25 years ago this week — 1999

Archaeologist Ken Karmizki delighted a crowd with his discoveries Thursday night at the largest gathering ever of the Eastern Oregon Forum.

Eighty-five people feasted on Karsmizki’s stories and a salmon dinner at Tamastslikt Cultural Center. The Eastern Oregon Forum is sponsored by the East Oregonian and Blue Mountain Community College.

Karsmizki, associate curator of Historical Archeology and History at the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University in Bozeman, has devoted more than a decade to searching for the exact camp sites of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

It was a historian who led Karsmizki to his greatest discovery – his passionate interest in Lewis and Clark. While listening to a historian’s presentation in 1987, Karsmizki made the comment that an archeologist like himself could likely pinpoint the exact Lewis and Clark camp sites.

Challenged to “put your money where your mouth is,” Karsmizki began his quest.

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Claiming he was “not an expert” on the subject, Sen. Dave Nelson nevertheless gamely welcomed nearly 300 women to a Saturday seminar on menopause sponsored by the Oregon Commission for Women.

Nelson said he had been the brunt of legislative jokes all week after word got out that he was addressing the group.

“I heard a lot of hot-flash jokes, stuff like that,” Nelson said, adding that he couldn’t wait to get the last laugh at his cohorts.

“Never underestimate the power of women. You are voters,” Nelson remarked to a rousing round of laughter and applause.

“Oregon is a leader in providing health initiatives” for its citizens, Nelson said, crediting the Oregon Health Plan.

Following Nelson to the podium was Dr. Arian Kargar from Pendleton Internal Medicine. Kargar addressed the issue of increased risk for heart disease that typically accompanies menopause. While most women worry about breast cancer, Kargar said heart disease is the number one killer of women.

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Union Pacific Railroad crews were cleaning up the aftermath of a Monday evening derailment in the middle of Pendleton this morning, as two railroad crossings remained closed.

By 8 a.m. today, most of the derailed cars still cluttered the tracks and the Southwest 13th Street crossing was blocked with the twisted wreckage of the piled-up ballast cars.

A Union Pacific crew was standing nearby, discussing the strategy for clearing the tracks.

Union Pacific spokesman Mike Furtnet said that there were no injuries reported in the derailment and no hazardous materials were involved.

He said the suspected cause was a broken track about 12 feet from the crossing.

“The derailment happened at 8:45 p.m. Monday,” Furtney said.

“An empty ballast train eastbound from Hinkle derailed two locomotives and 29 cars.” Furthday said it was fortunate the ballast cars were empty, “otherwise you would have had a mountain in downtown. So we lucked out in that respect.”

50 years ago this week — 1974

A 12-year-old boy was taken into temporary custody by Pendleton City Police Monday in connection with a series of arson-caused fires and attempts.

Pendleton Police Chief Ernest Gallaher said the investigation will be turned over to the Juvenile Department and the office of Umatilla County Dist. Atty. Jack Olsen. The boy was turned over to the juvenile department.

The investigation was conducted by Lt. Jim Mink of the Oregon State Police arson squad and Detective Argel Collinsworth, of the Pendleton City Police.

Gallaher said he had requested help about two weeks ago from the state police arson squad, through Lt. Tom Taylor, Oregon State Police, Pendleton.

Gallaher said Mink and Collinsworth have worked together on the case the last several days.

A rash of arson cases in the area near NW 9th Street on Pendleton’s North Hill, started Feb. 4 when the back of a house was set on fire at 708 NW 9th St.

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Twenty-five more cubic feet per second (cfs) hit lower McKay Creek today, as Jim Tucker, superintendent of McKay Dam began releasing 125 cfs of water from McKay Dam.

The reading this morning showed 64,500 acre feet in the reservoir. “We leave 6,000 acre feet as a cushion in case of flood,” Bob Brown, project superintendent for the Central Snake Projects for the Bureau of Reclamation, told the East Oregonian today.

“This year looks about the same as 1972,” Brown commented. He doesn’t “anticipate any problem with flooding this year, unless we’d get a very bad snowstorm followed by a rain. The 6,000 acre feet of storage will take care of any recorded high.”

Lower McKay Creek could take a flow “as high at 800 cfs,” Brown feels, before encountering any danger of flooding.

The Bureau of Reclamation works, “very closely with the Corps of Army Engineers,” Brown said. Both groups take a long look at the weather conditions daily. “We released an extra 25 cfs today,” he commented, “because rain is on its way to your area,” and “we’re getting better at forecasting flood possibilities.”

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Grecian Heights developer Steve Monogios, Pendleton, used a bulldozer Friday to knock down a Pacific Power and Light Co. transformer pole in his subdivision. “I just gave up” waiting for PP&L to act, Monogios said. “It had to be done.”

PP&L crews cut the power in the 12,000-volt line only minutes before Monogios melted the pole’s guy wire with a cutting torch and then toppled the pole into Grecian Heights main street.

The $350 transformer shattered, spilling its load of oil, and the power lines flopped into the street of the new subdivision that sits on a ridge overlooking Tutuilla Creek in southwest Pendleton.

The issue, Monogios said, was whether he should pay PP&L to remove the pole. He said no. PP&L and the state Public Utilities Commissioner said yes.

Monogios said his original agreement with PP&L to provide underground power service to the big subdivision contained nothing that he would have to pay for removal of the power pole. It was the only power pole in Grecian Heights, and served only one home, that of Vena Burd.

Monogios said PP&L’s Portland headquarters and the PUC “are playing football with me.” Monogamous praised the cooperation he has received from the Pendleton office of PP&L.

100 years ago this week — 1924

The Pendleton rotary club is going to have a baseball team and the Exchange club will be challenged for a game at the Round-Up park for the benefit of the Boy Scouts. Action to this effect was taken by the Rotarians today. Philo Rounds is made manager of the Rotary team and he is said to have several very desirable candidates for short stop and the team will be built “around” them or through them as the case may require.

The Rotarians also voted today to send a wire to the Pilot Rock basketball team encouraging them in the battle they are to stage with Independence tomorrow.

Jock Coleman, ever popular Scotch singer and entertainer, was the chief attraction at the club today. He first sang his own composition “Smile, Smile, Smile All the While” and several encores concluding with Harry Lauder’s famous song “Something in the Bottle for the Morning.”

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Dr. J. O. Kenyon, for the past five years a practicing dentist in Milton, today made a complete confession of the arson of Dr. A. D. Woodmansee, Milton dentist, on November 8, and January 31 in 1923. His confession was made H. H. Pomeroy, state fire marshal, William J. Foster, deputy, Earl M. McInroe and Earl J. Brice, Walla Walla detectives. Dr. Kenyon was brought to Pendleton District Attorney Roscow Keator and will go before the grand jury which is now in session.

Both attempts of Dr. Kenyon to burn the office were unsuccessful. Following the second attempt, Dr. Woodmansee received a letter signed Andy Gump and advising Woodmansee to leave Milton. Mrs. Kenyon is said to have dropped hints to Dr. Woodmansee’s office left at the Kenyon home after the second attempt to burn the office and Kenyon was seen to enter his home just as the fire bell rang.

The sentence for arson is for from one to ten years. Kenyon, besides a wife, has two little sons. He was formerly a dentist in Condon. His wife is a Walla Walla girl and was formerly Miss Alice Roe.

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The ultimate fate of the McNary-Haugen bill is still in the balance, with prospects that a stiff fight will have to be waged in the house of representatives to get the measure passed, according to telegrams received here today from Roy D. Ritner and S. R. Thompson.

Southern democrats and eastern republicans are fighting the bill in the house, according to Roy Ritner’s telegram to the East Oregonian. Both he and Tam Thompson express the belief that it will be passed in the senate. The defeat of the Norbeck-Burtness bill will help the McNary bill, according to Mr. Thompson’s belief.

Mr. Ritner’s telegram to this paper is as follows:

“McNary confident bill will pass senate with Lodge, Curtis, Waston and Borah favorable. Many senators voted against Norbeck hill who will support ours. House doubtful, with many southern democrats and eastern republicans adverse. House agricultural committee close and will not reported out yet.”