100 years ago — 1922

“It’s just a little too early to say yet.” That was the reply given by Mrs. Jennie Evans of Freewater, one of the two women on the first mixed jury that ever served in Umatilla circuit court when she was asked how she likes to serve as a juror. The other woman on the first jury to be drawn for service during the April term of court is Mrs. Reta Bailey of Milton. There were only three women called.

50 years ago — 1972

Umatilla County cattlemen want the legislature to amend the state criminal code to provide them more protection from rustlers. Based on a recommendation by Jack Olsen, deputy Umatilla County district attorney, the Umatilla County Cattlemen’s Association has proposed an amendment that would “put some teeth back into the cattle theft and other livestock theft problems.” Robert Lazinka, Pilot Rock, association president, said the proposed change would make the theft of domestic livestock or poultry a felony regardless of the value of the livestock or poultry. Presently it is a felony only if the animal is valued at more than $200. Olsen says this fails to give adequate protection to the rancher at a time when it is needed most — when the newborn animal is at a minimum value and most vulnerable to theft. “Some of us remember when we used to hang rustlers. At this time there is no crime of rustling or larceny of livestock to be found in the Oregon laws, and as long as the offender takes a calf or other livestock that is worth less than $200, the maximum penalty is county jail time and a fine,” wrote Lazinka in a letter to C. M. Otley of Diamond, president of the OCA.

25 years ago — 1997

Two winters ago, housing was so tight on the reservation that some families were living in their cars. But life has changed for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. This summer, 59 American Indian families will move into two-story, four-bedroom houses that will rival those of any suburban subdivision. There will be vinyl siding, landscaped yards, dishwashers and carports. What a difference a few slot machines can make. Since opening the Wildhorse Gaming Resort in 1994, the Eastern Oregon tribes have posted profits of $5 million a year. The tribes are using their gaming profits to leverage grants and loans for housing, a golf course, a cultural center and other projects. Since 1992, the tribes’ budget has grown from $7 million to $27 million. “We are chiseling away at that poverty we had in the past,” says tribal chairman Don Sampson.