Looking back, History Mystery, Feb. 8
February 8
20 Years Ago-1995
Snowpack in the upper elevations of The Dalles Watershed are above normal for this time of year, despite warm weather and heavy rain. A survey taken Jan. 30 and 31 of the High Prairie snow course showed snow depth to be 95.2 inches – 129 percent of the 12-year average. More important, water content of that snow is equal to 35.4 inches – 128 percent of the 12-year average.
The Dalles Art Association announced the winners of its 1995 Junior High and Senior High juried art competition during a closing reception held last week at The Dalles Art Center. Devin Black of Henkle Middle School in White Salmon took Best of Show.
40 Years Ago-1975
The awarding of a $1,505,500 contract for expansion of Kah Nee Ta Lodge on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation has been announced by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation. Teeples and Thatcher Construction Co. of Portland was awarded the project, according to Kenneth L. Smith, general manager for the confederated tribes. The expansion will include 55 guest rooms and a guest recreation room at the lodge.
River traffic at the John Day locks was reopened today with the passage of the tug Leland James with five barges in tow. The tug was the same one involved in the accident one week ago which severely damaged an upriver gate at the John Day locks, causing closure of upriver barge traffic. A bulkhead has been secured and will allow passage through the lock as a temporary measure until the lock has been replaced. It has been estimated that it will take six months and more than $750,000 to replace the damaged gate.
60 Years Ago-1955
The city’s $10,000 street sweeper was described as no good at last night’s meeting of Dalles City council, bringing to a head complaints about the three-year-old machine. Councilman Virgil Kelly, Public Works committee chairman, asked the new city manager, William Hansen: Is the sweeper any good? “No,” replied Hansen, who noted that the sweeper presently was out of commission for the second time in the few weeks he has been here. No action was taken on the report, but there was some thought of replacing the sweeper with a more satisfactory machine.
Two young girls were discovered early this morning cold and dirty under the tarpaulin of a jeep on E. 15th street, ending the largest city-wide search in The Dalles in years. Discovered at 1:02 a.m. this morning at 604 E. 15th Street were Linda, age six, and Carol, eight, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Cherry.
80 Years Ago-1935
“Dead Man’s” curve, scene of fatal automobile accidents on the Columbia River highway west of The Dalles, should be widened or eliminated entirely, the Wasco County grand jury declared in making its report to Circuit Judge Fred W. Wilson at the end of a four day session yesterday afternoon. The jury’s report declared the curve, four-tenths of a mile east of milepost 84, should receive the attention of the state highway commission and urged “that the commission widen or eliminate the curve as soon as it can be done conveniently.”
Cash turned loose Friday to the 25 percent dividend to depositors of the closed First National bank of The Dalles already is having its effect on local business, merchants were reporting today. Though believed partly attributable to bright, clear weather, streets of The Dalles were filled with more shoppers today than for several Saturdays past, and many of them had their purses filled with new money derived from the
dividend.
100 Years Ago-1915
Delegates and officials of the Cattle and Horse Raisers association of Oregon arrived here this morning from eastern Oregon, being in route to Prineville to attend the annual state convention of that organization. This important organization now has about 350 members in all of the states on the Pacific slope, although it is fundamentally an Oregon organization.
At the meeting of the Business Men’s Association, which was held last Wednesday for the purpose of making plans for the celebration of the opening of The Dalles Celilo canal, it was suggested by Wallace R. Struble, secretary of the Columbia and Snake River Waterways association, that the name, “Dalles-Celilo,” be incorporated in the invitations, in the publicity literature and adopted as the official name or title of the great project about to be opened.
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