East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-07-23

located the beautiful quarter section
of land on Catherine creek, on which
the north part of the town of Union
lis now situated. That was in 1862,
and he became the first white settler
on the eastern side of Grand Ronde
valley. There was already a small
settlement at La Grande.
He sold his homestead at Union in
1866 and engaged in the cattle busi-
ness. In 1868 he went to Texas and
bought 1000 head of Texas cattle and
started them overland TO Oregon. The
Union Pacific was being built that
year and beef along the line of con-
struction was high priced and he sold
off his herd until he had but 400 left.
With this herd he came to Oregon
i'm the fall of 1868, driving the first
herd of cattle that ever passed down
Snake river. This was the beginning
of his immense cattle industry which
in few years numbered several
thousand head.
Bought Swamp Land.
On his return from Texas he pur-
chased from Henry owen of Salem,
OVERLOADED land near Hot Lake in
Union county. He also purchased
from James II. Hendershott, Fred
Shoemaker and John Brattan their
filings on the tule lake in the same vi
cinity and thereby laid the foundation
for the largest farm and cattle ranch
in eastern Oregon.
The tule lake district and over
flowed land thus acquired consisted
of about $500 acres. which was COW
cred with overflow water from Cath
crime creek Cor several months of each
year.
into these immense tule fields he
turned his cattle cattle to winter pas
turc. tie grass and foliage being so
plentiful that he needed no hay. The
high tules afforded excellent shelter
and for five months each year several
thousand head of cattle ranged in the
bottom lands surrounding Hot Lake,
coming out in the spring sleek and
fat after their Information in the vast
tule beds.
With the foresight of a prophet he
saw that farming lana was to be val
liable in Oregon. Railroads were d.
rected toward the west and immi-
grants were coming in by the thous-
and and he undertook the immense
task of converting his tule lake into
farm. With about 50 yoke of oxen
chosen from among his Texas steers,
he began ditching and building levees
to turn the channel of Catherine creek
away from his land.
About this time the stare employed
him to build two state bitches to pro-
tect farming lands in the lower end of
Grand Ronde valley from floods, and
with his outfits he built two immense
bitches across the entire length of the
valley. These old bitches are in ex-
istence yet, although subsequent set
tlement and improvements have rem
dered them practically useless.
But the reclamation of the tule
swamp was complete and the land
which had been covered with water
each year was seeded to wheat and
barley and at once became the most
valuable farming land in that part OF
the valley
First Herd of Cattle Eastward.
In 1875 Nodine drove the first herd
of cattle ever sent out of Oregon to
Cheyenne. from where they were
shipped on the new railroad to Chi.
cago. He had accumulated severa
thousand head of cattle and severa
hundred head of horses and at thi:
time, in 1875, he was the wealthies
man and largest taxpayer in Unior
county
He drove cattle to Cheyenne eaof
year for n number of years and hat
many thrilling experiences on thu
trail. In the summer of 1875, shortl!
after the Custer massacre, he encoun
tered Sitting Bull and 500 warriors oil
their way into the Uintah country II
| Utah. He had met Sitting Bull be