100 YEARS AGO

Aug. 22, 1912

An election to vote on the question of the purchase by the city of Joseph for $4,000 of the private water works, owned chiefly by F.D. McCully, will be held on Sept. 10. The controversy over this system of the Joseph Waterworks Company has led to four lawsuits, one of which has been taken to the supreme court of the state, and the other three of which are still pending.

Eagle Cap, 9686 feet high. That is the record brought by Clyde B. Aitchison, chairman of the state railroad commission, who climbed the peak with a number of Enterprise men. The progressive party in Wallowa County was organized at a spirited meeting at the courthouse Tuesday evening. Daniel Boyd was elected county chairman and W.G. Trill secretary. C.T. McDaniel of Wallowa was elected to the important office of delegate to the state bull moose convention in Portland next Tuesday, Aug. 27.

M.F. Mahoney proved his prowess by killing three rattlesnakes on Joseph Creek this week. He shot two with a revolver without moving from his tracks. Also he killed some grouse.

70 YEARS AGO

Aug. 20, 1942

The Joseph Herald is suspending publication this week as a separate newspaper and will be consolidated with the Enterprise Chieftain. Jack Estle, the editor and publisher of the Joseph Herald for the past three years, has taken a job for the Union Pacific Railroad.

About 36 women working on the sack sewing project have now patched 2,855 sacks as a contribution towards solving the acute sack shortage. They are being patched at a cost of 3 ½ cents each.

Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Voetberg returned recently from a trip to the coast to visit friends and relatives. It was their observation that every hill and cliff along the coast bristled with anti-aircraft and other artillery, and they felt very much better about a Jap invasion after witnessing all this.

50 YEARS AGO

Aug 23, 1962

One shift operations at the J. Herbert Bate & Co. sawmill at Wallowa continued this week, 10 weeks after a strike was called, with a crew composed of loggers, new employees and union men who have defied the strike order and returned to work. The management is submitting to the union and the federal mediator a proposed agreement calling for a renewal of the old contract in effect before the strike, with some modifications. The most important change calls for the elimination of the provision for a union or closed shop.

Roger Kooch, son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Kooch of Alder Slope, is one of four Oregon Future Farmers of America named to receive the organizations highest degree, that of American Farmer.

Twenty-two steers, 22 fat hogs and 78 lambs were sold by county 4-H club members at the annual Wallowa County 4-H Fat Stock Sale at the Enterprise Auction Co. yard last Thursday night. Top prices for steers was 30 cents a pound. Total sales receipts were $9,257.21.

Sidney Howick of the U.S. Weather Bureau from Portland awarded two 20-year service pins to cooperative weather observers in Wallowa County. Recipients were Mrs. Gwen T. Coffin of Enterprise and Mrs. Hazel Warnock of Imnaha.

25 YEARS AGO

Aug. 20, 1987

IMNAHA Help wanted. One Pied Piper. Must be able to pipe huge quantities of rats out of large area. Yes, Imnaha has a problem that has building since January when Sylvia Bales discovered rat sign in her storage shed. Since then, a lot of people have become trappers. Prize for the biggest catch goes to Jerry Witherrite, with a record of 50 rats.

Over 100 local ranchers, the biggest gathering in years, showed up early Saturday morning for the annual Wallowa County Stockgrowers meeting and breakfast at the VFW Hall. The large turnout was attributed in part to the rainy weather, but also to a positive attitude among those present.

During the Stockgrowers meeting, Kenneth Kooch was named as Honorary Lifetime Member. . In the evening, awards went to Wallowa-area rancher Roy Leverenz, Cattleman of the Year, and Rex Ziegler of upper Prairie Creek, Grassman of the Year.

For the first time in history, the Joseph School District will offer kindergarten this fall.