Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1907-08-15
MORROW COUNTY.

the people of Oregon are no
absorbing enough of the sentimen
that is coming from the Portland
Commercial Club.
The Portland organization ii
composed of far seeing busines.
men who are working for Portland
it is true, but in working ter Port.
land they are trying to make Ore
gon greater for Portland without a
prosperous and good state would
amount to little indeed.
Portland is spending money and
asking for the cooperation of the
whole state but what are We doing?
We make especial reference to the
people of Morrow county.
Now what is the matter. Surely
the people here should be interested
In their own welfare. We have a
great county. No question of it
when we come to think over the
actual conditions. The territory
within the limits of Morrow county
from the Columbia river to the
southern line joining Grant covers
% distance of Is miles, with an
average width of 35 miles, and
still with this territory almost half
as large as some of the kingdoms
OF the old world we haven't enough
population for a good sized country
village.
The fact that we are isolated and
handicapped by lack of railroad
facilities can only be remedied in
time, but our lack of enthusiasm
and proper appreciation of what
we actually have can be remedied
smmediately. One of our great
drawbacks is the fact that we have
too many knockers and not enough
boosters.
Take for instance Hood River.
Hood River people are united.
They pull together. They have
fruit to sell. They have a union.
BY systematic methods of boosting
they sell their fruit for more money
than anybody else. They sell their
land for S400 to $1,000 an acre and
then they talk about it and give
reasons why their land is worth it.
Hood River this year shipped 55,-
600 crates of strawberries valued
at s15O,00O. This item was
published in every newspaper in
the northwest and every man who
wanted to grow strawberries wanted
to 60 to Hood River.
Morrow county has wheat, wool
and stock and a small empire to
sell. Morrow county this season
shipped out 10000 head of sheep
that sold for $180,OO0. Have you
thought of the tact that this was
$4,000 more than Hood Rivers
strawberry crop sold for and that
it was not bad money either. But
who said anything about it or
thought anything about it. Not
the people of Morrow county.
Surely we cannot expect outside
people to placard and exploit this
fact if we care nothing about it.
We handled the modest item of
2,500,O0O pounds of wool worth
half a million dollars, but this was
not enough to say much about.
Now we have a wheat crop coming
on that will be worth in the neigh
borhood of three quarters of
million but who is going to say
anything about this.
And we have only about 5000
people.
The most solid foundation and
the best advertisement that ever
went out of Morrow county is the
fact that Winnard Bios. are now
harvesting 400 acres of wheat that
Is going 80 bushels to the acre.
NJ. j. Devin has harvested 16O
aores Of wheat that went 40 bushels
10 the acre and other large yields {
are 80 common that comment is
thought to be unnecessary.
1t is fact that Morrow county
gheat lands are selling from s15 to
so per acre. But how are the