Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 38
Days of Yore for October 17, 2024 10 years ago— Carol McKenzie, tournament coordinator, reported a perfect day for the 8th annual Wasco Salmon/Steelhead Tournament with 50 entrants and 17 salmon and one steelhead brought to Wasco for the weigh-in. The overall winning Chinook was 16 pounds, 15 ounces, and was caught by Natalie Schaefer of Oregon City. Rodeo athletes of the Northwest Professional Rodeo Association, which sponsors some 30 rodeos a year, have just selected the S...
Days of Yore for October 10, 2024 10 years ago— Recently a group of people came together to discuss the future of the Rock Creek Community Center. The Rock Creek Schoolhouse is 102 years old, and Marta Mikkalo is the president of the board overseeing the facility. “Funds are always necessary and welcome to keep the old girl going,” says Mikkalo. Alene Rucker plans to teach classes in the new year in the art of wheat weaving. A grant is being pursued through the Gilliam Count...
Days of Yore for October 3, 2024 10 years ago— Some upsetting news for a few residents of Fossil who own chickens is that dogs have been slaughtering chickens in at least two areas of town. Dog owners are encouraged to keep dogs at home. Some who have chickens depend on egg money for part of their income and losing chickens is costly. 25 years ago— From Mitchell Madness by 5th and 6th graders: A few weeks ago the Elsea family’s black lab jumped out of their truck on Highway 26...
Days of Yore for September 26, 2024 10 years ago— The League of Oregon Rural-Frontier Homesteaders will sponsor its first-ever Oregon Rural-Frontier Homesteaders Festival October 11 at the Wheeler County Fairgrounds in Fossil. This one-day event will celebrate the contribution that skills and crafts, considered by many to be from a bygone era, make in the daily lives of 21st century residents of Oregon’s rural-frontier. The 12th annual Shaniko Ragtime and Vintage Music Fes...
Days of Yore for September 19, 2024 10 years ago— Just a few short months ago, the Arlington Ambulance Service was having trouble fielding all the emergency calls that were coming in. Morale was low and the community was in dire need of emergency medical service providers. Since then, six of eight Arlington residents have finished a First Responder course, all passing, and have now enrolled in the EMT course. 25 years ago— The Arlington Chamber of Commerce has a new off...
Days of Yore for September 12, 2024 10 years ago— Lee and Karen Kaseberg celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary August 19. They celebrated this momentous occasion with a cruise through the Inland Passage in Alaska accompanied by their children and grandchildren. Sherman County author Jane Kirkpatrick has been named a finalist in the 2011 Willa Literary Awards. The award was named for outstanding American author Willa Cather and recognizes outstanding literature featuring wo...
Days of Yore for September 5, 2024 10 years ago— The state’s Seven Wonders advertising blitz has given notoriety to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and the Painted Hills, which, indeed, are wonders of the world. The number of tourists has grown and grown! Two groups of volunteers integral to any community will be honored this year at the 19th annual Painted Hills Festival celebration at Mitchell. The volunteers of the Mitchell Ambulance Service and the Vol...
Days of Yore for August 29, 2024 10 years ago— Condon has a couple internet ‘stars’ in its midst. Mark Winslow and son Hunter can be seen ‘hunting’ on several internet advertisements for Danner boots. The two were filmed over several days near LaGrande earlier this summer. The theme of the ads is ‘passing on the tradition’ of hunting and quality footwear and the father-son duo adds to the idea. Pronghorn is the boot that is featured. Jace Troutman of Arlington will represen...
Days of Yore for August 22, 2024 10 years ago— The Fossil Volunteer Fire Department recently received the gift of a vehicle to be used for an Emergency Response Unit. Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative had retired a 2005 one-ton vehicle, and did not receive adequate bids, so decided to donate the unit. Fossil answered the call immediately and was awarded the vehicle. The rig will be converted to an Emergency Response Unit. 25 years ago— Sally Motley has recently made the leap...
Days of Yore for August 15, 2024 10 years ago— Past grand marshals of the Wheeler County Fair, which celebrated its 100th anniversary, rode on a trailer of hay bales in the Fair parade. Waving to the crowds were: Frank and Melba Cecil, 1995; Roy and Ernestine Critchlow, 2012; Sherla Collins, 1999; Lee and Patsy Hoover, 2006; Joe Fitzgerald, 2007; Margaret Keys, 1998. 25 years ago— Marilyn Chase sends a newspaper article from Klamath Falls that tells of a former Spray and May...
Days of Yore for August 8, 2024 10 years ago— On the first night of the 26,000 acre fire near Condon, the Sniption Fire, winds pushed the flames across the property of the Edwards place at the bottom of Crazy Fork, where the fire burned to the width of a bulldozer’s blade from the back door of Dude Edwards’ home. Dude and his daughters, Lorna, Terry and Heather and son-in-law Jack were evacuated for the evening. All left-handed people are invited in for a special treat at Murr...
Days of Yore for August 1, 2024 10 years ago— The Arlington Community Chamber of Commerce annual Show-n-Shine Car Show was held July 26th in Arlington’s picturesque river-front Earl Snell Memorial Park and was a great success by all accounts. Dave Sitton of Arlington took home the coveted Jim Rudisill Memorial People’s Choice award for his cherry red 1962 Chevrolet Corvette. At the annual awards ceremony at the Oregon State Fair, families from across the state will recei...
Days of Yore for July 25, 2024 10 years ago— Fire from an errant weed burning project is suspected of causing the fire that did major damage to a storage shed at the Gilliam County Road Department facility in southwest Condon. A strong wind from the west pushed the flames through the long building causing considerable damage to the building. Larry Hardie’s quick response in activating the water truck prevented more devastation. Jim and Diane Hassing and Nick and Cody Bet...
Days of Yore for July 18, 2024 10 years ago— In perhaps one of the most extensive investigations involving troopers of the Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division, a Bend area man was recently sentenced to multiple misdemeanor and felony charges related to illegal guiding and hunting activities in central Oregon. In total, 23 people have been charged for more than 200 counts filed in Wheeler County. In October of 2012, an OSP Fish & Wildlife trooper received an a...
Days of Yore for July 11, 2024 10 years ago— Now in its 11th year, the Penny Gronquist Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament and Auction was held with fifty-eight golfers competing in the 9-hole scramble for this year’s trophy. Winning the tournament was the team of Dave Walborn, Michael Walborn, Tim Gilbert and Leslie Walborn posting a 9-hole score of 28. Johnny Wayne Johnson is lucky to be with us after a motor vehicle mishap in Wheeler County left his pickup and horse tra...
Days of Yore for July 4, 2024 10 years ago— Anne Osterlund, Condon graduate and local author, has received two International Latino Book Awards for her most recently published young adult novel, Salvation. The awards include Best Young Adult Latina Focused Book – English and Most Inspirational Young Adult Book. Osterlund traveled to Las Vegas to participate in the International Latino Book Awards held in conjunction with the American Library Association Conference. Sal...
Days of Yore for June 27, 2024 10 years ago – A unique tour group will visit the Painted Hills when six monks of the Gaden Shartse Dokhang Monastery base a two-week portion of their U.S. tour in central Oregon. With the blessing of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, the group is on a year-long tour in the U.S. to offer cultural and chant performances along with their sand mandala craft. Wheeler County Judge Chris Perry, in partnership with Wheeler Co. Development C...
Days of Yore for June 20, 2024 10 years ago – School Superintendent at Mitchell reported at the June board meeting that there will be ten exchange students enrolled at the school for 2014-2015 school year from Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Thailand, Mexico and Hong Kong. Fern Wilcox will offer swim lessons at her pool at 59126 Stark Road near Grass Valley. The group lessons will be offered for persons age 5 and up. 25 years ago – Marge Killingsworth has retired aft...
Days of Yore for June 6, 2024 10 years ago— Members of the McElligott family recently made a trip to England and Ireland to attend the wedding of a family member, and to tour the countries. Pete and Nancy McElligott went from here along with son Brian and friend, daughter Janet, Pete’s sisters Kathleen and Mary and friend Nora Toban. They attended the wedding of Paul McElligott’s daughter, Salli, who lives in London. Twilight on the Track, a walk/run event, will be held at th...
Days of Yore for May 23, 2024 10 years ago— The Ford Family Foundation has selected 104 students from Oregon as new Ford Scholars. This year’s Oregon Scholars were chosen from 5,202 applicants. The Foundation and the Arlington School District have announced that Efren Zuniga is a recipient of the 2014 Ford Family Scholarship. The Condon/Wheeler Lady Knights have successfully defended their Class 1A state championship track and field title by earning another one last week at...
Days of Yore for May 30, 2024 10 years ago- Gary Purpura and Linda were in town for their annual Memorial Day visit from Portland. As tradition would have it, they were guests at Hotel Condon and he ran in the Eastern Oregon Half-Marathon at Spray, as he has done for the past 40 years! He said something about "getting older" this year. David Esterquest of Hebron, Connecticut spent several days in the Condon area visiting with the Colgan families. He was able to attend the...
Days of Yore for May 16, 2024 10 years ago— A group of fun-lovers from throughout the Northwest made their 25th spring time pilgrimage to Shelton Park in Wheeler County recently. Without a place to carry out their sport of bowling ball shooting, park hosts Larry and Susan Snyder took the gang to their Gilliam County ranch southeast of Condon where the home-built black powder cannon was touched off 12 times, each time launching a bowling ball, approximately 3500 feet. They call their trip their annual Fossil Camp Out. This y...
Days of Yore for May 9, 2024 10 years ago— Traveling from her mission duties with SEND International in Taichung, Taiwan, former Arlingtonian Jean (Frost) Carlton has been at the Mikkalo home of sister Julie and Neil Mikkalo for the past two weeks. The Arlington Jackpot Rodeo had fair weather with attendance up from 2013. Three riderless horses entered the arena as a moving tribute to three men lost during the past year; Dustin Lorentz, Richard Rende and Ron Davis. Jim and Tiona Weiser felt that these men, all rodeo s...
Days of Yore for April 25, 2024 10 years ago— Fossil Grade School students took an outing to Mayville to the Stinchfield log cabin. The students in grades 1-4 with teachers Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Burrows, had a host of questions with tasks to perform with information they gathered to go along with their studies of the Oregon Trail and pioneer life. Rural counties in Oregon have struggled with financial woes in recent years, likely none so severely as Wheeler County. A native of Spray and graduate of Oregon State University, T...
April 18, 2024 10 years ago— Marnie Fitzsimmons continues her experience in South America where she is studying in Quito, Ecuador. She has recently visited Machu Picchu in Peru and has spent some time on the Amazon River. Following several months of an incredible experience, she is expected home again at the end of the school year. A plane wreck occurred west of Condon April 12 that sent an Aurora pilot to OHSU in Portland with serious injuries. According to the Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office, two airplanes had landed on...
