100 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Dec. 8, 1920

The present squeeze in the grain market is due to the fact that no wheat is moving into the primary markets, according to W. L. Thompson, president of the American National Bank, who while in town to look after interests here told the East Oregonian: “The policy of buying from hand to mouth, for filling only immediate needs, has to a large extent taken out of the wheat market all the larger mills of the country.” Mr. Thompson said farmers can help themselves and the grain business in general by taking up the “Buy a Barrel of Flour” movement. With the movement county, state and nation-wide, mills would soon be obliged to get into the wheat market for supplies and thus would encourage the farmers to sell at a profitable price. The farm bureau on Saturday urged all its members and all farmers in the county to get behind the movement by buying a barrel of flour for their own use. Households in Pendleton likewise are urged to lay in their supplies of flour at once. A barrel of flour constitutes but 196 pounds and the retail price at present is around the $10 mark.

50 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Dec. 8, 1970

You might think of cougar hunting as man’s work but don’t say so in front of Debbie Edwards. The Pendleton girl — she’s only 13 — bagged a cougar last week. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Edwards, Route 1. Debbie was one of the few lucky hunters in Oregon to draw a cougar tag this year. Saturday she, her father, and neighbor Jerry Mils loaded up their dogs and drove to the Big Canyon Creek country about 40 miles west from Enterprise on a scouting trip. They had planned to talk to ranchers and others and select an area to hunt in later. But they found fresh tracks across the road and turned the dogs loose. The dogs treed a female weighing 85 pounds and Debbie killed the big cat with shots from an M-1 carbine. This is Debbie’s first year of hunting. No, she didn’t get a buck. But with a cougar rug on the floor, could she ask for more?

25 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Dec. 8, 1995

Last week’s flooding may have caused more than water damage to area homes. It also is suspected of contaminating the city’s drinking water with infectious bacteria. City officials recommended Thursday that the public boil water for drinking or cooking to lessen the threat of fecal coliform bacteria, which was discovered in the area’s water system a day earlier. That recommendation was lifted Friday morning after city officials announced that an extra dose of chlorine had killed existing bacteria. Within hours of the notification Thursday afternoon local grocery stores were packed with customers carting home cases of water. Bottled water in the gallon size was snapped up and quickly sold out at Albertson’s and Safeway once word began spreading about the contamination problem. Albertson’s grocery manager said the water was gone before the announcement “even hit the radio.” In the last 20 years, this type of contamination has happened three times, and each time it was due to flooding.