This ad in the Oct. 21, 1948, edition of the East Oregonian touts a half dozen bottles of Pepsi-Cola cost 30 cents — just five cents a bottle.

100 years ago

Letters from Pendleton people to cowboys who are members of the Fraternal Order of Cow Punchers are asked for in a letter received today by Henry W. Collins, president of the Round-Up from Charles Chenoweth, supreme protective cowboy of the order.

The letter, in part, says: “These boys, fearless hunters of the mountain and desert; wild riders of the plains, who spend many lonely hours on the range, wish to get in touch with honorable girls, women, men and boys of your community, who would be interested in outdoor life, for an exchange or correspondence to lighten life along the long, long trial.

The Order of Cow Punchers, which Mr. Chenoweth says is the largest of its kind in the world, has for its aims the practice of brotherly preservation, benignity of manners and broadness of character. The letter was written from the Cowboys’ Home. 713 Union Street, Seattle, Washington.

75 years ago

Oregon’s six state institutions of higher learning have 17,259 students crowding the classrooms and the chancellor sees little chance of a decline in the future.

The number of war veterans in the college dropped 1095 from last year, Chancellor Paul C. Packer reported today, but total enrollment is off only 114.

“We need no clear indication than this that the numbers which have overcrowded our institutions of higher learning for the past three years will continue well into the future,” Packer said. “It is obvious that Oregon’s swollen population and the increasing numbers of high school students who continue into university and college work are taking up the slack as the veterans complete their education.”

In last year’s record-breaking total of 17,373 students there were 9347 veterans. This year there are only 8252, a decrease of 11.8 per cent. The total enrollment drop is .7 of one per cent, however.

25 years ago

The delay of tone-alert radios is a major concern to the public, judging by questions asked at a public forum held in Umatilla Tuesday night.

Sponsored by the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, the forum allowed area residents to learn about the nearby Umatilla Chemical Depot and voice concerns.

While many people said they were pleased with CSEPP’s attempts to educate the public on how to prepare for a chemical emergency, they said they were getting impatient for the radios, which will warn residents if a chemical release from the depot or other emergency ever occurs. The plan is to put a tone-alert radio in each home near the depot during the next two years.

But the arrival of the radios is uncertain now because one manufacturer is challenging another manufacturer’s winning bid. The county commissioners last week denied an appeal of the bid, though the issue could end up in court.