The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1918-01-10
v. {. CUMMINGS BUYS
PARTNERS INTEREST
Man Who Was Among First Settlers
In Judith Basin Country, Belle
YES Morrow County Offers
Greatest Opportunity
To Wheat Raiser.

"This is a great country. this Nor
row county, and we have made money
since coming here four years ago."
said W. E. Cummings, west Heppner
farmer who was In town last Satur-
day.
Mr.. Cummings has Just closed a
deal for the purchase of the half in
terest Of his partner, R. T. Brown in
the Cummings-Bro ranch six miles
west of this city. The ranch consists
of 500 acres and Mr.. Cummings will
harvest grain from 600 acres next
fall.
Being among the first homestead
ers in the famous Judith Basin coun-
try In Montana, Mr.. Cummings can
relate many interesting incidents of
the early development of that section.
He went in there before the advent.
of the railroad and began breaking
ground on his homestead preparatory
to the first harvest.
One day while engaged in plowing,
Mr.. Cummings saw an automobil.
! approaching his place, the first auto
mobile he had ever seen. AS 1t drew
up to where he was working, a man
stepped from the car.
"How many acres do you own,"
asked the STANCE visitor, "and how
many acres are you plowing."
Mr.. Cummings told him he had ia
ken up homestead there and was
struggling under some difficulty.
After asking the young farmer who
and where his neighbors lived, the
man from the automobile said, ''Now
you men in here go ahead and plow
every acre you can and raise every
possible bushel of grain. I have left
considerable money down there in
town with your banker and he will
let you have any amount you may
need. There will be a railroad in
here before fall, so you will have no
trouble getting your grain to mar
ket."
Upon his departure the strange Wis
itor left word that his name was
James ]. Hill and that he was going
to build railroad through there to
the Pacific coast in few months.
Farmer Cummings nearly fell over
upon learning the identity of this ia
nous raidroad and empire builder.
But sure enough, the permanent sur
vey was put through by May of that
year and by October new townsite
had been laid off two miles from the
Cummings ranch and the farmers
hauled their grain from the fields di-
rect to the siding end loaded the
cars. From that time on, the devel-
opment of the Judith Basin country
was rapid. .
Owing to the failing health of Mrs.
Cummings, the family was forced to
seek lower altitude and they came
to Oregon, locating in Salem. They
lived in the Capitol City for eight
years and during that time, Mr.. Cum
mings said he had many opportuni.
: ties to invest in Willamette Valley
e land, but he thought the price per &C
g re entirely out of proportion to what
: could be produced on the land.
After Mrs. Cummings had rcgainet
h her health, they came to Morrow
k county and after four years of life or
: the farm here, they wouldn't live any
e where else. Mr.. Cummings believes
8 that this county offers the creates
opportunity today for a man whit
wants to make the most on his invest
ment. Low priced lands which pro
: duce as these do, and the low cost o
farming, makes 1t ecsy for man tt
l. get ahead.
e Mr.. Cummings at one time farme'
n in North Dakota and all grain wa
II handled in bulk there. He believe
: that is the only system for grail
IS handling and will adopt this metho
e next year.