This week in history: Oct. 1-8, 2025

1925 — 100 years ago

Local movies are to be censored: Screen pictures to be presented at the Rialto and Liberty theaters will, in future, be passed upon by a local movie censorship committee, action to this end having been taken by the City Council on Monday evening of this week. The council’s action followed the presentation of extensively signed petitions, which have been circulated by the churches and other local bodies in an effort to prevent the showing of what are alleged to be unsuitable pictures.

— Hood River News

An advertisement for Shell Oil ran in The Dalles Chronicle on Oct. 8, 1945.

A brown overcoat, the property of E. McMillan of Wasco, was reported to local police as having been stolen last night from an automobile parked in front of a restaurant. The overcoat was three buttons short of its quota, McMillan said.

The safe of the Fields garage of Grass Valley was blown some time Monday night and $100 taken, according to word received here today. The job is thought to have been the work of experts, who manipulated the combination of the outer shell and blew the inner door. No clews [sic] have been obtained.

— The Dalles Chronicle

1945 — 80 years ago

Ordinance on parking to be enforced: Essential for Public Safety, Says Council. The Common Council of the city of Hood River is faced with a difficult problem in the matter of traffic control. Members of the Council do not want Hood River to have the name of being “rough” on persons who avail themselves of the city’s trading facilities, and especially upon the out of town residents in Hood River county. On the other hand a serious accident on Oak Street last Spring, and several near-serious episodes have drawn the attention of all the townspoeple to the grave danger caused by double parking on the main streets of the city of Hood River. In order to provide parking facilities for rural residents, tourists and Hood river city customers, it is necessary that the one-hour parking ordinance be rigidly enforced.

— Hood River News

Lt. (j. g.) Bradley Fancher will be a member of an American prize crew that is expected to bring a Japanese destroyer to the United States, possibly in time for the observance of Navy day, according to word received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. R. Fancher of this city.

— The Dalles Chronicle

"In sprinting position and being "kicked off" by two of his Lions Club compadres, Ted Walker (left) and Pres Tavlin, is Dick Lacey, the president of The Dalles Lions Club. For every touchdown score by Wy'east High Eagles Friday night on the Hood River County gridiron, Lacy will sprint the length of the field in his red underwear. And for every Indian touchdown, President Ken Jensen of the Hood River Lions Club will also sprint. Citizens of The Dalles will make the trip to Hood River in a motorcade." The Dalles Daily Chronicle, Oct. 7, 1965.

A total of 2,183 chinook salmon passed though the Bonneville dam fishways during the period extending from September 30 to Oct. 6.

— The Dalles Chronicle

An appeal for seven graduate nurses, to serve at Salt Lake City, Utah, where an infantile paralysis epidemic has broken out, was received today by Mrs. Talmadge Kinersley from the American Red Cross.

— The Dalles Chronicle

“Hell on Wheels” Vet on way home: Sgt. Steve Hill writes his wife last Saturday that he was sailing from France and word is expected anytime telling of his landing in New York. Steve has been away overseas since April 1943 when he was sent to Africa where with the Second Armored he fought on through Sicily, and then was shipped to England in preparation for the D-Day invasion of France. He raced through France, and on into Belgium and Holland, and later on into Germany, getting across the Elbe river on their way to Berlin where his outfit was halted to leave the Russians take Berlin ... He wears the Purple Heart, a Belgian medal, French citation and six or seven battle stars.

— White Salmon Enterprise

An ad for fire prevention, ran in The Dalles Chronicle on Oct. 8, 1965.

1965 — 60 years ago

Boris Sirpo selected to head orchestras: Boris Sirpo, the man who put Hood River on the music map some 18 years ago, is coming back. Mrs. Kathryn Oaks, president of the Hood River Music Association, said Mr. Sirpo has agreed to take over directorship of the Hood River Symphony and junior symphony orchestras. “We are very excited — I really didn’t expect him to say ‘yes’ when I asked him.” ... There was another music note of special interest which was linked with Boris Sirpo’s return. Mrs. Oaks said she has learned the Metropolitan in New York plans this year to present the opera “Bridge of the Gods.” It is an opera which was first performed in Hood River during the 1951 music festival. In fact, Mrs. Oaks sang the female lead opposite Nicola Moscona, a Met performer.

— Hood River News

"VICTORY BELL RANG but once and Lions Club and Indian Chief Dick Lacey had to sprint down the WY'east gridiron three times Friday night as the Eagles whopped the Tribe 19 to 6. He's shown here with two of his roaring Indians, Lions Secretary Hub Day (left) and Frank Adams." The Dalles Chronicle, Oct. 9, 1965.

Modernization of Port of The Dalles facilities to permit shipment of wheat by Deep Draft vessels, beginning with the movement of the first ship from here in March, was asked of Port of The Dalles Commission Monday Night...

Wasco County Court Wednesday will take up the problem of litter and garbage strewn along the road to the city dump — a problem so severe that 56 persons have signed a petition asking that something be done about it.

— The Dalles Chronicle

"CRANE WITH BIG SHOVEL was making short work this week of the Matthew Building, which formerly housed three businesses lost in a recent Sunday fire at Second and Court downtown. Matthew said the Crew as brought here by Columbia River Construction of Hood River through arrangements with his insurance company and he won't know extent of the new construction that will be required until cleanup work is completed. It may be possible to salvage all or part of the brick walls, he said." The Dalles Chronicle, Oct. 11, 1965.

Quartet honored at fish lab with service certificate of honor: Left to right: Dr. Laurence M. Ashley, Mrs. Dana Eschleman, Mrs. Carlile Southard and Mr. Charles Smith recently received from the U. S. Dept. of the Interior a Certificate of Honor, signed by Assistant Secretary Stanley Cain for excellence of service ... This national recognition was given for “outstanding contribution in the field of microscopic tissue study,” Rainbow trout liver cancer research was the subject involved in the last five years of effort by this unit which undertook the work as part of an urgent program to discover the cause of high incidence of liver cancer in pellet-fed rainbow trout.

— White Salmon Enterprise

"BLACKENED INTERIOR of Service Drug Store is shown as a big crane dug into the ruins while Hay Matthew, owner of the building which also housed the state liquor and The Dalles Beauty Supply, made plans for rebuilding." The Dalles Chronicle, Oct. 11, 1965.

1985 — 40 years ago

Crash damages McIsaac’s store: A passenger car carrying four persons and traveling north at high speed on Clear Creek Road crossed Highway 281 and crashed through the cement block wall of McIsaac’s store Sunday morning, coming to rest in the Parkdale business’ main freezer. Three of the automobile’s occupants were injured, and the accident ruptured the town’s main waterline, pouring water into the aisles of the store and around the exterior of the building, and leaving Parkdale residents without water to make their Sunday morning coffee for over an hour... “We really appreciate the help we had in cleaning up,” said McIsaac’s manager Gene Lowe on Monday. “People worked with mops and everything else to remove water from the store.”

— Hood River News

An alleged drug smuggler with a possible link to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the Oregon religious sect leader, has been arrested in Vancouver, British Columbia, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshal’s office in Seattle announced.

— The Dalles Chronicle

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Oregon’s transplanted Indian guru, has been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury about the activities of some of his former lieutenants, a newspaper reported Monday.

— The Dalles Chronicle

"READY TO BURN -- followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh dance to the music prior to the "book burning" ceremony Monday evening in Rajneeshpuram. More than 5,000 copies of the book, Rajneeshism, were incinerated in the commune's outdoor crematorium. The book was written by Ma Anand Sheela, the commune's former press secretary." The Dalles Chronicle, Oct 1, 1985.

Rural homes pose protection challenge: An increasing number of homes on forest lands is creating a largely-unrecognized safety hazard, according to Bernard Murphy, district manager with the Department of Natural Resources. Many such homes are located outside the boundaries of existing rural fire districts. “Lots of homes are being built in hazardous places, as far as forest fires are concerned,” Murphy said, adding that the safety of many of these residences cannot be guaranteed by existing fire control services. Murphy said rural homeowners frequently do not take basic fire precautions — such as establishing a fire break around their homes to ward against forest fires — and a great many live outside the boundaries of rural fire protection districts.

— White Salmon Enterprise