100 Years Ago

July 20, 1921

Guard rails on all sharp curves and deep fills on state highways leading into Pendleton where there is danger of accidents to autoists will be put in place before Round-Up time with special attention being given to the Pendleton-Echo road. This assurance was given Pendleton yesterday by R.H. Baldock, division engineer of this section of the state, following a visit in inspection over the Pendleton-Echo road and the Oregon Trail road up over the mountain. Mr. Baldock arrived yesterday for his monthly tour of Umatilla County and Morrow County roads. There will be approximately seven miles of guard rails put in place along the highways where the demands of safety for the public demands the protection, according to the engineer.

50 Years Ago

July 20, 1971

A Japanese student launched a 12-foot rowboat at the Umatilla Marina Monday afternoon on the last leg of a 2,000-mile journey on the Oregon Trail from Missouri to the Willamette Valley. Walking most of the way, he has covered 20 to 25 miles a day. He left Kansas City, Mo., about May 1. Takashi Okada, 22, has walked two of Japan’s most famous trails, Tokaido and Oushu, and for his third walking trip he selected the Oregon Trail because of his avid interest in the part this trail played in the early history of the United States. In Hermiston Monday, he said hiking the trial is giving him an opportunity to see the beauty and vastness of the Western United States.

25 Years Ago

July 20, 1996

The possible sighting of a cougar near a residential area at the edge of town has at least one local woman concerned for the safety of her neighborhood. According to Kathy Hojem, several residents in the Grecian Heights and Rice Edition areas saw what they believed to be a cougar in a nearby field last weekend. Hojem said one neighbor claimed to have heard cougar screams the past few nights. The residents called the police, who in turn contacted the state Fish and Wildlife Department. Investigating officials concluded the sightings may have been of a large tomcat that was spotted in the area, but Hojem was skeptical.