. Afterward,
Catherine Nelson managed
the ranch by herself, aided
by her son, James.
The widow and chil-
dren of Francis Doherty
from the township of
Crockglass near Quigley’s
Point on Loch Foyle, Ini-
showen, were among those
who were welcomed by
Catherine Nelson. After
Catherine Grant Doherty’s
husband, Francis, died in
1883, Catherine sent her
oldest daughter Sarah, age
25, to Oregon.
Sarah first went to
Catherine Nelson’s and
soon met an up-and-coming
sheepman who had emigrat-
ed from County Galway in
1864, served on the Union
battleship Galena toward
the end of the Civil War,
was wounded in the Battle
of Mobile Bay, and then
found his way west to Oak-
land, California. After four
years, Charles Cunningham
traveled north, ending up
in Umatilla County, and
entered the sheep business.
In 1883 Cunningham
settled on Butter Creek,
inside of Morrow County.
Cunningham was a down-
stream neighbor of Cather-
-Continued to PAGE THREE
Red Cross says blood
supply facing stress,
donors needed
Help celebrate World Blood
Donor Day June 14
A concerning shortfall
in blood donations last
month could stress the
American Red Cross blood
supply, the organization has
announced. The Red Cross
collected more than 26,000
fewer blood donations than
needed in May to meet the
needs of patients.
The need for blood is
constant, with someone
needing a blood transfusion
in the U.S. every two sec-
onds. Platelet donors are es-
pecially needed at this time.
The public can help ensure
continuity for patients by
making an appointment to
give blood or platelets now
and in the weeks ahead.
An opportunity to give
in Morrow County is com-
ing up in Boardman June
26. The Red Cross will be
at Boardman Pool and Rec-
reation Center, 311 N Olson
Rd., from noon to 5 p.m.
Those who can’t make
it to Boardman will have
two chances to donate in
Hermiston—June 19 from
12:45-5:30 p.m. at Good
Shepherd Medical Center
and Jun 22 from 9 a.m. to
2 p.m. at Umatilla Electric
Cooperative.
World Blood Donor
Day, gifts for donors
June 14 is World Blood
Donor Day, a day meant
to raise awareness of the
need for a safe, diverse and
stable blood supply and to
recognize volunteer blood
donors. This is the perfect
time to give, especially for
those who haven’t given in
a while, or who have never
given before.
In thanks for taking
time to help, all who come
to give blood, platelets
or plasma June 1-30 will
receive a $10 gift card by
email to a merchant of their
choice. Those who come
to give throughout June
will also be automatically
entered for a chance to win
a backyard theater pack-
age. Details for both offers
can be found at RedCross-
Blood.org/June.
Help the Red Cross
celebrate World Blood
Donor Day and meet the
critical needs of patients.
Download the Red Cross
Blood Donor App, visit
RedCrossBlood.org or call
1-800-RED CROSS (1-
800-733-2767) to schedule
a time to give now.
Heppner High School National Honor Society members Ari-
anna Worden, Irelynn Kollman, Cameron Proudfoot, Mason
Orem, Katie Spivey, Morgan Cutsforth and Caden George.
-Contributed photo
On Tuesday June 6, the
Heppner High School held
its National Honor Society
induction ceremony. The
National Honor Society’s
goal is to create enthusiasm
for scholarship, to stimulate
a desire to render service, to
promote leadership and to
develop character in the stu-
dents of secondary schools.
This year Katie Spivey
and Mason Orem were
Honor society inductees Ma-
inducted. Current mem-
son Orem and Katie Spivey.
bers are Arianna Worden,
-Contributed photo
Irelynn Kollman, Cameron
Proudfoot, Morgan Cuts-
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