The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1913-01-10
LOOKING BACK A
SPAN OF 90 YEARS
old PAPER CONTAINS INTER
ES1lNG READING MATTER.
Railway Terminus at Blue
Mountain Station and Adams
Just Plated Townsite.

July 4th. 1888, almost thirty year
| ago. a tow headed urchin sold copiel
of a special edition of the PendIetor
East Oregonian at % cents per, to peo
| pie celebrating the national holiday
in Centerville. The urchin was none
other than Colonel Wood Of Weston
aud Centerville has long since beer
| buried under the more classical name
| Athena.
A copy of the paper is now before
rs and many columns of 1t would
prove interesting reading to old tim
ers residing in this vicinity.
Perusing the paper we read thai
the railroad, which was at Blue Noun.
tain station, was expected in Center,
vile sometime during the fall. The
young men Of Weston and vicinity
were taking up homesteads In the Cold
Springs country, and wheat in his
section was expected to turn out 80
bushels per acre. The town of Adams
had just been plated by Press Wor-
thington and Charles BulHnch Of Wes-
ton,. owners of the townsite.
( Lee Morehouse was superintendent
of Prospect farm, "where the enormous
harvest Of 5000 acres is being gather
cd. yielding thirty bushels per acre.
There are 4.840 acres under fence at
this model farm. y says the writer
"A Weston correspondent writes,
"Some of the business men of Weston
have started the new town Of Adams
on Wild Horse, Eve miles below Con
tefville. on the line OF the w. w. u
P. railroad. Judging from present
Indications Adams is destined to be-
come one of the leading towns of Eas-
tern Oregon. All branches of business
will be represented before the year is
ended. The location is good, and the
streets are laid out at right angles"
Large quantities of freight was be-
ing received at Blue Mountain station
and freignted over the mountains to
the Grand Ronde and Wallowa coun-
ty.
Farming at Pilot Rock. aside from
the Eottom lands, was in the expert
mental stage, and fiockmasters were
beginning to seek for other pasture.
Speaking Of Vansycle. the paper in
forms as that "two-thirds of the land
is taken up for farming purposes,
leaving one-third unclaimed. Five
years ago there was not more than
three or four tracts claimed in this
whole section of country of about
eighteen miles long by twelve miles
wide. But change has taken place.
The song Of the ploughman is heard
instead Of the Indian war whoop. Vast
fields of golden grain have taken the
place of bunch grass The buzz of
the header is now heard instead Of the
heinous bark of the prowling coyots.
Roads have been built school houses
erected and churches contemplated ell
In the short space of FIVE years.
B. Fl. Edgar, clerk of one of the
school districts, have two--has
just assessed his district, and informs
Us that the taxable property amounts
to $62. .943, and he put everything at
low valuation.
he wheat is looking well, es-
pecially fall sown that was put in
early and we'll. Barley promises On
abundant yield. Potatoes are splen-
did. There has been new ones for the
past two weeks. There has not teen
much corn planted. The country has
not been settled long enough to pro-
duce fruit. Berries grow and four-
ish Wild flax is to be found all over
the country, which goesto to prove that
it could be cultivated here in great
abundance. Alfalfa is at home in
our soil. Fish atound in our streams.
Elk, deer and bear roam our noun
tains.
John Ellington was county school
superintendent and notice appears that
a teachers examination would be held
in his office at Pendleton, continuing
for two days.
The paper contains an extensive
writeup, in part as follows:
UeDteryille is the third largest town
In Umatilla county. and the second 10
1t is situated on The liue of
the Pendleton and WaIIa Walla
branch OF the o. r. g. N. Cos rail
road the town is in the eastern part of
The county, Just 10 miles from PEN
dleton. twenty-one miles from Walla
Valla, w. T., three miles from Wes-
ton. and four miles from the new town
Of Adams.
The Wild Horse creek, small
mountain stream, flows slowly in
summer by the prosperous burg, hut
10 winter proceeds more quickly on
ward toward Pendlston, near which
place 1t empfies into the UmatIIla
liver. The fertility of the soil ad-
iaeeDt to Centeryille il excellent, and
wheat. oats, barley and rye grow in
'ndless quantities Vegetables do not
10 80 we'll. The UmatiIla reserva-
ion lies south and east OF the town,
and when thrown open to settlement
will add greatly to it's prosperity.
When the railroad reacbes CentervilIe,
which will occur some time this fall,
be town will reoeive a loom and its |
business interests will be very much
Increased. It has good future. The !