25 years ago this week — 1999

Whether or not a local improvement district is formed in Grecian Heights to bring streets, power lines, storm sewers and street lights up to city standards will be decided by the City Council.

The Pendleton Planning Commission voted Wednesday that an LID in Grecian Heights meets “land use compatibility” requirements.

Commissioner Vince Crawford was the lone dissenter, contending the recommendation isn’t “proper” since some areas of the subdivision just west of SUnridge Middle School have already been developed to city standards.

The debate over the LID has split the homeowner’s association in Grecian Heights into two camps. Those whose homes were the first built in the area are primary proponents of improvements tpVita and Zeta Courts and portions of Athens Avenue. Phase II and III homeowners, some of whom are still building their homes, are generally opposed to the LID, maintaining they have already paid to have their streets and sewer lines upgraded to city standards.

Wednesday’s vote came after two hours of discussion, but the 105 lot owners in Grecian Heights have been debating the issue for months. Three times they’ve narrowly voted against an LID; a two-thirds majority is required by the association’s by-laws.

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They affectionately refer to their trek as “love, sweat and gears,” but the 13-member group of cyclists that passed through Pendleton this week on their way to Washington, D.C., are also peddling awareness of both local and international issues.

Sanctioned by Youth Action for Global Justice, a San Francisco-based organization, the official name for the 3,600-mile venture is Bike-Aid ‘99.

Three groups comprised of cyclists from around the globe left Seattle, Portland and San Francisco on June 20 on the coast-to-coast journey. They will meet with grassroots organizations to learn what efforts people across the country are making in order to better their own lives.

“Our mission is to inspire young people, and everyone, to take action on global issues and those at home,” said Lindsay Waldrop. “Instead of globalization, where governments and multi-national businesses make the decisions within countries, we want to encourage countries to go to the grassroots to solve problems.”

The cyclists will examine issues of local self-reliance by meeting with environmentalists, organic farmers, urban social activists and ordinary citizens, according to Laura McNeill, a spokeswoman for the sponsoring organization.

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The recent burning of two Main Street buildings have left many community members pondering what should be done to protect the city’s downtown history and identity.

“Downtown Pendleton has character. There’s something there worth preserving,” said Dick Hopper, fire chief.

Bob Hawes, president of the Umatilla County Historical Society, believes downtown has value for every citizen.

“To me, downtown is the heart of a community,” Hawes said.

The destruction of two local businesses might center the community, suggested Cheryl Humphrey, director of Pendleton’s Chamber of Commerce.

“How many times in life do we fail to appreciate what we have right in front of us? This might re-open our eyes to something that is very precious to us,” Humphrey said.

As fire chief, Hopper has a professional interest in the city’s historical buildings, but his concern spans beyond his professional obligations.

“Pendleton has a tremendous downtown area. If the downtown were gone, it would be an undefinable loss to our community. Those buildings need to be protected, not just from a fire safety standpoint, but they should be saved for historical value,” he said.

50 years ago this week — 1974

Blame for the work stoppage on Highway 11 between Milton-Freewater and State Line was placed directly on Umatilla County public officials by Milton-Freewater Councilman Mel Lyon.

“We’ve witnessed in this whole mess a monument to the stupidity on the part of these officials,” Lyon said during Monday’s city council meeting.

“First of all, Peter Watson and the county planning commission thought they were more competent engineers than the State Highway Division.

“Then we have Raymond Bevans, a county commissioner. I believe Mr. Bevans has contributed more to create the problem than anyone else.”

Spencer and Son Construction Co., who holds the state highway contract to build a four-lane highway north of Milton-Freewater, pulled out of the job about two weeks ago when a Umatilla County circuit court judge issued an injunction against taking gravel more than four feet deep in the Walla Walla River.

The company asserted it could not continue construction unless it had free access to all the rock it needs from the river.

“Their rock crusher is now in front of a motel, waiting shipment out of the country,” Lyon said. “Nobody knows what will happen to the highway work.”

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The Yakima Firing Range in Washington is an ideal location for the Navy bombing practice range instead of Boardman, Rep. Mike McCormack, D-Wash., argued this week in the Tri-Cities.

The Eastern Washington congressman, a former Hanford, Wash., scientist, was in the Tri-Cities in connection with the dedication of the high temperature sodium facility at Hanford.

The congressman said he believes the Navy’s primary objection to using Yakima is the Navy’s unwillingness to cooperate with the Army.

Development of a thermal nuclear park at Boardman is threatened by the continued location of the Navy’s practice bombing range in Boardman. The Oregon Nuclear and Thermal Energy Council ruled last fall that the bombing range must relocate before ONTEC will recommend siting of any nuclear plants at the Carty Reservoir.

McCormack, like Washington’s Democratic Sens. Henry Jackson and Warren Magnuson, is opposing relocation of the range to privately-owned land in Douglas Country in the vicinity of Grand Coulee Dam.

The Navy has said the Yakima range terrain is not compatible with Navy bombing activities. McCormack is arguing that the large Yakima military reserve wouldn’t require taking agricultural lanf out of production as at the Grand Coulee proposed site, and he said the firing range isn’t too hilly.

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With 6,000 signatures collected and only a week to obtain 38,000 more, a Umatilla County group faces an 11th-hour effort to place an initiative on the November ballot that would stiffen Oregon’s laws against marijuana use.

“We thought we’d be through by now,” Susan Roylance, Hermiston, chairman of the Committee Against Liberal Drug Laws, said Wednesday. The group needs 44,000 signatures to guarantee the necessary 39,984 valid signatures.

The committee hopes to present the completed petitions to the secretary of state’s office next Friday.

“Quite frankly, it doesn’t look good at this point,” said Mrs. Roylance.

Mrs. Roylance started work on the initiative soon after the 1973 Oregon Legislature passed a law in October lessenting penalties for use and possession of amounts of marijuana less than one ounce. Maximum fine under the law is $100.

100 years ago this week — 1924

To organize a county-wide body that will include all fishers and hunters of the county is the ideal of a meeting of sportsmen from all the towns and communities in Umatilla county which is to be held here tomorrow evening. The meeting will be preceded by a banquet which is to be held at 7:30 o’clock at the French restaurant.

The Thursday evening meeting is the outgrowth of a suggestion made a week ago Monday night when members of the state game commission were entertained here. Frank Stellmarcher of Albany, Linn county, explained some of the results that have been secured by such an organization in Linn county, and he met with representatives of the various towns in the post banquet meeting when the advisability of forming such a body was considered.

Guy Matlock of Pendleton was elected temporary chairman of the committee with Fred Moes of Helix as secretary. The committee which contained representatives from Milton, Freewater, Pilot Rock, Helix and Pendleton, went on record as being enthusiastically in favor of the formation of such a body.

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The formal opening and dedication program which marks the beginning of business in Pendleton of the stores of the Western Auto Supply company will get under way this afternoon at 5 o’clock when the management of the store will be at home to the public. The dedication will be concluded between the hours of 8 and 9 o’clock by a program of speeches and the awarding of merchandise and prizes to visitors.

During the day the Bushnell orchestra, transported on a truck, has paraded the principal streets of the city. They will play in the store between the hours of 5 and 9 o’clock and during this period refreshments will be served .

Howard “Pat” Patience, field superintendent of the company in the Seattle district, will preside at the program tonight. Speeches of welcome on the part of Judge Fee, mayor of the city, and by H. E. Inlow, as a representative of the Pendleton Commercial Association, will be first on the regular program, beginning at 8 o’clock. The response to the speeches on the part of the company will be given by Willis Clark, manager of the store.

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A dedicatory memorial service will be held at three o’clock on the afternoon of July 4, in the old cemetery a mile and a half south of Weston at the grave of David T. Lenox, who rode at the head of the wagon train of 1843 with Dr. Marcus Whitman. Dr. S. B. L. Penrose, President of Whitman college will deliver the address, and a monument will be unveiled.

Lenox was born in 1801, and accompanied the historic party on its western movement, and is often mentioned as being the man who most often accompanied Marcus Whitman at the head of the column. He settled in Oregon, and died in the fall of 1873.

Two grandsons, W. P. Ford of Wharton, Texas, and M. F. White, of Portland, a former resident of Pendleton, have searched for the grave for the last 25 years.

It was finally discovered two months ago in the old cemetery, with the name just barely legible on the head board. The remains of this notable pioneer will now be honored with recognition.