100 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

April 18, 1920

Seventy-five hours of work from 30 men and a Fordson tractor yesterday morning transformed Pendleton’s old pumping grounds from a young wilderness of pipes, grass and debris into a fairly acceptable place for an auto tourists’ camp ground. The toilers consisted of public-spirited citizens, councilmen and automobile dealers. The committees in charge plan to take loose brick in the old pump house and build two chimneys. Under each of these four cook stoves for campers are to be placed. The old barn on the site will be torn down and the lumber used to make a shelter for an eating place.

50 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

April 18, 1970

State Treasurer Robert Straub wouldn’t mind at all if delegates to the Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council convention slept late Sunday morning. Oregon Gov. Tom McCall, whose job Straub hopes to acquire in the general election this year, will address convention delegates in Pendleton at 11 a.m. Sunday. Straub, speaking Friday, told delegates that McCall should be pounding on the White House door to change the administration’s fiscal policy. He said much of the money “being wasted on the military establishment” should be placed in the economy to build houses. The state treasurer criticized McCall for the results of his visit to D.C. last fall to object to a construction cutback ordered by President Nixon. Straub reflected that McCall did not even get to visit Nixon and “Vice President Spiro Agnew changed the governor’s mind in just seven minutes.”

25 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

April 18, 1995

The East Oregonian newspaper has filed a motion in U.S. District Court seeking to quash two subpoenas served last week to EO Editor Bill Crampton and reporter Jason Hagey. Citing First Amendment protection afforded to the press, the paper contends that information requested by the attorney representing two fired Umatilla County employees in separate multi-million dollar lawsuits against the county is “privileged resource material.” Bob Small, former Umatilla County personnel director, was fired last June after his criminal record was reported in a May EO article. Kevin Lawson, former coordinator of the county Commission on Children and Families, has speculated that he was fired at least partly because he is gay.