100 Years Ago

Aug. 14, 1921

Who killed Matt Jepson? While a crime wave is breaking all over the country, developments in the case of the aged recluse who lived on the mountain south of Milton, whose body was found Saturday in an open well, leads the authorities to believe that as black a mystery as has ever been recorded in the annals of Umatilla county surrounds the death of Jepson. An axe which bears unmistakable evidence of having been used to inflict the wounds that the authorities believe caused Jepson’s death, the arrangement of a pair of shoes near the open well to make suicide appear plausible, and other clews which have been gathered but which are withheld by the officers are some of the things that lead to the belief that Jepson was murdered.

50 Years Ago

Aug. 14, 1971

Oregon’s dairy industry may be headed for a big turn-around and the Hermiston area and Columbia River water may be the key. Instead of hauling alfalfa and other feeds to the dairy farmers in Western Oregon, the dairy farms may move into the Hermiston area with the possibility of a “Dairy Row” being established in the Juniper Farms area northeast of Hermiston. Sun Best Farms is located in the area. Land developer Ervin Edmonds, Pasco, Wash., said Saturday that “at least ten” dairyman have been here looking at the proposal “and they are anxious to come here.” The dairy complex idea, according to Edmonds, is for the “small” dairymen who have up to 200 cows.

25 Years Ago

Aug. 14, 1996

Former Rep. Bob Smith said today he would seek the Republican nomination for his old seat in Congress. Smith, who retired two years ago after six terms in the House, will bid to replace disgraced U.S. Rep. Wes Cooley. Smith said he wanted to keep the seat in GOP hands. The 2nd District, covering the vast, mostly rural reaches of Eastern and southern Oregon, has been represented by Democrats only twice since its formation in 1892.