Harney County OR

Pitcher, Carl Allen – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Carl Allen Pitcher, 70, of Nampa, Idaho, died Jan. 12 at home after a battle with cancer. Funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Kings Grace Church, 48 E. 18th St. in Junction City with the Rev. Gordon Johnson officiating. Burial will follow in the Gates Cemetery in Crow. A viewing will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Kings Grace Church in Junction City. Zeyer Funeral Chapel, 83 N. Midland Blvd. in Nampa is in charge of arrangements. Carl A. Pitcher was born on April 2, 1937, to Paul Franklin and … Read more

Biography of William L. Clark

Among the successful business men of Harney county is to be mentioned the gentleman named above, whose well known establishment of general merchandise at Lawen, where he has done business for some time, is one of the prosperous business houses of the county; and in addition to handling this, Mr. Clark has a hay farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which he attends to and also raises cattle, and also he has been a mail contractor of the interior of Oregon. William L. was born in Carroll county, Indiana, on April 3, 1845, being the son of Thomas and … Read more

Courtney, Doris Letha – Obituary

Doris Letha Courtney, 78, of Burns and formerly of Union and Wallowa counties died March 28. The funeral will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday April 1 at LaFollette Chapel, 332 W. Monroe St., Burns. Burial in the Burns Cemetery will be private. Mrs. Courtney was born Sept. 5, 1927, to John and Marjorie Miller in La Grande. She grew up in Cove on a dairy farm, and was a princess at the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show and the Elgin Stampede. She graduated from Cove High School in 1944, and attended Eastern Oregon College of Education before moving to Portland to … Read more

Oard, Albert G. “Al” – Obituary

Albert G. “Al” Oard, 84, a resident of Baker City, died June 17, 2005, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center. A private family celebration of life services will be held at a later date in the Burns Cemetery in Burns. Coles Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Al was born on Feb. 2, 1921, at Lawen to James and Clara Kesterson Oard. Their home was a ranch near Lawen, and Al attended the Crane and Drewsey grade schools. He was a 1938 graduate of Crane High School. He went on to college, attending Oregon State College at Corvallis from … Read more

Smith, Dorothy Mrs. – Obituary

Dorothy Smith, 85, of Unity, died July 30, 2005, at St. Elizabeth Health Care Center. Her graveside funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Helix Cemetery. Jack Pittman of the Baker City Christian Church will officiate. Dorothy was born on Aug. 23, 1919, at Burns. She was the valedictorian of her high school class at Entiat, Wash. She attended Washington State College and later earned a degree in education from Western Oregon University at Monmouth. She taught elementary school for many years at Nyssa, The Dalles and the Reynolds School District in Portland. She married Arthur W. Smith … Read more

Biographical Sketch of James P. Dickenson

James P. Dickenson has gained a good success in material things in Harney county since his advent here and is one of the substantial and leading stockmen and farmers to-day. He and his family have two good hay farms near the Narrows and also three near Lawen. These fine tracts of land return him annually large amounts of hay and give him opportunity to handle many head of stock. James P. was born in Grayson county, Virginia, on February 18, 1842, being the son of John and Rosa (Hale) Dickenson. He grew up on the farm and gained his education … Read more

Baldridge, Ruby Anna – Obituary

Imnaha, Wallowa County, Oregon A private family service was held for Ruby Anna Baldridge, 68, a longtime Central Oregon resident in earlier years that returned to Prineville nine months ago. She died Tuesday, June 19, 1984 at the Crook County Nursing Home. Mrs. Baldridge’s activities were centered largely in her home, but she had worked for a time as a hospital cook. She was married April 25, 1934 in Park Falls Wis. to Henry T. Baldridge, who survives. They moved to Oregon in 1938 and settled in Hines, where they lived for five years before moving to Prineville. They moved … Read more

Stafford, Craig J. – Obituary

Craig J. Stafford, 54, Glendale, a former Baker City resident, died of a heart attack on Oct. 11, 2007, at Glendale. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Burns Cemetery. Craig was born on Feb. 27, 1953, at Baker City to Ralph and Josephine Stafford. The family later moved to Burns. Craig was a graduate of Burns High School. He then attended college and became a teacher. Survivors include his sister, Jannette Manning and her husband, Raymond Manning; his sister, Teresa Whipple, and her husband, Bert Whipple; three nieces, Kristina, Carla and Crystal; two nephews, Michael and Aaron; … Read more

Biography of Melvin Fenwick

A true pioneer, a man of exemplary standing and life, possessed of capabilities and qualities of worth, the estimable gentleman of whom we now speak, is entitled to representation in the volume of Harney county’s history. His parents, Alexander and Nancy (Long) Fenwick, were natives to Kentucky, and his father crossed the plains to California in 1849. He was a blacksmith and carried his tools on a pack horse and wrought at his trade, shoeing horses, and so forth, all the way. In 1851 he returned via Panama, and with his wife and seven children he came in 1852 to … Read more

A Brief History of Harney County Oregon

Harney Valley, Harvey Lake, Harvey City successor to Harney Camp, Harney County, and lastly Harney land district were named in honor of General Harney, who, so traditions of the Harney country tell us, “had a brush with the Indians while guiding emigrants through the valley.” The general in 1890 acknowledged this comment to his early army days, in an autograph letter to the to “council of Harney City. In area the county which was organized in 1889, is larger than any one of the six New England states, with the single exception of Maine; the valuation of its taxable property … Read more

McCoy, Margaret Elizabeth Young – Obituary

La Grande, Oregon Margaret Elizabeth Young McCoy Margaret Elizabeth Young McCoy, 88, of La Grande died Feb. 2 at a local care center. A celebration of life will begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Loveland Funeral Chapel. Mrs. McCoy was born June 19, 1918, to Fred and Sarah (Monroe) Young in Crane. She moved to La Grande in 1921 with her family and grew up with her three sisters. The family operated the Young’s Ice House and Delivery, harvesting ice near Riverside Park. On April 3, 1935, she married Ralph McCoy. They farmed in the Mount Glenn area and, after … Read more

Biographical Sketch of George M. Stanclift

Surely the subject of this review has passed the various stages of all kinds of pioneer work, with its hardships, deprivations and dangers, while he has met each point with a calm determination to overcome and make his way through it all, which he has done in a most commendable manner, being now one of the stanch and upright men of Harney and one of its well-to-do citizens, having his home on one of the finest pieces of soil in central Oregon, the same being one hundred and fifty-three acre, one mile north from Burns, which forms the family home … Read more

Hagenbuch, Marvin Harold “Marty” – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Marvin Harold “Marty” Hagenbuch, 72, of Baker City, died Oct. 14, 2004. His graveside service was at 2 p.m. today at Mount Hope Cemetery. The Rev. Lennie Spooner officiated. There was a reception afterward at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene Fellowship Hall, 1250 Hughes Lane. Marty was born on Sept. 27, 1932, at Northampton County, Pa., to Paul M. and Ruth O. Kester Hagenbuch. He grew up in “Pennsylvania Dutch” country and was very proud of his German heritage. After graduating from high school in Pennsylvania, Marty served in the U.S. Air Force, which led … Read more

Miller, Dillie Marie – Obituary

Dillie Marie Miller, 94, of La Grande, died Oct. 7 at her home. A funeral service will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St. Burial will follow at the Grandview Cemetery. Dillie was born on Nov. 12, 1912, to Bird and Amanda (Rollins) Bennett in La Grande. She was educated in La Grande. On Oct. 16, 1929, she married Elmer T. Miller. They would have celebrated 78 years of marriage this month. During the early years of their marriage they lived in Burns before returning to La Grande in 1947. Those who knew … Read more

Biographical Sketch of George W. Cawlfield

This worthy gentleman is to be numbered with the younger men of Harney county who have attained a good success in the stock business here and who bid fair to gain much better in the future, judging by their faithful and wisely bestowed labors of the past. George W. was born in Johnson county, Kansas, on October 21, 1870, being the son of David A. and Abigil (Evans) Cawlfield. The father was a native of Tennessee, and went across the plains to California in an early day and then returned via Panama, after which for some time he acted as … Read more

Biographical Sketch of John W. Biggs

It is perfectly natural to admire pluck and ambition in a young man and this no doubt is one reason why he whose name heads this sketch has won so many friends during  silence in Oregon. He is of flint class who are opposed to leading the routine life of all unambitious citizens, but with the energy and enterprise characteristic of Young America when untrammeled with restraint, he seeks higher and nobler spheres of life, and looks forward to securing fame and fortune before being overtaken by old age. Mr. Biggs was born in Georgetown, Kentucky, in 1870, but moved … Read more

Biography of William Henry Canaday

It is fitting that in a work that purports to accord to the leading citizens of Harney county representation there should be special mention of the well known business man whose name heads this article and who has labored in our midst for a number of years, gaining a good success and making for himself a name and standing which are enviable. Madison Canaday was born in Hillsboro, Highland county, Ohio, on October 21, 1831, and when a boy went with his parent to Illinois and then to Iowa, whence they crossed the plains with ox teams in 1852. They … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Nathan Brown

The worthy pioneer and capable business man of whom we now have the privilege of speaking is one of the leaders in the business realm of Burns, being senior member of the firm of N. Brown & Sons, general merchants, who have one of the largest stocks in the county and do a mammoth business, being well established and highly esteemed by all. Mr. Brown was born in Germany, in January, 1835, and at the age of thirteen years came to America. In 1852 he came via Cape Horn to San Francisco, and thence to Oregon City, where he engaged … Read more

Deiter, Eugene “Gene” – Obituary

Eugene “Gene” Deiter, 66, died June 18, 2004, at his daughter’s home in Vancouver, Wash. He had been ill for the last few years. There will be a celebration of his life at 2 p.m. Saturday at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 349 South Egan in Vancouver, Wash. Gene was born on Oct. 17, 1937, at Rifle, Colo., to Edwin and Pearl Nichols Deiter. He attended grammar school in Colorado until 1949, when the family moved to Burns, where he continued his education. When he was 17, he joined the military and served during the Korean War. During his military … Read more

Ellis, Christopher John – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Christopher John Ellis, 38, of Silverton, a former Baker City resident, died April 25, 2004. A small family memorial service will be scheduled later. Chris was born on Aug. 21, 1966, at Portland and spent his early years in Medford. In 1978, the family moved to Silverton where he completed high school and was active in athletics, particularly baseball. He graduated from Eastern Oregon University at La Grande with a degree in accounting. He married Sami Baisley of Baker City, and moved to Burns to work as an accountant. He became a certified public accountant CPA, remained … Read more