Missing pen remains a Columbia Basin Herald mystery

Over the next few weeks this column will highlight the contact Columbia Basin Herald Editor Ned Thomas had with the White House and President John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s. Today we continue with Thomas' own account of receiving the pen used to sign the final Columbia Basin repayment contract:

The following is the remainder of the remarks by Rep. Catherine May when presenting the pen with which President Kennedy signed the final Columbia Basin Repayment Contract:

"We know now that the Columbia Basin Project will ultimately be developed to its full potential to include irrigation of one million acres, twice its present size. This will mean more people, more business, more commerce, more income.

"I shall not go into a review of the long, hard and sometimes bitter fight we had on our hands to help bring about the approval of the three irrigation district contracts, because you already know this. I do want to offer my personal congratulations to all who had a hand in bringing about an equitable solution to the drainage and repayment problem.

"It was a pleasure for me to attend the signing ceremony at the White House and to receive from the President the pen he used in approving the East District contract. I wanted to bring the President's pen with me today because I believe it belongs to the people of the Columbia Basin Project.

"Unfortunately, I have but one pen and it was a problem for me in deciding to whom it should be presented. After all, no one individual was responsible for the efforts that led to agreement. Certainly the board of directors of the three Columbia Basin irrigation districts assumed great leadership, but there are three boards and one pen.

'"However, after having given some thought to the matter, the answer became clear. It seems to me that the greatest single continuing public service which led to the public understanding of the problems involved in the contract negotiations, the need for fair remedy, the need for unbiased presentation of facts, was carried out through the efforts of the news media of Columbia Basin area communities.

"The shining example of this is the Columbia Basin Herald of Moses Lake. Throughout the controversy that raged both locally and in Washington, D.C., the Columbia Basin Herald accomplished what at times seemed the impossible.

"They sifted fiction from fact and reported the latter. They minimized emotion and maximized the needs for fair solution consistent with law. Ned Thomas, editor of the Columbia Basin Herald; personally came to Washington, D.C. for hearings before congressional committees so that his newspaper could analyze the situation as it actually was and not as some people thought it should be.

"The Columbia Basin Herald has been a steadying beacon and without this newspaper's contribution to the future of the Columbia Basin Project I definitely feel the President would not have been able to use this pen to approve the form of the last of the three contracts.

"Ned Thomas and the Columbia Basin Herald have faith in the future of the Columbia Basin. And therefore, I am proud to present to Mr. Ned Thomas, to hold for public display as he deems appropriate, the pen used by President Kennedy in approving the form of the last of the three Columbia Basin District amendatory repayment contracts."

The pen is on display in the editor's office. If you want to see it in its original state hurry, as he fondles it so much he'll have it worn out in a week.

Dennis note: Now we have a mystery on our hands. Where is the pen? Over the years it has disappeared. Did Ned take it with him when he left? Does the museum have it and not know it? Of course, it should be at the museum for all Columbia Basin citizens to view.

From Jeni Roberts:

Another reminder: The Harvest Against Hunger program, serving throughout Washington State, has been asked to conduct a round table meeting with local farmers to get a wider view of the farmers perspective on hunger and food insecurity. I am conducting the one in our area on Thursday, March 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. and serving dinner.

Here is what the flyer stated: "Grant County Grower Round Table. A local gathering of growers to discuss how community members and hunger relief organizations can better support agricultural vitality and partner with farmers to feed Grant County and its surrounding communities.

"Conversation topics include partnerships of organizations and farmers; agriculture and community involvement and food, community and perspectives on hunger.

"March 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Moses Lake Food Bank, located at 1075 W. Marina Drive in Moses Lake. Dinner will be provided, but attendees are asked to RSVP to Jeni at 509-750-4566."

Plant a row for the hungry; seeds still available

Jeni Roberts has an office at the Moses Lake Food Bank. She has gumption and is full of resourcefulness. This young woman is from Iowa and, as part of her job, works on the plant a row for the hungry program. She wrote to several seed companies and received around 220 pounds of vegetable seeds.

Some of those seeds have found a home. However there are still seeds available for any gardener who is willing to share the vegetables coming from those seeds.

Here's what Jeni says about the program, "The idea is to actually plant a row of vegetables and bring the ripe vegetables to the food bank, But sharing some of the garden produce with a neighbor or family member is also acceptable."

Many Columbia Basin gardeners donate their excess produce to the food bank anyway, but here is an effort to tempt other gardeners to do the same, by offering free seeds.

Wilson Creek area history

The Rev. David H. Crawford compiled and published a history of families in and surrounding Wilson Creek titled, "Family Memories of Wilson Creek Area." The book was printed in 1978, which was the 75th anniversary of the town. David's son, John Crawford, has given permission for those memories to be a part of this column.

Today we continue the story of The Lindblad family by Frank Lindblad:

"That fall father hauled lumber from town and built a large shack we lived in that winter and which was used as a stable later when our new home was finished. That first winter was real mild and open, so father and we boys cleared and burned the sagebrush on the land and got it ready for crops."

Otto Lindblad helped neighbors lay out (survey) the first few miles of road leading from Wilson Creek to Hartline. Construction was by means of horse-drawn scrapers.

In 1917 the sons also used horse-drawn scraper during construction of the famous Claude Bennett Dam across Wilson Creek. This major structure and farm Mr. Bennett proudly called the Nile Valley Farm.

The brothers joined in the last round-up of wild horses in the Columbia Basin, saw the coming of the Russian thistle from unclean imported seed wheat and also saw the arrival of the jack rabbit when the Columbia River froze over at Pasco.

Grant County history

The Grant County Historical Society has compiled several volumes of Grant County history. The books are available for purchase at the Historical Society Museum gift shop in Ephrata.

I bought the series in 2009 and secured permission to relay some of the history through this column. Memories of Grant County, compiled from taped interviews by the Grant County Historical Society.

Today we continue the story of Wilson Creek by Cris Mordhorst, recorded Feb. 10, 1976:

Gordon Nicks asked me to talk about the earlydays of Wilson Creek and the Mordhorst family when we came. We were poor people when we came and still are, for that matter, but a lot better off than then for I didn't have a suit like this.

Anyway I told him I thought perhaps we should go back a little farther because my wife and her sister came out on an immigrant train in 1901. So he asked if I would say something about the immigrant train coming to Wilson Creek in 190l.

I'd like for my wife and her sister to stand if you will. They are the only ones here who came on this train. I have a picture here of the people, and most of them came on this train. They came from Jackson County, Minnesota.

They weren't 11 Swedes, but it does make me think of the story of George Rosenberg used to like to tell because they were Swedes and his mother thought there was no one like Swedes. He used to tell the story about Minneapolis and St. Paul, the twin cities, and he always told it to torment his mother.

I've changed my mind a lot in the years, but I know my Dad used to bother me a lot by telling me that we, Swedes, were just as good as other people as long as we behaved ourselves. At that time, I thought the Swedish people were superior, but now I think God made us all. I think we'll all have a place in Heaven, just so we accept Christ.