100 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

March 6, 1921

When President Wilson just before retiring from office yesterday affixed his signature to the Sundry civil bill he put the finishing touch on a bit of legislation that means a large construction enterprise five miles from Pendleton and an increased water supply for the west end of the county. The McKay reservoir will be located on McKay creek a quarter of a mile above the house on the Jones place. The reservoir will cover 2000 acres of land above the damsite and will reach a distance of two and a half miles up stream. In the purchase of this land there will be 12 owners to deal with and the appraised price of the land to be purchased is over $100,000. The Holmes place on McKay will be right in the middle of the reservoir. The original estimate on the cost of the dam and reservoir is $2,000,000.

50 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

March 6, 1971

The combination of wind and loose paper is posing a major litter problem for several in the North Hill section between Hermiston and McNary Dam. Paper and paper cartons are blowing out of the landfill, operated by Hermiston Sanitary Service, which is owned and operated by Forrest Sullivan of Hermiston. Residents complain the paper is littering their yards and adjacent property and businesses say the litter is costing them money and is a general nuisance. The landfill is in a big ravine in the Hermiston buttes and is surrounded on three sides by high bluffs. From all appearances it would seem to be a natural site for a landfill. But a draft is created and the paper and cartons fly out over the east bluff. Property owner Warren “Tex” Ross complains that he picks up the Sullivan litter and then pays Sullivan to haul it back to the landfill.

25 Years Ago

From the East Oregonian

March 6, 1996

They come from the big and small of Oregon. From the high and low. From the wet and dry. Why? Basketball. The 2A state basketball tournament at the Pendleton Convention Center draws players and fans from all regions of Oregon. The largest city is represented by Portland Adventist, and teams from Salem and Corvallis are also in town. But there are plenty of teams from rural Oregon. Bonanza (population 350) is the smallest. Some come from the high elevations of Southern Oregon, then there’s the Willamette Valley town of Amity, elevation 161 feet. Teams from the west side live with about 150 days of rain every year, while arid Nyssa gets less than 50. A city’s name can offer some interesting insight into the origin and character of a town. Bonanza is the Spanish word for prosperity and was applied to the good water in the area. Athena, whose Weston-McEwen athletes are the “home-town” team in this year’s tourney, is the name of the Greek goddess of war, female arts and agriculture. Maybe Pendleton should adopt the name of the Greek god of basketball for the second week of March each year.