Days of Yore for May 30, 2024
10 years ago-
Gary Purpura and Linda were in town for their annual Memorial Day visit from Portland. As tradition would have it, they were guests at Hotel Condon and he ran in the Eastern Oregon Half-Marathon at Spray, as he has done for the past 40 years! He said something about "getting older" this year.
David Esterquest of Hebron, Connecticut spent several days in the Condon area visiting with the Colgan families. He was able to attend the Spray Rodeo where he witnessed his grandson, Eddie Colgan, in the ranch bronc riding event. Eddie will leave after graduation from CHS to work on a cattle ranch at Westfall in far eastern Oregon.
25 years ago-
Rural resident Duane Potter bagged a 100-pound cougar in his shop southwest of Condon. Potter said he went outside about midday Thursday to see what his dogs were barking at. He found the cat under a truck in the shop so went back to get a gun, and trying not to hit the truck or anything else in the shop, he shot but only wounded the cougar. The cat made a wild run up a wall and around the shop. Potter shot once more, hitting the cougar but not killing it. Out of shells, he called Dave Anderson in Condon for assistance and the animal was finally subdued. The male cat measured six and a half feet long.
The Fossil Little League coach/manager, Jim MacComber, wants to thank all those wonderful folks who came out to prepare the Fossil playing field. Bryce and Peg Logan, Jerry Osborn, Jon and Shelly Hankins and Darlene Hopper transformed a weed-riddled pasture into the perfect little league playing field. If they build it we will come.
50 years ago-
School board members and faculty, both past and present, of Condon School District No. 25 were present at the Condon Elks Lodge to honor Mrs. Charles (Janie) Palmer at a retirement dinner. For the past 30 years, Mrs. Palmer has served as Deputy Clerk of the school district. Ferman Warnock, Superintendent of Schools, was the master of ceremonies.
Dave Lacey had the good fortune of picking up the 4, 7-6, 10 split at Rattlesnake Lanes during league bowling and became the first bowler to have picked up this difficult split at the Condon lanes, which entitled him to the $15 being offered by the lanes.
Creative projects are increasingly popular now, with people concerned about the cost and availability of gasoline. Interest in crewel embroidery and needlepoint has indicated there are those who would like to learn. Mrs. Bob Main and Mrs. Bill Steiwer, Jr. will conduct an evening learning session, with no gasoline required!
75 years ago-
Ending 21 years in the farm supply business, M.W. Rinehart sold his store on Main Street to Ernest Lear. The business, which was founded around 1918 by Mr. Lear's grandfather B.F. Lear, and later operated by his uncle, Bert, was originally wood and coal. Since purchasing the store in 1928, Mr. Rinehart has added farm machinery, oil products and feeds.
Postmaster W.L. Hollen was notified that Sunday mail service between Condon and John Day-Canyon City was discontinued as of May 1. Mayville, Fossil, Service Creek, Spray, Kimberly, Monument and Dayville communities will no longer receive Sunday mail. The John Day-Canyon City communities are being more favorably treated to a new 7-days-a-week mail service which goes cross country via Long Creek to Pendleton, where better railway connections are made.
Upon returning to Portland from their Condon visit, Mr. and Mrs. Pem Brown were called to Seattle by the salmon packing company for which they work each summer. Elizabeth is working in the office while Pem boarded a boat to work in the Alaska waters.
100 years ago-
Some public school pupil will tomorrow win a camera – for bringing the largest number of tablet backs to the Glen C. Graves Drug Store, the backs being taken from tablets bought during the school year at that store. The prize is a fine little Ansco Camera which is given away in accordance with an offer made at the beginning of the school year. Hurry along and see who gets the camera.
Fred Bennett, a sheep herder, worked a couple of days for the Sloan sheep company at Lonerock, blew into town Friday on his way back to Stanfield. While here he met a Portland mortgage loan man, to whom he related a tale of having purchased a ranch in the Lonerock area, on which the Portland man's loan company held a mortgage. After much talk and some investigation it was discovered that Bennett was a herder who had been in the Lonerock country but a couple of days, and whose financial resources would scarcely justify the purchase of the stock ranch. Saturday morning the "purchaser" had left town – and the sale was off.
Leonard Wingfield of Spray made a shipment of three cars of cattle from the local yards. Two cars were billed for Seattle and one for Portland, and it was all prime beef stuff.
From the Condon Times 1909-
The manager of the Heppner baseball team knows a good thing when he sees it and Kenneth Welshons, the famous Clem pitcher has been hired to pitch for Heppner for the season.
S.B. Barker has been and gone and done it. We are reliably informed he got tired of using his shanks and bought him a real live automobile. We have not heard what kind of machine he got but S.B. generally does things well and it is likely the machine is a hummer.
Alex Hardie has sold his ranch on Trail Fork to his brother Josh Hardie, consideration $14,500. Mr. Hardie does not know exactly what he will do but if he does decide to leave this part of the country we will lose a good citizen and an honorable man.
Reader Comments(0)