The Dalles Chronicle February 23, 2003 Compiled by Elroy King. 20 Years Ago, February 23, 1983 The Washington state fire marshal's office has issued a report saying the fire that having damaged Lyle (Washington) high school was caused by arson and a $7,500 reward was posted to help find the person who set the fire. Duane Dormaier of the Yakima office of the fire marshal said today the fire was definitely arson, but added that any details relating to the exact cause of the fire were not being released. The fire did start in the faculty lounge of the school, he said. The fire was discovered at about 10:15 p.m. February 16 by a Klickitat County deputy. The Wasco County Court this morning granted a permit to the Rajneesh Foundation for a summer festival being planned for 15,000 people. An application was filed in January and has been under study since. Under state law, said District Attorney Bernie Smith, the court is required to issue the permit if it finds the health and safety rules are met. Some 60 to 70 people showed up for the meeting. 40 Years Ago, February 23, 1963 The Dalles First Lady of 1962, whose busy schedule has included untold hours devoted to projects for both young and old is Mrs. William Esson. Xi Zeta Exemplar Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi today announced the selection and also a public reception to be held in Mrs. Esson's honor Monday from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Fellowship Room at Gateway Presbyterian Church. Last year's district A-1 wrestling champion Prineville (Oregon) had a six point lead going into the semifinals and bunched within a two point spread were Bend, La Grande and Redmond. Prineville scored 26 points, followed by Bend with 20, La Grande 19 and Redmond 18. Other teams in order were MacHi, 14; Pendleton and hosting The Dalles, 11 each and Madras with nine. Four of the hosts 16 wrestlers were still in contention for berths in the state tournament. They are Joe Scholes, 106 pounds; Steve Lawrence, 157 pounds, Bob Kelly, and Tom Merron, both at 191 pounds. 60 Years Ago, February 23, 1943 City police last evening nabbed panhandlers who were found soliciting money on the local streets and locked them up for the night. They were booked on the police blotter as Charles Francis Shannon, 39, born in Wisconsin, and Richard O'Hearn, 37, born in Colorado. This evening they were given their choice of leaving town or serving time in the city jail. Both left town forthwith. 80 Years Ago, February 23, 1923 The Dalles high school basketball team scored its seventh straight victory of the season by defeating the Hood River (Oregon) high school players 51 to 13 on the Hood River floor last night. The local girls sextet won their third game of the year 26 to 18 against the Hood River girls. O. Mann was high point getter for The Dalles with 31 points, H. Van Orman and E. Mann divided honors for the rest. The Columbia hall farmers' union meeting held Wednesday was a real success, according to county agent C.W. Daigh. Orders were pooled for plow shares and harness leather, and arrangements were made to get in touch with all farmers unions and granges in the county to determine the number of grain sacks that will be needed for the harvest this year. A pool of funds will probably be arranged, as the sacks in all probability can be bought at a cheaper rate in quantity lots, Daigh said. 100 Years Ago, February 23, 1903 John Fitzgerald had another boarder at his hotel, which has been vacant for over a week. This time Chas. Wilson is in trouble. He got hilarious Saturday afternoon and after doing about $100 of damage at the Umatilla House, attempted to wipe the earth with Marshal Wood, who appeared on the scene. But this time he was fooled and soon lodged in jail. This morning he was arraigned before Justice Gates and his case is set for trial tomorrow. It certainly does look a little bad for The Dalles, for while Hood River is daily applying for marriage licenses, our city is just as often bobbing up serenely and asking for a divorce for some unhappy mortals. It must be Hood Riverites all move up this way when they get spliced. Saturday Roy Anderson and Ethel Mooney were granted a passport to glory, when along come "Justice" Gates and filed a complaint for divorce for Jennie Cook against Benj(i)min Cook. And so it goes. Written permission to reprint given by The Dalles Chronicle, The Dalles, Oregon Copied and submitted by Earline Wasser Member of Columbia Gorge Genealogical Society c/o The Dalles/Wasco County Public Library 722 Court Street The Dalles, Oregon 97058 http://community.oregonlive.com/cc/genealogy Browse http://historysavers.com/orwasco/for recently updated information regarding Wasco County Links are at the bottom of page http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant." Robert Louis Stevenson _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail