December 15
20 Years Ago-1993
This year’s flu season, which started early already has state officials drawing comparisons with the 1957 Asian flu epidemic. Many cases involve the newly-reported Beijing flu, a complex of related viruses which, as of Monday, accounted for nearly 40 percent of flu specimens isolated state-wide. “It’s a wicked bug this year,” McBain added.
An existing non-profit organization will provide the basis for turning the Crate’s Point Living History Museum into a private entity, city councilors decided Monday night. The unanimous vote came after Sher Jones, Crate’s Point director, outlined two options for continued operation of the Oregon Trail exhibit: Continued city leadership, with continuing expenditures until the exhibit becomes self-sustaining, or reach agreement with a local, inactive non-profit organization, elect a new seven-member board of directors representing marketing, business, finance, events and various other components, and launch the program anew with a single grant of $50,000 seed money from the City of The Dalles.
40 Years Ago-1973
Columbia Basin Nursing Home will have 12 additional beds when the new wing goes into service next month. The public is invited to visit the facility Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. and view the new cross-shaped structure which provides 78 rooms. Capacity after the old portion of the home is taken out of service and the new addition placed in will be 120 beds compared to the present 108. Administrator George Pierce stressed that new departments at the county-owned home are more functional than before. One of the new additions is equipment for hydrotherapy- the use of moving water.
The Cenior Citizens Bus Service Inc. will get its new bus on Tuesday, following the group’s observation of December birthdays. Delivery of the bus will be at 1:30 at Dick Hyde Volkswagen, where the dealership owner will present the keys to the new rig to representatives of the group. Eight senior citizens will be picked to be the first to ride in the new bus.
60 Years Ago-1953
Wasco County achieved the greatest percentage increase in payrolls for the first half of 1953 of any county in Oregon, the State Unemployment Compensation commission announced today. In comparison with the first six months of 1952, the payroll increase was 24.4 per cent. The state average was 6.63 percent. Dam construction helped Wasco County. Covered payrolls in Wasco County for the six-month period ended last June totaled $5,259,072. This was $1,032,264 more than the $4,226, 808 reported for the first half of 1952.
A man sought by Wasco County in connection with the robbery of Boyd’s Surplus store and theft of a 1953 model convertible last September has been apprehended in Montgomery, Ala. The Montgomery, Ala., sheriff’s office this morning notified Wasco County Sheriff Ernest Mosier that they have Orin K. Thornley, 23, former Dalles resident, in custody. Thornley has signed a confession and waived extradition, Sheriff Mosier said he was informed. While in The Dalles the prisoner went by the name of Kelly Thornley.
80 Years Ago-1933
Approximately 150 more unemployed of The Dalles and Wasco County either had or was assured of jobs on CWA projects today as county relief officials and the government reemployment service worked at top speed to put men to work under a new allotment granted the county by the state civil works board late yesterday. The board’s action increased the former allotment of 252 men to 287, and approved nine additional projects. With 126 men already working on previously approved projects, and 152 men placed on the new projects, the total CWA force for the county was placed today at 278 men. The workers were being hired as rapidly as possible, in response to instructions from the state board that the total allotment be put to work today.
Dredging of the entire length of the Celilo canal will begin in about two weeks, according to Frank W. Saunders, government engineer at Big Eddy. A 10-inch gasoline powered dredge is now under construction at the east approach of the canal, and as soon as repairs to the break in the waterway are finished, the dredging job will begin. The muck that has accumulated in the bottom of the canal will be removed.
100 Years Ago-1913
Miss Margueriette Leasure, one of the members of the theatrical company which will present “The Girl in the Taxi” at the Vogt theatre Tuesday evening, is a native of Oregon, being the daughter of one of the pioneers of Portland and the niece of George C. Blakeley, the well-known local druggist. Miss Leasure is looking forward to her eastern Oregon trip with much pleasure for it has been seven years since she saw her relatives in this city and Pendleton, where she will also appear.
Prowling around under the O.W.R. & N. freight depot Tuesday night looking for a stolen barrel of liquor with the aid of matches struck by A.E. Crosby to throw the only light into the blank darkness, Sheriff Levi Chrisman saw two dark forms approaching. Thinking they were yeggs, the sheriff whipped out his revolver and cried: “Throw up your hands or I’ll shoot,” and then came the voice of Deputy Sheriff Allen from out of the darkness: “It’s Glenn, for God’s sake don’t shoot.” With Deputy Allen was Joseph Keller of Portland, special agent for the O.W.R. & N. They were there on the same mission- that of finding the stolen wet goods, and neither knew the other party was on the job.
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