100 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Nov. 14, 1920

At the recent election in Salem, the people voted down a proposition for financial relief for the city government and in consequence nearly every branch of city affairs has been hit. It will be necessary to cut down the police force, curtail on street cleaning, defer fire department changes and stop paving street intersections. Pendleton people took the opposite course by approving three measures by overwhelming majorities, thus clearing the way for improved conditions here. Moral — If you wish to live in a first class town that believes in its future, step this way. We are crowded but we can always make room for more.

50 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Nov. 14, 1970

“The freeway is coming! The freeway is coming!” The cry was reminiscent of Chicken Little’s warning shouts. In the name of progress, and like it or not, Interstate 80-N pushed its way to Pendleton, side-stepped the town, and continued on its way to link with other non-stop routes across the nation. Many thoughts were summed up by one who remembers saying, “The town is going to dry up. All those cars will go right on by.” Salvation? “Don’t worry,” the Gods of the Great Road said. Included in the $9 million bypass were four exits for those travelers who wanted to stop in town. This wasn’t much consolation for Pendleton merchants who, until a year ago, enjoyed captive tourists with no choice but to drive through the main streets of town and into the waiting business district. But B-Day (By-pass Day) is long gone and Pendleton is still on the map. The 1970 Round-Up set new attendance records and more tourists visited the Pendleton Woolen Mills than ever before. Bill Hubel, owner of the Longhorn Motel, has enjoyed an increase in business every month since the completion of the by-pass. “As roads get better, more people travel,” he says. “And they’ve got to stop somewhere.”

25 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Nov. 14, 1995

“Jackson Sundown,” a documentary video about the legendary Indian cowboy who won the Round-Up saddle bronc riding title in 1916, debuted Saturday on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The documentary, which features historical video clips, still photographs and old East Oregonian clippings of Round-Ups past, is the emotionally charged work of Cedric Bill and Tania van den Houten, both of Pendleton. In 1916, at the age of 50, Sundown won the Round-Up title. Two Indian men interviewed in the documentary — Phil Lane, a Sioux who grew up in the Dakotas, and Silas Whitman, a Nez Perce — talked about Sundown as a hero. Both saw the film for the first time Saturday and were impressed. Lane said Sundown represented Native Americans, no matter what tribe or band they were from, and the documentary showed the strength of Sundown. “Things like this (documentary) are going to heal the wounds,” he said.