100 years ago

Going over the John Day grade and the Bridge creek grade the members of the state highway commission yesterday had first hand experience with the difficulties and dangers of travel over the present road between Ukiah and the Grant county line. As they went down the steep grade to the north fork over a road where it is nearly impossible to pass another car of a team they learned why people are asking for the new grade down Camas creek.

Following their trip yesterday the members of the highway board did not commit themselves regarding the subject of state aid for the road. They suggested a joint meeting in Portland Monday with local people, the county court, the federal road officials and the highway commission. This meeting has been set for Monday evening and will be held at the Imperial hotel.

50 years ago

A potentially serious forest fire was jumped on quickly and heavily by the U.S. Forest Service Thursday night.

According to Haven Stanaway, fire control officer for the Umatilla National Forest, the fire was man-caused. The fire broke out in a freshly cut logging slash in the Wheeler area of the Heppner district of the forest.

It was contained about 1 a.m. today and was in the mop-up stage this morning. It was controlled after it had burned six or seven acres.

Five loads of retardant were dropped on the fire by planes from La Grande and Redmond. The Spout Springs interforest crew and the large U.S. Forest Service helicopters were moved to the fire. The 25 man intra-regional crew was moved to Big Rock Flats Airport then transported to the fire by helicopter. Men and tankers from Kinzua Corporation and the state district from Fossil also joined the fire fight.

It was an intense fire, according to Stanaway. Spot fires were touched off as far as a quarter-mile from the main fire. “That indicated the hazard and the overall dryness of the forest,” Stanaway said.

25 years ago

Kissu is a cat that loves attention. Forty-five minutes of petting and tummy rubbing brings out lots of purrs and drool from the 3-year-old, 109-pound mountain lion.

Simply iterating with Kissu is an important part of training him, as with any other exotic animal at America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College in California. Darcey Ridgeway, a 27-year-old former Pendleton resident, said that’s one of the perks of the two-year program.

“I just love him,” she said of Kissu. Ridgway is one of the school’s several dozen students who learn to train and care for exotic animals, such as crab-eating macaques, kookaburras or mule deer. The program is definitely “hands-on.” Between their many classes and animal shows, students must spend time training, feeding and cleaning up after their assigned animals, seven days a week.

But the weekend-less schedule is not so bad, she said.

“It’s totally worth it,” Ridgway said. “If you’re doing what you love to do, you are really enriched by them. You bond with them and so you get a lor more out of it because you have a lot more invested. It’s hard work but it’s great.”