100 years ago

From the East Oregonian

Dec. 19, 1920

Support of the proposal that power be developed at Umatilla rapids on the Columbia, three miles above the town of Umatilla, for the purpose of pumping water for irrigation and for other purposes has struck home. Letters commending the move have been received from Sam Boardman, founder of the town of Boardman and a prominent worker for the John Day project, and from Representative Frank Sloan at Stanfield. Mr. Boardman has consulted with the president of the Umatilla Commercial Club and that official will shortly issue a call for a conference to be held which delegates from the west end towns of the county and Pendleton will attend. It is the view of various men who have studied the subject that the great revenue to be derived from the sale of power for other than irrigation needs makes the Umatilla rapids project the logical solution of the problem of how to irrigate the now arid tracts along the Columbia.

50 years ago

Dec. 19, 1970

“I’ve been on the team for years, but I never get to play” may well be the cry of one set of unsung heroines — the mothers of baseball, football, basketball, track, swimming, et al, enthusiasts, who seem to feel Mom was put on this earth for the prime purpose of preparing and serving meals at any hour of the day or night. Here’s the way the day goes. An eight-year-old breezes in and announces he has practice at 6 and has to eat right now. On goes the stew, burgers or whatever, and Mom checks one off her list. Now, only four more to go. The phone rings and number two son reports he’ll eat dinner when he gets home at 8 after the game. To spice up the routine, the breadwinner is probably from the old school which states specifically that “dinner in this house will be at 7.” Ladies, take heart, fight the good fight, do not despair.

Think ahead to the day when your “Small-Americans” become “All-Americans” and you can say in retrospect, “I always knew I was raising a champion.” One time he even remembered to say “Thanks, Mom.”

25 years ago

Dec. 19, 1995

Hamley’s and Co. Saddlery, Pendleton’s premiere western goods shop, is changing management. All of the store’s saddles, boots, hats and artwork will be liquidated in the next month and a half. The Hamley’s name will remain. But Margaret and Loren Wood won’t. They’re scouting out a new place to move what inventory remains because they say they are unable to afford a steep increase in rent. It all began in 1981 when a Portland businessman purchased the Hamley’s building, the business name and assets from Dave Hamley — the last in a line of family owners that stretched back to the 1880s. In 1988 the Woods took over the store’s management and stocked it with their own inventory. Changing ownership and Oregon foreclosure laws prevented them from purchasing the building earlier this year. Hamley’s saddle maker Dusty Harvey feels the Woods got a raw deal and says he plans on taking his tooling talent somewhere else.