Shelly Ingram’s story (EO 6-8-03) about the Heppner Flood of 1903 reminded me that there was another, later flood through Heppner. Was it in the 1930s? I remember going with my father, John Crow, to help people clean up their homes.

Recently, I came upon information about the town site of Heppner, originally known as Stanbury’s Flat. It was named for George W. Stanbury, who in 1869 purchased a claim from a man named Estes. Stanbury built a rude log cabin on the claim and later the residence of T.W. Ayers occupied the site.

But for two or three years the Stanbury cabin was the only building of a white man for many miles. In 1872, Hon. J.L. Morrow, a merchant from La Grande, established a mercantile store on Willow Creek. As soon as the structure was roofed, people in the surrounding country thought the time had arrived for a rousing celebration and a dance was held with music by two pioneers, Lou Trainer and John Crawford.

The first school was built in 1873 with subscriptions obtained by a Mr. Heppner, for whom the town was named. The county was named for J.L. Morrow who, with the aid of Congressman Slater, succeeded in arranging postal service between Pendleton, The Dalles, and Heppner.

Most of my information was obtained from the Democratic State Journal, “Notes from an 1883-84 Journal,” compiled by Mrs. Frances Burdett of Dayton, Wash., when the region was known as Washington Territory. Val Toronto recently told me that much of Oregon, Idaho, and Washington was originally named Crook for General George Crook. The account of Cook’s experience as a well-known Indian fighter in the West is told by Capt. John Bourke in “On the Border with Crook.”

The story about 1903 by Shelly Ingram was most interesting. The next time I am in Heppner, I will visit the Morrow County Museum and verify these facts, especially about a later flood there.

Dorys Crow Grover

Pendleton