The Best of Days of Yore 2023

While all years carry interesting news, the newspapers from 100 years ago, and the entries from 1906 and 1908, are especially entertaining. These are but a few of the best printed in 2023.

100 years ago—

Upper Pine Creek dug itself out of its hibernating quarters when friends and neighbors assembled at the spacious and hospitable home of Mr. and Mrs. A.S. Conlee to celebrate the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in Egypt. Mr. Conlee is much interested in old Tut and to show his appreciation of the old fellow, gave a dance party.

When Jimmy Don of W.C.H.S. is asked why he wears such a serious look on his face lately he replies that it is because the sophomore class is memorizing “The Rendezvous” and he finds it a difficult task.

Dwight Misner, a well-known farmer of the area, last week had a notice published in the Ione Independent offering the two men who stole rock salt from his pasture all the salt they need – if they will apply at his home in daylight, saying that he will also load it in their car saving them the trouble of climbing a barbwire fence after dark with their Sunday clothes on.

Sheriff Montague was over on the John Day serving some papers, and keeping a lookout for John Browning, a Volstead guest of Gilliam County, who took French leave from the county jail. Browning had permission to go to the barber shop for a haircut and forgot to come back.

It is reported that the sale of the Gilman-French ranches in Wheeler County to S.F. Wilson of Portland for about half a million dollars, will mean the payment at once to Wheeler County of some $25,000 in taxes delinquent on the property.

What do you think of the Condon girl who wrote her steady, “John, please don’t phone me again. Father is cleaning his gun.”

Tom Carlson, Gilliam County roadmaster, has returned from three weeks in Portland. His friends here, not hearing from him, became alarmed and Judge Fowler notified the Portland police on Tuesday that Carlson was missing. He was staying at the Cornelius Hotel, but had left there before inquiries were made, and arrived in Condon Tuesday night, the same day the Portland police were trying to locate him. It is safe to say that Tom knows Portland ways and by-ways as well as the canyons and gulches of old Gilliam County.

“There is no doubt about it,” says a Fossil baseball fan. “Church pews are twice as hard as seats in the bleachers.”

T.O. Dix of Olex reports that it was the intention when the Olex postoffice was named to call it Alex, but someone back in Washington, D.C. mistook the capital A for an O.

“Have you ever been in trouble before?” asked the Fossil city recorder to the man who was charged with carrying a flask on him. “Oh, yes,” answered the accused. “I’m married.”

Sheriff C.A. Johnson of Wheeler County went to Ashland to bring back John Freeman, eighteen years of age, who is charged with the raising of a check. He worked two days for Hilton & Burgess on Pine Creek and was paid with a check which he raised from $6.00 to $60.00 and cashed at the local store.

P.N. Shown and Ben Iremonger had a narrow escape from death last Saturday when their automobile capsized in the canyon between Fossil and Condon. Mr. Iremonger was driving the new Dodge he had just purchased from Mr. Shown.

W.M. Frickey of Brinford has been nominated for Mayor of that cosmopolitan city at a recent chamber of commerce meeting around Fred Meteer’s straw stack, according to the Brinford correspondent for the Fossil Journal.

From the “Squirrel Food” column: Cal Coolidge was born 12 miles from a railroad, but a lot of people have been born farther away from a railroad than that and still never have become President.

After being laid up with an injured ankle, Helen Fowler of Condon is back at basket ball practice. Mrs. Schroeder told the girls that in order to be able to have a better practice they would have to stop eating pastries and candy just before practice.

A quiet wedding was solemnized in Fossil when Miss Ruth Higgins came the bride of Mr. Earl Ransom of Portland. Miss Higgins is one of Wheeler County’s most popular and beautiful girls, and Mr. Ransom is to be congratulated upon winning her.

When W.S. Lord’s house was burned down last week at Spray the old gentleman, who lives alone, was awakened by the barking of his dog in time to escape being burned to death. Mr. Lord was so grateful that he came to the county seat and bought the dog a license and a collar.

The ball game at the fairgrounds between the Condon and Mayville grade schools was won by Condon. But the Mayville boys are good losers – and good sports, too. They were not discouraged in the least and promise to come back some day and wipe up the diamond with the Condon team – figuratively if not actually.

If you don’t want your children to learn to swear, don’t invest in a second hand automobile.

Here’s hoping we don’t get into another war in Europe until the fish quit biting and the baseball season is over.

While R.C. Adams was making posts in front of his door on Service Creek, a coyote came walking down the highway. “I went into the house and got the gun,” said Mr. Adams, “and killed it just in front of the door with the chickens and turkeys watching.” Mr. Adams said, “This was the boldest coyote I ever saw, with the exception of one I killed in Owyhee country in the fall of 1902, by moonlight, while I was lying on the ground by a sheep camp. And my partner told me that the coyote woke him up by licking him on the face.”

Fire Chief Leo Shelley and a crew of firemen of Condon got out of bed at 3 o’clock in the morning to rush through the cold with a fire engine costing several thousand dollars to the relief of Fossil when it was burning up. No one who knows Leo Shelley doubts for a minute that he would have risked his life fighting the fire if need be. What more can a man do for his friend?

While on his way to Fossil this week to bring back Mr. and Mrs. Tam Jackson, Roy Carnine’s automobile was overturned when he tried to avoid running over a dog. The accident happened about a mile this side of Fossil. Fortunately Mr. Carnine was not injured, and walked into Fossil. The upset car belonged to Orvin Tierney. It is reported that the dog was fine.

Jimmy Campbell jumped out of his boots when a blast shook his pastime from roof to foundation. The blasting is being done on a hole for a gas tank for Ernie Fatland, who intends to sell some juice to auto drivers.

No wonder Don Wilson made a touchdown or two last Saturday. His mother, Mrs. Mollie Wilson and her sister, Mrs. Earl Smith, ran down the sidelines with him, and he had to outrun them.

From 1906 and 1908 —

Mrs. Frank Moore is down at Carson hot springs and Frank and the boys are batching it. What a condition her house will be in when she gets home.

Ellis Purvine returned from a rabbit hunt in the northern end of the county. In company with a friend from Arlington he went to Heppner junction where the rabbits do congregate, and where Ellis says they killed 365 rabbits in 35 minutes or 35 rabbits in 365 minutes or else they shot 365 times in a short time, and killed some rabbits, or more. We may be a little mixed on the story, but from the way the story was told to us, the hunters surely “mixed it” with the rabbits.

We won’t attempt a garden this year as that same old cow that ate up our cabbage last fall has wintered well, and is ready for action when the time comes. A gate is no protection against her depredation as she can manipulate any latch with the tip of her horn.

J.F. Crane brought a nice box of Lambert cherries into the Times office from his Mayville ranch. John was seeing his wife off on a visit to his folks in Portland where she is going to have a fine time while John stays on the ranch to put up the hay, and wash the dishes. Such is life in the far west.

T.N. Bell, who gardens on the Brown ranch on Thirtymile, was in town with a load of cabbage. A portion of his cabbage crop was put out late last spring and at the regular harvest time the heads had not filled out enough, but so mild has been the winter in that sheltered section, the cabbage have continued to grow until in January they are making a fine crop. This is not California, but just the sagebrush land of eastern Oregon where some people yet try to tell you that nothing can be raised but jack rabbits and hades.

Barnum Bros. of Moro, Sherman County, have a pond on their ranch which they stocked with trout last fall; now the trout are so plenty and have grown so big that they eat one another. Drew Barnum caught one last week, and on opening it found five trout inside, not all scattered about, but one inside the other. The outside trout was about a foot long, and next ten inches, and so on down to the fifth which was about two inches and inside him was a little minnow. As we don’t wish to lie we can’t give his measurement.

Henry Mortimore was in town from his stock ranch on Rowe Creek. Mr. Mortimore now lives on the ranch that he took up some twenty years ago when all the country on the breaks of the John Day was without fences or habitation. He says the surveyors for the Electric Railroad have surveyed their line right below his house. He also says a water spout last summer laid bare quite a bed of coal on his ranch. No doubt the coal fields south of Fossil will some day be worked and make the owners of that vicinity rich.

It is the time of year when we may expect frost. See Jamieson and Marshall about your water pipes and have your bleeder fed, as it will save busted pipes later on.

On July 19th, 300 mounted soldiers, comprising the Fourteenth Regiment of the U.S. Army who have been stationed at Walla Walla the past two years, arrived in the city of Olex and made it theirs overnight. Their camp was established near the banks of Rock Creek. The 300 tents were erected, and the 350 army horses and mules attracted a great deal of attention.

An Arlington young man brought his girl home from prayer meeting. They were leaning over the gate when she said, “You must not imagine that I would consent to being your wife simply because I have let you kiss me.” He replied, “Of course not, but I wish you’d tell me something. Are you letting me kiss you because you like it, or merely because you want the practice?”

Mr. and Mrs. Andy Greiner of Mayville left on Monday’s train for Portland. Andy says business probably the reason. He plans to purchase a home in the Rose City. We don’t know, just as guess.

J.A. McMorris has bought E.G. Merrifield’s photographer’s business and will in future take pictures of Condon folks, homely or handsome as the case may be.

The saloons were closed on Friday night and will remain so for two years, until the people get another opportunity to vote wet or dry. To the credit of Condon be it said, there were no disgraceful scenes of revelry on the closing night and we don’t believe there was a drunken man to be seen anywhere.

J.G. Stevens never looked so handsome as when he appeared at the office door of the Condon Times with a sack of Baldwin apples on his back. J.G. may not wear a stiff collar but when the doctors make an autopsy on his fossil remains it will be found he has a heart of gold.

W.N. Putnam of Mayville returned home from Portland where he has been under the doctor’s care for some time. He is much improved in health and glad to be back in eastern Oregon, where there is no mud and the sun shines all winter.

Forgive us for mentioning it, but Evelyn Thaw wants a divorce from Harry and we really don’t blame the lady.

We want to tell a little joke on ourselves. We mentioned in a former issue that Andrew Neal was preparing, like other sheep men, to lamb his band of sheep. We learned today that Andrew’s band consists of 1600 wethers, so that we are afraid his percentage of lambs will be small.

A rail car loaded with flour broke loose on the Columbia Southern last week, and whizzed out of Moro and passed DeMoss Station going 100 miles an hour. Before she reached the freight which was going in the same direction, the runaway flew the track scattering flour in all directions.

Sandy Campbell was in town from his ranch and he says the coyotes have robbed him of mostly all his young pigs. Catching one in the act of carrying off one of his squealers, he ran in for his gun, shot at the coyote and got the old sow. Bully shot, Sandy, with a little more practice you won’t leave a hog on the ranch.

Frank Kargl left Condon for The Dalles on Tuesday. His wife went down on Monday and Frank got lonesome and decided to go, too.

We have seen the first salamander our eye ever beheld in Sherman County. It appeared to us on First Street and seemed to be in perfect enjoyment of the plutonic rays of celestial Sol. We called deputy sheriff McKean to identify the batrachian reptile, with its cape and cap and grin of glory and left it to proceed on its way toward the desert sands.

W.R. Johnson sold his property in Heppner as he says Heppner is too small a town for him, and he is going to stay and grow up with Lone Rock.