100 Years Ago

Aug. 5, 1921

The biggest moonshine outfit yet taken in Umatilla county was captured by Deputy Sheriff Ridgway about 10 o’clock this morning, when he arrested Roy Sams presiding over two mammoth stills. The double outfit was housed in a dugout under the southwest corner of the barn on the Sams ranch on Dry Creek. Sams evidently thought he had so carefully concealed his plant that the officers would never find him. The dugout was entered by means of a trap door in the manger. This had been camouflaged but not enough to deceive the practiced eyes of the deputy sheriff. When the lid was raised Sams was discovered carefully watching the two big stills in full operation. Sixteen barrels containing 800 gallons of mash were taken in addition to the two stills.

50 Years Ago

Aug. 5, 1971

For about two hours Wednesday night Echo’s police chief for a year, Dennis Rockwell, was assailed by a trio of townspeople for police department actions which affected the three. One of the three who criticized the 24-year-old chief at the regular monthly meeting of the city council said: “You guys are just getting too lawful. We don’t want to change Echo into a 21st century metropolis.” “He can’t do this to me,” exclaimed a young working mother about a speeding ticket she received. The father of an 18-year-old youth who was lodged in jail overnight on a charge of minor in possession of liquor suggested to the council that Chief Rockwell be asked to change his ways or resign. Councilman Bill Penney declared, after listening to the complaints: “Two years ago everybody was bitching because they said our police officer was not doing his duty. Now we have an officer doing his duty and the people are bitching.”

25 Years Ago

Aug. 5, 1996

A fire that started Thursday in a wheat field north of Pendleton ended up scorching more than 20,000 acres of farmland and sagebrush along the Oregon-Washington border. The blaze started Thursday afternoon in Juniper Canyon, about 20 miles north of Pendleton and just a few miles south of the Washington border. It quickly spread toward the Touchet, Wash., area, consuming grass, sagebrush, wheat and wheat stubble. Ten homes were evacuated Thursday night but no injuries or burned structures were reported. The fire rekindled late Friday in the Vansycle Canyon area north of Pendleton and was extinguished by farmers and members of the Helix Rural Fire Department Friday night. It restarted briefly again Saturday but caused few problems.