100 Years Ago

Sept. 14, 1921

There’ll be no real gambling at Happy Canyon. Though the show will have more thrills than ever and some especially good stunts as well as a much larger dancing space there will be no wheel of fortune offering really valuable merchandise to those who try their luck. A suggestion that merchandise, including Indian robes, be given was overwhelmingly rejected by the board. It was held it would be a mistake to allow anything smacking of real gambling, even should the law permit. To this end there will be many more policemen than in the past and firm steps will be taken to check anything that borders on objectional conduct.

50 Years Ago

Sept. 14, 1971

First you draw a plan, then you make a model. You get some service clubs interested, and eventually your project gets under way. This is the way a new “greenway” is to come about in Milton-Freewater. A new fire station is being built to replace the old Freewater station, and Mayor Barney Pilger said the city will improve the grounds between the Community Building and the fire station. The big lot is already seeded to grass and shaded by trees. On a tour of the site, the mayor related a bit of colorful history. He pointed to a covered water pipe behind the new fire hall. “This was a well and they had a terrible time getting all the concrete dug out when they were starting construction here. This property was once privately owned, and the well was the water supply for the house on the lot. The owner killed his wife and dumped her into the well, then poured concrete into it.”

25 Years Ago

Sept. 14, 1996

Once, it was a necessity; catch a wild horse, throw a saddle on it and put the bravest, or most foolhardy, on top of the 1,000-pound animal to ride it into submission. Later, it turned into a game among the cowboys. Today, the wild horse race is a popular event at the Round-Up and is growing into a full-fledged sport in its own right. Vern Garrett has been participating about 27 years and he’s seen a lot of cowboys hurt over the years. He credits the “cleaning up” of the sport for part of its popularity. “The cowboys don’t go out there drinking and the horses don’t win as often.”