East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-12-15
ATHENA, THE
WHEAT TOWN

Athena is distinctively the wheat
town of Umatilla county.
II is situated in the very center OF
What Is said 10 be the most productive
section of wheat land on the Pacific
coast. The average wheat yields are
greater there and the price Of wheat
land higher than in any other section
of the country.
Wheat land has been sold within a
few miles of Athena within the past
year for over 800 per acre. This is
not irrigated land but plain, bunch
grass land, which yields from 40 to 55
puSheIs or flrst-grade wheat every
year.
y section almost 10 miles square
around Athena is composed of this
grade of wheat land, with but few
tracts of inferior land within that
area. Alfalfa also grows well on
higher land and is now being raised
quite extensively for pasture.
Athena is one of the most progress
siye small towns in the northwest. It
has expended large sums of money on
the streets and now enjoys one Of the
best systems of macadamized streets
of any town in the state OF Oregon.
Two OF the finest church buildings
In the northwest are located at Athena.
These two buildings, a Methodist and
Christian church, were erected at a
total cost of about $4,000, and are
elegantly arranged and furnished.
Athena does an enormous business
In all lines. The large farms in that
vicinity and the almost continuous
routine of farm work made necessary
by the system OF summer following a
portion of the land each year, makes
strong demand for farm supplies of
all kinds. The stores and other busi-
ness lines represented there carry
stocks equal to towns of many times
the population of Athena in less pro-
ductive countries
The population of Athena is about |
1000. She has an excellent system of
public schools, the lodges and churches
add high tone to the social life OF
the town and II Is one OF the most at |
tractive smaller towns in Oregon.
It is situated on the Spokane branch
OF the o. r. & ~, IS miles northeast |
OF Pendleton, and also has a branch |
line of the w. & r. c. from Helix,
giving the town two railroads.
Shipments of Products.
some idea of the enormous business
transacted at Athena and resulting
from the wheat crop OF that district,
may be CLEANED from the following
paragraph from the Athena Press. the
live semi-weekly paper which is well
supported by Athena. The Press in
a recent issue, says:
Since January l, up to November 1
over the w. & c. r., out OF a total OF
4Sl carload shipments, 396 carloads
were shipped from the mill. Flour,
Of course, Is the chief commodity, but
mill stuffs and baled hay figure to
some extent in swelling the number
Of cars shipped.
Shipments over the o. r. & N. made
by the mill company. are also quite
extensive, and greatly augments the
volume of business transacted for the
year. From January l to October
carload shipments made by the Pres
ton-Parton company from Athena over
the o. r. e y. totals 200 carloads,
making the total over both the w. G.
Q. r. and o. r. & y. of Csc carloads
The month Of October was the ban
ner month Of carload shipments made
by the mill over the w. & C. r. road.
when 81 carloads were billed out The
month of September second, 10 car
loads. The month Of March with 16
carloads stands the smallest month
of shipments during the year.
Many carloads of wheat, principally