|AY, OCTOBER 20. 1966
Lus Requests by Readers Bring
d Article From Pen of Nyssan
Ling Pioneer Era With Present
I
v V requests after publication of a previous article
L I* h area
area's s pioneer days, written by Mrs. John E. (Bes-
r M 1 " journal
Journal is printing another of her interesting stories.
stories,
f1M put in many hours of research, gathering informa-
K ha® P the story in her nvrn
Manv incidents — are
——
own wnrrift.
words< Many
jelling i—
L numerous other areas, including Arkansas and Kansas,
of the Journal publishers.)
■ tee C-
-e the ’ understand
age of re-*
feany
fl value which elder
K, „ass on to the young-
Kion than an acute
fo{
illusiveness of
L that each day is not
Ling stone or a speed
in for tomorrow? For
till never be ours again,
[a memory.
Lcious hours must not
Le the savor of a hur-
[ to a plan seemingly so
[that we rush blindly
Lem in anticipation of
Lrs to be an important
Lie are swept along un-
Lfce to find the years
Ld away and very few
fciey look about them
Le conscious that there
L changes more promi
lwrinkles on their faces.
L streets, highways—a
tnmunity has felt the
[time. Where have the
L gone? Human life is
[ith pomp and respect
reaches final inactivity,
hat of those material
[de of metal and wood,
[small—once useful and
? Garbage concerns are
ping many of them into
S graves.
li know that a town once
ng the railroad tracks on
ion of Horse Products
r miles north of Nyssa?
is a depot, hotel, fruit
table sheds where pretty
Angie Cook and Ethel
1 once packed apples
es for the foreign mar-
l-ere the same then as
I names hidden in boxes
[answers and even pro-
I marriage. There were
les there, where life car
ls now. There were mar-
irths and deaths.
le days one might bury
Ine on his own land. Re
id is a small boy whose
re short, due to an on-
Bf an enraged hive-full
Perhaps he was laid
per the same apple tree
to climb. The hearts of
r these early pioneers
kh their loved ones into
marked graves.
Now what remains of this small
settlement? Not a hanging gate
nor a board. They, too, are com
pletely gone, as is the barefoot
boy who trudged dusty roads to
bring home the milk cows. All
are gone with the insatiable brush
of time.
There a small school was the
focal point of entertainment and
the “literary” was in vogue. Tea
chers were permitted to correct
unruly pupils with little interfer
ence from homes. They them
selves were patterns for dress and
deportment.
As a rule, young women were
the instructors, for married ones
seldom taught. And it was not
unusual for one of the larger boys
to court, or attempt to court, the
young teachers. No names will
be mentioned here. There were
no school buses to pick up the
small fry on a zero morning, nor
for that matter, any morning.
Homesteading families were
many, but some did not hold to
the end. As far as the eye could
see there was only sagebrush.
Fields had to be cleaned by hard
labor and wells dug to provide
water for house use. Water was
transported on sleds from the
Owyhee ditch to make possible
the growth of fruit and shade
trees.
Food was the first considera-
tion, but some can remember
miles of gallant poplars guarding
the roads and forming wind
breaks. This was a strong vision
ary race of men and women with
nothing short in their approach
to life. They were wonderful
people whom residents of today
can never repay.
These pioneer families brought
children with them and still oth
ers were born on the new land
and under primitive conditions.
Like the tiny one who arrived
before Dr. J. J. Sarazin, never
opened its eyes to the light of
day, and was taken outside a
small house and laid in the snow.
Readers of this article may well
shudder, living in reach of a
modern hospital, but these were
frontier days.
Some of the pioneer children
have scattered to chosen walks
of life, but others have remained
to carry on in an entirely new
U. P. Offers Round Trip
Weekend Travel at
I
Good news for travelers! From now through
I December 11,1966, you can take round-trip weekend
excursions on Union Pacific at greatly reduced rail fares,
in fact — the fare is so low that the return trip costs you
“v 10 per cent of the one-way fare!
T^efares apply between all points on the Union
ocific except north of Portland, Oregon and south of
“* v«gas, Nevada — and apply to both coach and
d doss on all trains each Friday, Saturday and
unaay with return limit midnight Monday,
incomplete information, tickets or reservations, call or
Myour nearby Union Pacific Railroad ticket agent.
UNION
PACIFIC
ailroad
THE NYSSA GATE CITY JOURNAL, NYSSA. OREGON
world of sewers, irrigation, ce
ment and a plush new way of
living.
This writer suggests a drive
through the productive rural sec
tion of the Nyssa area, while try
ing to visualize it in untamed
acres of pioneer days. With jack
rabbits leading uninhibited lives,
the settlers used to gather for
“rabbit-runs.”
This meant corraling hordes of
rabbits into a crude enclosure and
killing them by hand in almost
any manner. Even the children
participated, and this would prob
ably cause the present-day psy
chologist to weep blood.
It did seem a cruel practice to
this writer, while witnessing it,
but it was an age of survival and
rabbits were most destructive.
The settlers needed every avail
able source of income.
This was homesteading, and no
place for weakness! Rattlesnakes
were in this area before the white
man and certainly contested their
priority. Many were forked up
while hay was being loaded and
were a menace to assisting young
boys.
Sheds held no shiny farm ma
chinery, and long gone are the
faithful plodding work horses
whose bones now mingle with the
soil. Dark, icy mornings and only
a lantern lighted the cowsheds
which were made of any available
wood or sagebrush and straw
roofs.
These resourceful people were
made so by necessity—and neces
sity is a drive toward achieve
ment. Oil lamps with their brave
flickering flames were the only
lights in the tiny homes.
How proud the families were
when the first gaily-colored china
lamps were available to those
early-day mothers who accepted
their way of living, although hav
ing today’s same desire of expres
sion.
Can patrons of today ever give
them the homage due their mem
ories? Their patience with heavy
washtubs, no hot water and
mounds of soiled clothing to be
made spotlessly clean on a wash
board.
Then there was the mothers’
deep regret when calling small
lads, often three in a bed, to help
with early morning chores.
Today, to develop the super
ego into a strong wind, each child
should have his own sleeping
room and paddock windows to
accommodate space for furniture
and clothing. What today’s youths
have missed by having never
crawled through an open window
in answer to a whistle of a pal
next door!
So grew a community! Fences
were built and gracious homes
replaced crude ones. The Ward
house withstood changes through
out many years; but at last it,
too, bowed its weather-worn head
to progress—a home rich in voices
beyond the human ear.
Horseback riding became no
longer a means of transportation,
but an act of social grace. Weath
er and work-worn hands learned
to handle the automobile. How
ever, this was not always suc
cessful, remembering the time
J. T. Long took out the display
window of Wilson’s store on Main
street.
The area shed a frontier aspect
and a new way of life began! To
day’s rodeo fans try to regain
that spirit—and it is a testimony
to those early times. It is almost
romance!
The fatal brush of time will go
on forever and ever—and be not
deceived into believing that to
day’s enjoyments are lasting. The
lettering o n modern business
fronts will soon fade and give
way to new ideas.
What can the future hold in
material things by improvement
over the ones seen today? This
writer cannot know, nor even
guess — but time is a moving
force, not governed by mortal
man.
It is only hoped that changes
will find people ready, making
them stronger men and women,
fit to claim inheritance from
those patient, hard-working fami
lies who homesteaded to make
this community possible.
Those at the younger genera
tion, who read this article, may
think well of the present age by
enjoying it and its responsible
relations to an illusive time.
CLASSIFIEDS FOR RESULTS I
PAGE SEVEN
Biological Control of Insects, Weeds
Shows Good Results in OSU Research
The current controversy surrounding use of agricultural
chemicals to control the insects and weeds that threaten man’s
food supply as well as his health has brought increasing at
tention to bear on the search for natural, or biological con
trol, of these pests.
Interest in biological control is not new, at least to agri
cultural scientists.
♦—----------------------------------------
The first biological control The beetles have practically eli
research was conducted at minated St. Johnswort in several
Oregon State university some areas of both western and eastern
time before 1913, when a bul Oregon.
letin on insect enemies of the, Spots Selected Carefully
codling moth was published. | Studies aimed at biological con
Continuing research in the area
of biological pest control at OSU
during the past years has brought
some spectacular successes, accor
ding to Paul O. Richter, chairman
of the OSU Department of Ento
mology.
Several Types Explained
PRACTICING FOR CROSS COUNTRY MEETS with such schools
as Boise, Nampa, Caldwell and Borah are nine members of the
cross country team. They are (front row, from left) Donnie Wilson,
Rudy Vendrell, Tim Clarkson, Charles Bale, Craig Jamieson; back
row, Robert Haile, George Heider, John Shell, Ted Barton and
Coach Ralph Aldrich.—NHS Photo.
Livestock Group Final Rites Pending
Jose A. Castro
To Hold Meeting For
Services for Jose Angel Castro,
a resident of the Adrian area for
Oct. 21 in Ontario the
past four years, are pending
The annual meeting of the Mal
heur County Livestock associa
tion will be in Ontario Friday,
Oct. 21, starting at 10:30 a.m. in
the Moore hotel banquet room,
according to Merle Cummings,
president.
Among the topics discussed will
be the emergency feed grain pro
gram designed to help those who
have been damaged because of
drought conditions, Jim Chris-
tian, office manager of the coun-
ty ASCS committee, will explain
this program, who will qualify
and steps to take to apply.
Larry Williams, president of the
Oregon Cattlemen’s association,
will tell of the activities of the
state association during the past
year and also of some of the ex
pected activities in the coming
legislative year.
Max Lieurance, district man
ager of the Bureau of Land Man
agement, will give a progress re
port on their range rehabilitation
program.
There will also be a discussion
on the findings of the Public
Land Law Review commission
and other activities as a result
of their work.
Committee reports and actions
will cover work of the legislative
and taxation committee, brand,
herd health, junior activities,
membership and public lands.
The association will develop
resolutions and recommendations
to be presented to the Oregon
Cattlemen’s association Nov. 3-5
in Pendleton.
The annual banquet will be
held in Moore hotel at 7 p.m. that
evening.
Cummings urges all stockmen
to attend and participate.
at Lienkaemper chapel. Mr. Cas
tro succumbed Wednesday after
noon, Oct. 19, 1966, following an
illness.
He was born Dec. 18, 1884, in
Mexico. Among survivors are
four sons, Miguel Castro of Ad
rian; Jose Castro, Nyssa; Manuel
and Lupe Castro of Texas; two
daughters, Mrs. Suse Ramirez of
Texas and Mrs. Teresa Medina of
Adrian; 34 grandchildren and
eight great-grandchildren.
TUESDAY IN PAYETTE
ATTEND BRIDGE SESSION
Nyssans attending a bridge par
ty Tuesday afternoon at the home
of Mrs. Bernard Frost in Payette
included Mmes. Otis Smith, A. C.
Sallee, Jessie Morgan, Elsie Diven
and R. G. Larson Sr.
There are several types of bio
logical control agents, points out
Richter. These may be bugs that
prey on other bugs or they could
be certain types of fungi, bac
terial or virus.
In any case, before the control
agents are released, they are thor
oughly investigated to make sure
they won’t turn and attack desir
able insects or plants after their
job is done.
Since 1924, 30 different para
sites have been brought into Ore
gon to help control 14 insect pests.
Most successful has been the use
of a parasite fly to help control
the earwig, and use of a wasp to
attack the wooly apple aphid.
Insects Used Against Weeds
Insects can also be used to help
control weeds, Richter noted. In
some cases, weeds have been
brought into this area from out
side the country, leaving their I
natural enemies behind.
Insects have been brought into
Oregon in an attempt to control
St. Johnswort (often called goat
weed or Klamath weed) a;: well
gorse, tansy ragwort and punc
ture-vine.
The control of St. Johnswort
has been spectacular, and insect
pests that feed on gorse and tansy
ragwort are now well established.
Since 1948, colonies of a small
French leaf beetle have been re
leased in many areas of Oregon.
trol of forage insects and of sym-
phylans are receiving increased
emphasis at Oregon State univer
sity. As other promising insects
for biological control become
available, they are being intro
duced into Oregon in carefully
selected spots by OSU entomolo
gists.
While biological control will
continue to be an important wea
pon in the fight to protect man’s
food supply and his health, says
Richter, it will not be a substitute
for chemical control in the fore
seeable future although in some
cases it may serve as a valuable
supplement to agricultural chemi
cals in the control of insects and
plant pests.
FINEST-^
COMMERCIAL
PRINTING
WEDDING
STATIONERY
GATE CITY
JOURNAL
Elect Robert L. Morcom
Democratic Candidate
— for—
County Clerk
• Malheur County Resident for 25 Yrs.
• Three Years Experience in Office
• Will devote full time to the job
(Paid Pol. Adv. by Bob Morcom, Route 2, Vale, Oregon)
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Check Master Brake Cylinder
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Clean Oil Breather Cap
Pressure Test Radiator Cap
Test Radiator Hoses and Fan Belt
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shells
Ward’s Shell Service
IN A
WARD LUNDY, Owner
101 North Main St.
Nyssa, Oregon