The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-10-14
SOME EARLY HISTORY OF HEPPNER
RECOUNTED BY AN OREGON PIONEER
BY T. T. GEER, in Sunday S
Oregonian.


ital of Morrow County, situated about
so miles south of the Columbia river
is one of the best points to be found
anywhere in the interior OF Oregon
and is characterized by all features
of the frontier, though its men ana
women are cultured and enjoy all the
conveniences of modern life.
For about 80 years Heppner has
been the terminus of branch rail-
road connecting it with the O.-W. h.
& N, and has remained its terminus
to the present day, thus reaping the
advantage which accrues to all ter
minal towns. A vast region stretch
ing southwark to the Blue Mountains
furnishes a substantial basis for a
permanent and growing support
Away back in the later Cos among
the prominent merchants of La
Grande was j. L. Morrow-known to
everybody as Jack Morrow. he
was in business there for several
years, when, in 1871, man named
Henry Heppner, who had been traV-
cling through that country buying
hides and wool in small way, had
observed that toward the head OF
Willow Creek, in the southwestern
part of Umatilla County, few set
tiers were coming in with stock, ana
as the range there was practically
inexhaustible, the outlook was good
for a rapid settlement. He suggested
to ]. l.. Morrow that there was GER
tain to be town started in that sec
ton, and that he had selected the
the spot where it would be. He fur
ther insisted that he and Morrow
form q partnership and start a store
there in anticipation of some other
venture in the same line. Morrow
thought enough of the proposition to
take a horseback ride across the
country with Heppner. They
weighed the probabilities" of fu-
ture settlement and decided to put in
stock of goods, which they did in
the early Spring of 1872. They Sc
lected the spot where Heppner now
stands, at the very head of Willow
Creek Valley, where the little and or
dinarily unpretentious stream bear
ing that name starts toward the Co.
lumbia River, some so miles away.
When Morrow and Heppner went
to that section with their stock of
goods, the only building within miles
of the location was a log cabin occu-
pied by a man named Frank Stans-
bury. He had few head of cattle
and had a squatter's right to the lit
tie valley where Heppner now stands.
Morrow and Heppner bought small
tract, laid it off into streets and built
a small box" storehouse, partition
separating the store portion from the
rear part, which was occupied by Mr..
Morrow's family for several years.
This building remained on that cor
ner and was used in the same line of
business until 1890, when it was re-
moved to make place for the Palace
Hotel, which is one of the best-known
and popular hostelries anywhere in
Central Oregon.
In 1870 a man named Spencer had
started store about 10 miles from
Willow Creek on Rhea Creek, but
soon discovered that he had made a
mistake in his guess. The head of
Willow Greek Valley was better To-
cation for the coming town, but Nor
row and Heppner had beat him to
it" so in the Fall of 1872 he moved
his stock to Heppner and bought the
opposite corner where the First Ma
tional Bank has been located for
more than 20 years.
One of the prominent first set
tiers" locating in that section was A.
Mallory, brother of Judge Rufus
Mallory, who arrived in Salem with
| his family from New York State in
the fall of 1868 He "Wintered' in
the Looney neighborhood south of
Salem, and in the Spring of 1853
went across the mountains on horse
back and decided that the prospect
for a splendid stock country was un-
surpassed at the head of Willow
Greek, and located five miles above
where Heppner is. In the Fall he re-
turned to the Willamette Valley and
took his family to the new Eastern
Oregon home in the Spring of 1870
except one daughter, who, in the
meantime, had concluded to become
the wife of John B. Looney, since
State Senator from Marion County
for eight years, and another who had
gone to the town of Union to teach
school and had favorably listened tC
the persuasive eloquence Of w. T
Wright to become his life partner
These wives and husbands are still
living, Mrs. Wright being the mother
of Will Wright, ex-State Bank Exam
iner and now connected with the
Scandinavian-American Bank of this
city.
Mr.. Mallory First Judge in Morrow
Mr. Mallory was appointed the frs
judge of Morrow County upon it,
creation by the legislature of 1885
and lived in Heppner until his deatl
few years ago.