March 2
20 Years Ago-1994
With an eye to protecting the commercial fruit industry, Wasco county Court will consider passage tomorrow of a pest control ordinance. A 1:30 p.m. public hearing is set to consider the ordinance, which is modeled after Hood River County’s pest control rules. Public comment is welcome. The goal of the ordinance is to prevent the build-up and spread of injurious plant and tree pests from tree to tree and orchard to orchard, particularly from abandoned or untreated areas. The ordinance established a pest control officer, and the assignment will likely go to Merle Keys, the county’s weed and pest inspector.
The pressure is on, but Wasco County won’t buckle. Release of several million federal dollars for the Gorge Discovery Center largely awaits the passage of an acceptable county Gorge land use ordinance. “The Discovery Center is important, but private property rights are important as well,” Wasco County Judge John Mabrey said. At issue is the Chenoweth Table area, which the U.S. Forest Service and Gorge Commission both want zoned as open space, a designation allowing almost no use of the land in the interest of protecting sensitive resources.
40 Years Ago-1974
The Wasco County Fair Board’s newest member, Don Hall of the Dalles, has been active for years in fields linked in several ways with the annual fairs at Tygh Valley. Hall left The Dalles for a time to become associated with a Ford dealership in Milton-Freewater. He is now a car salesman for Ray Schulten’s Ford in The Dalles. He has been associated with Pacific Northwest Morgan horse shows, has been a member of The Dalles Elks Lodge and the Lions Club for more than 25 years, is a member of the Ten Mile Saddle club and is currently serving as vice president of The Dalles Traffic and Safety Commission.
Mark Jaeger, student conductor of the Dalles High School Crimson and Grey Bands, has been accepted for membership in the United States Collegiate Wind Band, a highly select musical organization which will make a concert tour of seven of the world’s important cultural capitals next July and August. His duties as Student Director of the Crimson and Grey Bands the past year have included directing the show band and pep bands, as well as handling section leader chores with the Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble.
60 Years Ago-1954
A move to outlaw outdoor commercial public address systems, a committee recommendation favoring traffic radar and dissatisfaction with juvenile “hot-rodders” marked last night’s meeting of Dalles City council. The city attorney was instructed to prepare an ordinance prohibiting use of outdoor public address speakers for commercial purposes. Outdoor use of loudspeakers for announcements only of a civic or school nature would be permitted under terms of the proposed measure. Further consideration of a committee report recommending that the city purchase a radar device for traffic control was deferred to the Monday, March 15, council session.
The U.S. Census Bureau will start its special census of The Dalles on March 29, Dalles City council was informed last night. This city-financed census is to be completed in time to permit The Dalles to gain additional state revenue started in July anticipated as a result of heavy population growth. Since the 1950 census, population is estimated to have jumped from slightly fewer than 8,000 to approximately 10,000 at present. If the estimate proves correct the city stands to gain about $30,000 annually in higher gas and liquor tax receipts from the state.
80 Years Ago-1934
About 75 persons gathered at the Eugene Hammel, Sr., ranch Friday evening to charivari Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hammel, who were married at Walla Walla, November 25, but the marriage was not announced until a few weeks ago. Mr. and Mrs. Hammel moved the fore part of last week into their new house which was just completed. Mrs. Hammel before her marriage was Miss Mildred Messinger of Boardman and is a graduate nurse of The Dalles hospital.
The annual meeting of the women golfers was held yesterday at the Country club and Mrs. Tom McCoy was named team captain. Mrs. McCoy reported today that the appointment of other committee members would be announced at the other gathering next Thursday.
Dropping of all present efforts to build a bridge across the Columbia River directly at The Dalles was seen here today at the voting last night of good will and cooperation to The Dalles Bridge Company by The Dalles City Bridge Commission and the board of directors of The Dalles-Wasco County Chamber of Commerce. The Dalles Bridge Company this week began construction of a bridge across the river directly east of the Big Eddy warehouses of the Wasco Grain Growers’ Association.
100 Years Ago-1914
Men outnumber women better than two to one on the registration books in the office of County clerk Fox. The men have been very slow to enroll, but they certainly have it on the women of Wasco County. Whether the women will wake up to the fact they are neglecting their duty remains to be seen. Maybe they like “bargain day rushes” so well that they think it will be fun to get into the inevitable registration jam during the last few days of enrollment. The women did better last week than in any previous three weeks, registering to the number of 118. One hundred fifty men enrolled. But the men have a good two-to-one lead, and if the women are to catch up and prove that they can be as good citizens as the men ever thought of being, they will have to out-register the male voters until they can catch up, for the men are now leading by 308.
L.F. Harza, project engineer for the Oregon State Commission and the commission representing the United States reclamation service, has established an office in the First National Bank building in this city and has a number of draughtsman working in his office, as well as a force of men at work at the site of the dam at the head of Five Mile rapids. The men at the dam site are using diamond drills to bore holes for testing the rock formations on which the proposed dam would rest.
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