100 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Dec. 31, 1995

Auto license plates of 1920 will be as worthless as counterfeit money in the eyes of Traffic Officer William H. Lyday on and after tomorrow, except where drivers can show that they have filed with the secretary of state their application for the 1921 license. The new plates, green with white numerals, will be required for the coming year and all who have received theirs from Salem are urged by the officer to display them. Owing to the usual last minute rush at the secretary’s office, many who applied late will not have their plates so a receipt for the application will be accepted. Those who cannot show that they have even applied for the license are threatened with detention, as provided by the law.

50 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Dec. 31, 1995

Better roads — those two words sum up the highlight of D.R. Cook’s 16 years as Umatilla County judge, he said Wednesday. The county has more roads than any other county in Oregon. The total mileage, more than 3,000, keeps a road department of about 100 employees busy with maintenance and construction projects. Nearly all the county bridges on the Umatilla and Walla Walla rivers have been replaced or improved during his 16 years. Hundreds of miles have been paved; hundred more based and graveled. Cook was honored Wednesday by scores of fellow county employees at a reception in the courthouse. Today is Cook’s last day in office.

25 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

Dec. 31, 1995

The plans for an RV park and golf course on the Umatilla Indian Reservation are closer to becoming a reality. Tribal officials signed loan documents Dec. 15 in New Mexico that will provide $6.5 million earmarked for construction of an 18-hole championship course, a 100-space RV park and a convenience store/gas station. The tribes hope to have Winnebagoes and Streamliners pulling into their spaces by mid-summer and greens primed for tee off by the summer of 1997. The ultimate plan is to have a self-contained, complete destination resort. The RV park and golf course are two projects in the tribes’ master plan for development of 640 acres, which also holds Wildhorse Gaming Resort and the future Wildhorse Hotel and Tamustalik Cultural Institute. “When gambling reaches its plateau,” said David Tovey, director of the tribes’ department of economic and community development, “the tribes will be prepared to take on the competition with a full range of recreational services and amenities.”