100 years ago — 1922

The sport of skiing is a part of the fun and amusement of Umatilla county people. Of course, to take steep hills on the skis has been practiced for more years than one, but the sport has achieved a popularity this winter which indicates that it has a hold which never can be forgotten. About 30 people enjoyed the sport at Kamela yesterday. There were young people from Pendleton, Adams and La Grande, besides people of Kamela who spent the greater part of the day in skiing and coasting down the rugged sides of old Mount Baldy. The coastway is about three-quarters of a mile long, local sportsmen report. A toboggan was also used, eight persons constituting a load.

50 years ago — 1972

Farmers, rejoice! Though 1971 was near normal in every other way, it did bring above average precipitation, especially in the snowpack in the Blue Mountains for this early in the season. All signs point to an abundant water supply next summer. McKay reservoir contains 43,700 acre feet of water, double the 22,070 of last year. Battle Mountain has a current snow depth of 25.6 inches; water content is 6.7. A year ago Battle Mountain, at 4,340 feet, had 10.4 inches of snow with a water content of 1.7. Emigrant Springs, at an elevation of 3,925 feet, has 42 inches of snow with a water content of 10.5. This compares with 10.2 inches of snow and water content of 2.5 last year.

25 years ago — 1997

The top 10 local stories of 1996: 1) Gordon Smith edges Tom Bruggere to earn a seat in the U.S. Sentate. 2) Umatilla will be home to a state prison, bringing 500 jobs. 3) State tentatively approves permits for construction of an incinerator at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. 4) Voters approve a $13-million bond measure for a new county jail that will hold three times as many inmates. 5) Murder, past and present: A 1992 murder is solved when a tip leads to the body and an eventual guilty plea by the victim’s husband, LuRay Batterton. Ernest Taber of Pendleton is charged in the murder of a 6-year-old Umatilla boy. 6) Pendleton opens its new City Hall/Library in the remodeled Helen McCune building. 7) February flooding ravages parts of Umatilla County. 8) Deputy John Trumbo defeats Sheriff Gordon Campbell in a contentious November election. 9) Hermiston volunteers build a 13,000-square-foot playground in five days. 10) Wal-Mart — a store in Pendleton and plans to begin construction of a regional distribution center at Hermiston next spring.