Fire Chief Charles Roth Jr. and Assistant Police Chief Bill Esson, who is communications officer for the Wasco County Civil Defense organization, plot fallout pattern for today on Dalles area map. If nuclear weapon had been used against Portland, winds at 10,000 feet would have carried fallout materiel to The Dalles in three hours. Wind flow information is received on police station teletype each morning. — Sept. 28, 1961, The Dalles Daily Chronicle
Earthwork underway as construction begins on The Dalles Dam in the early 1950s.
1921 — 100 years ago
One of the most spectacular fires of recent years on Sunday evening destroyed the junior high school on the Heights. The outbreak was discovered, shortly after eight o’clock, by Superintendent A.M. Cannon who, with a friend, was walking past the school when he noticed that the side door was opened. The plumbers had been installing a new furnace during the day, and thinking that they might still be at work, he entered the building. He had only gone a couple of steps when he ran into a dense cloud of smoke and realized the building must be on fire. — Hood River News
A slow horse race, a feature never before witnessed in The Dalles, will be put on this year at the Wasco county fair in connection with the rodeo. The race will be over a 200-yard course and the winner will be the person astride the slowest instead of the fastest steed. The horses will be left entirely to their own volition, the riders holding both hands free of the reins. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
Earthwork underway as construction begins on The Dalles Dam in the early 1950s.
1941 — 80 years ago
The old controversy revolving around the screening of irrigation ditches in Hood River County, appeared to have been revived this week when a Mr. Warren of the State Game Commission arrived and was accompanied around the valley by a resident. For many years, there have been spasmodic efforts to dispose of what has proved a vexing question — vexing because no solution to the problem of fish entering irrigation ditches has been devised, except at considerable cost to the farmer and fruitgrower of the valley. — Hood River News
The results of Oregon’s 1941 deer hunting season were being manifested in ever-increasing quantities as Wasco County nimrods checked in with bucks, does and even antelope, thus filling local cold storage lockers to the brim with the winter’s supply of game meat. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
1961 — 60 years ago
While most of this Mid-Columbia town’s citizens have been wondering about it, the Port of Hood River decided what they will do to get their new U.S. Navy warship ready for public use during a luncheon meeting held Tuesday. The much-discussed U.S.S. Banning was the major topic for discussion by port officials. Major move was adoption of a written policy for development of the ship toward full public use. — Hood River News
Fire Chief Charles Roth Jr. and Assistant Police Chief Bill Esson, who is communications officer for the Wasco County Civil Defense organization, plot fallout pattern for today on Dalles area map. If nuclear weapon had been used against Portland, winds at 10,000 feet would have carried fallout materiel to The Dalles in three hours. Wind flow information is received on police station teletype each morning. — Sept. 28, 1961, The Dalles Daily Chronicle
1981 — 40 years ago
With the Hood River Valley pear harvest in full swing and the apple crop starting in early October, the county is bursting with field workers in all stages of orcharding. The Oregon State Employment Division reports there are 1,800 migrant orchards workers in Hood River Valley this fall and the Mexican population mushrooms when family members and workers in the packing houses and canneries are added to that figure. — Hood River News
MAUPIN — Senior Tonya Peterson has been named queen of the 1981 homecoming at Wasco Union High. She will reign Friday night when Wasco entertains Sherman at 7 p.m. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
Following a public hearing Monday night and a few minor changes, the Klickitat County Planning Commission voted to recommend adoption of the Columbia Gorge Overlay Zone. The proposed ordinance, which would be enforced in addition to underlying zoning in the Gorge, is intended to protect the scenic qualities of the Gorge in Klickitat County. It was first presented to the planning commission in 1978 by the Washington Columbia River Gorge Commission. The proposed ordinance sets general development standards, including a requirement that all structures located in the open areas must be earth tone in color. — White Salmon Enterprise
2001 — 20 years ago
Three Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers were honored Friday for rescuing a fishing party after their boat capsized in the Columbia River last spring. OSP Superintendent Ronald Ruecker arrived at the Hood River County Courthouse on Sept. 28 to present a special award to OSP Sergeant Julie Wilcox and two OSP Fish and Wildlife officers, David Anderson and Craig Gunderson. “The swift and professional action by these three officers substantially contributed to saving the lives of these three men,” said Lieutenant Michael Davidson, station commander at the OSP headquarters in The Dalles. — Hood River News
Getting laid off at the aluminum plant doesn’t mean employees are lacking for something to do. Some unemployed Goldendale Northwest aluminum plant workers from The Dalles and Goldendale have answered the call to community service, working for area nonprofit organizations. — The Dalles Chronicle
Tim O’Neill, who has been serving in the Klickitat County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office s chief deputy prosecutor for civil matters, has been promoted. In a unanimous decision announced on Oct. 4, the Klickitat County Board of Commissioners voted to appoint O’Neill to the Prosecuting Attorney’s position. The appointment was needed to fill the vacancy created when incumbent Prosecuting Attorney Jim Hagarty accepted a new position as assistant U.S. Attorney in Yakima. Hagarty leaves at the end of October. O’Neill, 47, first began working for the PA office in May 1999. He said he realized the duties of the new office would be challenging. “In a way I’m very happy and in another way, there is a tremendous amount of responsibility to the county and all of the people here. It’s a very sobering thought and a great responsibility that a chief prosecutor has. It is amazing all the things you have to do in terms of dealing with the public, getting information to the media, and providing service effectively to the public,” O’Neill said. — White Salmon Enterprise
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