100 YEARS AGO

March 1, 1923

L.B. Payne was thought to have committed a serious offense against the laws of the state of Oregon on Tuesday when it was observed that he was running his automobile with 1922 license plates. Mr. Payne was called upon and asked why he violated the law in this open manner. He could not understand what all the fuss was about and said so, whereon the city recorder informed him he was running his car with a 1922 license instead of 1923. “Oh,” said L.B. “that is all right, I just haven’t had time to put the new ones on” — and to prove his point, he went to the car and took the new license plates out from under the rear seat of the car where they had been reposing for several days. The authorities decided not to administer a fine but told Mr. Payne he had better take time to affix the new plates so as to cause people to quit worrying about whether he was violating the law.

Promptly following up the promise to State Game Warden A.E. Burghuff, the game commission sent four crates of Chinese pheasants to the county last Saturday. Two crates were released at Wallowa and two at Enterprise. The two crates shipped to Enterprise contained 12 birds each.

75 YEARS AGO

March 4, 1948

Lee Hulburd will hold an auction sale of farm machinery at his place on the Hurricane Creek Road across from the Joseph Municipal Airport Saturday March 6, starting at 1 o’clock. Mr. Hulburd is moving soon to the Joe Miller place on Alder Slope across from the Reavis schoolhouse. This place was purchased last June by Elton Bradfield of Walla Walla and his interest is being taken over by Mr. Hulburd. In the deal Mr. Hulburd has also acquired the farm machinery on the place and 23 herds of dairy cows, a fine herd built up by Mr. Miller and son. Many of these animals are excellent registered Jersey stock. Mr. Hulburd will also take several head of his own dairy cattle to his new location. The place rented by the Hulburds known as the McCormack farm, was sold some time ago to Erval Zollman.

The Oregon State College ROTC band will be in Enterprise Thursday, March 25, for a special concert. The band with 74 pieces will play in a street parade in the afternoon and will then give a short concert at the school in the afternoon. In the evening at the high school gym a full concert will be presented for the general public. Following the concert the band will provide music for a dance at the VFW hall. The band’s appearance here is being sponsored by the Enterprise Lions club as a benefit program to raise funds for new uniforms for the Enterprise high school band.

50 YEARS AGO

March 1, 1973

A meeting of some of the members of the county court, mayors of three of the towns, and some of the police officers of the area was held Monday evening to discuss the dog problems of the county. Judge Claude Hall presided over the meeting. It was felt that dogs have become a serious problem in nearly all areas of the county and that the county court should look into a program of dog control. In the past there has been a dog control officer but because of lack of facilities for handling “strays”, nothing much could ever be done. It was the feeling of the group that a suitable dog pound should be studied and if feasible, a pound should be built and a dog control officer hired on a full-time basis.

25 YEARS AGO

March 5, 1998

Forty-one year old Bradley R. Royse of Ontario was named Monday night as the new principal at Enterprise High School by the school board. He will replace the retiring Ron Brown. A contract was being prepared Tuesday to be sent to the 41-year-old experienced administrator, who accepted the position by phone after the school board meeting. Superintendent of Schools Roger McGath said that Royse was the unanimous selection of the seven person interviewing committee who interviewed the top five applicants in Enterprise two weeks ago. Royse has been a school administrator at McCall junior high school in Idaho, Ontario High School and Ontario Middle School over the past 15 years.

Wallowa County and the Nez Perce Tribe have entered into a cooperative agreement for the management of 11,000 acres of wildlife habitat around Joseph Creek Canyon. The agreement was inked Feb. 20 by tribal chairman Samuel N. Penny and Wallowa County Judge Ben Boswell in a quiet ceremony at the Wallowa County Courthouse. The agreement is the product of years of negotiation between the tribe and the count, according to Keith A. Lawrence, wildlife director for the tribe.