Filling In The Blanks....The Search for Josiah Thomas Boothby (Part 3)

 

  

   I came across a genealogy quote several months ago that goes like this...."We don't own our family history.  We simply preserve it for the next generation".  It is attributed to the writer and personal historian Rosemary Alva.  It perfectly sums up the WHY  of all the stories on this blog! Our family stories are powerful and have shaped our lives in so many ways.  Even the stories that we may have lost and forgotten in just a few generations.  I don't want them forgotten. That's why I research and write.  To share and then preserve them for the next generations. Some stories have been easy to write, and some have taken more effort and time to tease out...

L: Photograph of Josiah Thomas Boothby taken in Lexington, Oregon, probably around the time he married Lillie Mae Hayman Horner in 1898.

  The latter part of J. T.'s life (after he married Lillie Mae) has slowly been taking shape over the last few years. Our visit to central Oregon in October took me to the Sherman County Historical Society/Museum in Moro, where I was able to spend some time looking up any information there was on the Boothby, Hayman and Horner families in Kent and Grass Valley at the turn of the century.  The volunteers were a great help and I did find quite a few tidbits of information! 

 The front of the Sherman County Historical Society and Museum located in Moro, Oregon.  Photograph by Patti Alden October 9, 2025.

The Museum mural depicting life in Sherman County, Oregon. Past and Present.  Photograph by Patti Alden October 9, 2025

  Josiah Thomas has been a shadowy figure to me, making the writing of his story more difficult. There are just three photographs of J.T. that have been handed down in the family.  There are no surviving photographs of him with his three boys Tommy, Sterl and Harold. The last photograph that was taken was of Josiah and Lillie Mae in either 1914 or 1915 before Josiah's death.  

R: Lillie Mae and Josiah Thomas 

Photograph taken in The Dalles either 1914 or 1915. 

  

     From my previous research I knew that in 1900 Josiah Thomas and Lillie Mae were living in Lexington, Oregon and were both listed on the census that year as being farmers.  J.T.'s father, Josiah Stewart Boothby, was a cattle and wheat farmer in the area and sold his land to J.T. and Lillie Mae after their marriage. The land was where the Lexington airport now exists (The Bunchgrassers A History of Lexington Morrow County, Oregon Copyright Sam G. McMillan, 1974 pg. 92) 

Their first son Thomas Josiah (Tommy) was born in Lexington in November of 1898. The Heppner flood occurred in 1903 causing devastation and economic hardship in both Heppner and Lexington which may have played a part in the Boothby's move from the area. 

  Sometime between 1900 after the census was taken  and 1906 Josiah moved his family to Sherman County in central Oregon. Lillie Mae's father Martin Hayman also made the move with them.  My visit to this area helped put the move in perspective.  People began moving to towns such as Grass Valley, Kent, Wilcox, Moro and Wasco because the Columbia Southern Railroad was built through this area starting in 1898.  Josiah and Lillie Mae probably saw the potential the railroad brought as did the many farmers moving into the area.  They began to take advantage of the fertile soil and climate to plant thousands of acres of winter wheat using the dryland farming method. The railroad boosted the local economy as livestock (sheep and cattle) and wheat could be shipped out by rail and then taken down the Columbia River to Portland. Incidentally, Josiah's father Josiah Stewart had promoted opening up the Columbia to give farmers better freight rates when he served in the Oregon State Legislature in 1894. 

L:  A barge making its way down the Columbia River passed our campground one sunny morning. Photograph taken on the Maryhill, Washington side of the river (across from Biggs, Oregon) by Patti Alden October 5, 2025. 

 Construction of dams and locks to bypass rapids allowed the era of barge traffic to begin.  It continues today.  Thank you Josiah Stewart Boothby!

R: A large grain elevator located next to the Sherman County Historical Museum

Photograph by Patti Alden October 9, 2025

 Josiah Thomas Boothby continued his occupation as a wheat farmer when he moved his family to Kent and then Grass Valley at the turn of the century.  So what is dryland wheat farming exactly? 

Dryland wheat farming was not for the faint at heart at the turn of the century...life was defined by extreme labor, reliance on animal power and the gamble of farming with limited rainfall.  Farmers adopted a "summer-fallow" cycle to maximize moisture, growing crops only every other year to let the soil regain moisture. The stored moisture during the fallow year was used to germinate the wheat seed when it was planted the second year. Rainfall the second year supported the crop during the growing season. Annual precipitation in Grass Valley:  12 inches. 

Sherman County Historical Museum visit October 8, 2025

  The Sherman County Historical Museum does a wonderful job visually explaining the history and development of the area.  It is even a national award winning museum noted for its exceptional contributions to the preservation of local history!   If you ever find yourself in Moro, Oregon, it is well worth visiting.  The volunteers are welcoming and love sharing information about the area. 

  I visited the Museum a second day to concentrate on researching the Society's records and family genealogies. They are housed in the same building.  I was able to put together a timeline for the Boothby family in Kent and Grass Valley from 1906-1915 and get a sense of what it may have been like living in this area at the turn of the century. 

   I know the Boothbys were in Kent by 1906, as Lillie Mae's father Martin Hayman died on June 24, 1906 and was buried in the Wilcox Cemetery.   He was working at the Kent Hotel in town, but his obituary stated that he died at the home of his daughter Lillie Mae.  We drove by the cemetery on the way up Highway 97.  There is no pull out off the highway and the cemetery is located on private property.  All I could do was wave to my great great grandfather as we passed by. But I know he is there. 

The Wilcox-Observer Cemetery (Old Kent Cemetery) located 2 1/2 miles south of Kent, Oregon off U.S. Highway 97. Private Property.  Martin Hayman's burial site is unmarked. www.shermancountyoregon.com

  

       Kent was established near the turn of the century and was located on the Columbia Southern Railway branch line on what is now Highway 97.  It served as a grain shipping hub and had a population of 205 by 1905.  The Boothbys were living "3 miles west of Kent" when my grandfather Sterl was born on January 17, 1907.  Josiah was 50 years old and Lillie Mae was 37. 

   

Metsker Maps "Metsker Map of Sherman County" Special Collections and Archives Research     Center   https://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/omeka/items/show/29551  1934. 

 This gives you a good idea of the area that the Boothby family lived and worked in.  

  Josiah moved his family north to Grass Valley by 1908 as little Tommy Boothby attended school there beginning in 1908 to 1913. Harold Glenn Boothby was born September 18, 1908.  There was also a notice of the marriage of Ceola May Horner (Lillie Mae's daughter from her first marriage) to Willard C. Heyler in 1908 "December 30, 1908 Willard C. Heyler and Ceola May Horner at the home of Mr. Boothby". Sherman County Marriages Book B 1906-1938 Part 1 .   Ceola was still part of the Boothby household before her marriage, as were her younger brothers Harry and Clyde Dale Horner. 

The Heyler family was very active in the community of Kent where they had a large ranch to the south,  and Willard also leased land in Grass Valley next to the wheat fields of Josiah.  His oldest sister MaryJane died in 1908 on the ranch from wounds sustained after she shot at a coyote in her chicken coop and the shotgun backfired. She was transported by wagon to the train in Wilcox, put on a mattress and taken by train to The Dalles but died from infection. Wilber Heyler killed a 112 pound black bear east  of Kent in 1924 and the meat was cooked for a community supper. Heyler grandchildren were still living on the ranch as late as the 40's and 50's. Sherman County: For The Record Vol. 21 No. 2 Fall 2003

 

Ancestry.com

  By the 1910 Census the Boothby family was still living in Grass Valley and Josiah leased land from O.P. King.  He was assessed $1,380 in taxes in 1910.  There is a very large blown up map in the museum that is a copy of the 1913 indexed map of Sherman County shown above. Josiah's property is there, along with the Heyler property next door. 

Standard Atlas Of Sherman County Map of 1913 display. Sherman County Historical Museum Photo by Patti Alden October 9, 2025

A close up of the 1913 map showing the land that J.T. Boothby leased and farmed.  I circled his land in red.  The land circled in blue was leased by Willard Louis Heyler. 

Working on a wheat farm in central Oregon must have been challenging for J.T. and Lillie Mae.  By 1910 the family consisted of Josiah, Lillie, Tommy (10 years old), Sterl (3 years old) and Harold (1 year old).  Harry Horner still lived with the family and was 17 years old.  Clyde Dale was 14 years old.  I can imagine the older boys must have had chores at home taking care of the livestock before dawn and after dusk, gathering water from the well, or helping their mother with harder tasks.  Ceola was married by this time, so Lillie Mae was home taking care of the younger boys as well as managing a house and probably a small garden and poultry. She was also a seamstress, so she most likely made everyone's clothes or was at least constantly mending them!

  Between 1911 and 1912 Harry Horner taught at the Liberty School as an 18 year old.  The school was first called German Settlement School because of the many German families who settled there. It had 42 students in 1906, so by 1911 Harry may have had his hands full.  The school's name was changed later to "reflect the circumstances of the first World War".  It was located at the head of Mule Canyon NW of Kent and was near the proximity of the current Liberty Lane in Grass Valley. 

shermancountyoregon.com

Sherman County Schools From the Collections of Grace Zeverly compiled by Sherry Kaseberg Sherman County: For The Record Vol. 20 pages 2, 30

 

"Our Combine at Grass Valley 1911"

from Sterl Boothby's Album 

Identified as a Holt Ground Power Harvester with 25-30 horses by the docent at the museum October 9, 2025. Those bags of grain weighed 120 lbs each and wheat was sacked in the field and then hand carried to wagons.  Crews of 20 or more men were needed for harvesting, so harvest time was a community event with neighbors helping neighbors. Modern harvest crews consist of 3 people and a modern combine which can harvest 120 acres a day as opposed to 35 acres a day at the turn of the century. 

R: Grass Valley Methodist Church photograph by Patti Alden October 8, 2025

Harry Richard Horner  married Mabel Young in this church in 1914.  Mable had been born in Kent in 1896. 

Sherman County Marriages Book B (1906-1938) Part 2 (1913-1921)

  By 1914, Josiah was looking at buying orchard property in Rufus, Oregon next to the Columbia River. The family had moved to The Dalles sometime after 1911 and were living in this home.  He was probably done with wheat farming.  He became ill with stomach cancer and passed away in Portland on October 11, 1915. The family's life would change after his early death. He was only 59 years old.  

From Sterl Boothby's Album. 

    Josiah was fondly remembered in his obituary: 

"Josiah Thomas Boothby, who was taken to Portland for an operation for cancer, passed away Monday at 1 p.m., and The Dalles lost one of her most respected and valuable citizens.  Mr. Boothby was 59 years of age.  For many years he had been a resident of this city.  In 1898 he was married to Lily May Hayman and from this union there were born three children, Thomas Josiah, aged 16; Kenneth Sterl, aged 9; and Harold Glen, aged 7.  The names of his step children are, Marion Horner of Oakland, Cal., Mrs. Ceola Heyler of Sheridan, Ore., Harry Horner of Kent, Ore., and Clyde Horner of The Dalles; also two grandchildren, children of Mrs. Heyler.  Mr. Boothby also leaves to mourn his loss a brother, John, and, his step mother of Lexington, Ore.  

 

 Mr. Boothby was a man who loved his family and always labored diligently to provide for them and make his home a happy one.  He made no distinction between his own children and his step children, but seemed to possess that rare spirit that made him love those about him and made them all love him.  Good cheer and sympathy was felt wherever Thomas Boothby was.  He was a good husband and loss is felt keenly by those who love him so dearly.  

  All The Dalles sympathize deeply with the family in their bereavement.  The funeral services were conducted from the Christian Church, the Rev. Leon L. Myers officiating. Taken from The Dalles Weekly Chronicle." 

    Life in central Oregon was not an easy one.  Harry Horner and his wife Mable stayed through the 1920's and buried twin boys and a little girl in the Kent IOOF Cemetery before they left for Coquille on the coast.   The railroad pulled out in the 1930's sending Kent and Grass Valley into economic declines.  Kent is now considered a ghost town and Grass Valley's population has dwindled considerably.  The wheat fields are still there, but are now dotted with huge turbines taking advantage of the constant wind.  Enormous green and shiny John Deer harvesters dot the landscape these days instead of Holt Ground Power harvesters needing 30 horses to pull. One thing I did learn from the elderly docent at the museum was that his family is still farming the same land that Josiah leased from O.P. King in 1910!  Amazing! 

  Wind, storms and time tend to fade the existence of those who came before us.  Some of this family history was lost after Josiah died. I have been searching for awhile, and I think I have completed his story!  His sons grew up without a father figure but Josiah's  strong work ethic, resilience, persistence, high standards and above all love for family shaped his sons' lives after he was gone.  I know for a fact Lillie Mae also encouraged these traits in her boys as they grew up.  It is wonderful to see that these attributes have been passed down for several generations and have shaped my life as well.  

   

  Genealogy isn't just about a census here or a birth certificate there.  Visiting this area gave me a deep appreciation for what hardships my ancestors endured and what landscape they saw every day. I have added another puzzle piece to our Boothby family. 

    I love this part of Oregon.  It is in my DNA.  I will be sharing the Boothby family story with the museum in the near future so they have a more complete history on file for anyone else looking for Josiah Thomas Boothby. 

An old farm house on a ranch for sale at 93190 Liberty Lane, Grass Valley, Oregon.  Only $975,000 for 1,184 acres!  The house may need some updating...  

https://northwestranchgroup.com/listings/liberty-lane-farm-for-sale/

 Relationship Reference:

Me->Dale Richard Boothby->Sterl Kenneth Boothby->Josiah Thomas Boothby m. Lillie Mae Hayman Horner

     

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 22 In the Military: Decoration Day Musings and Josiah S. Boothby's Request for a Civil War Pension in 1882

   This faded photo is of my Great Great Grandfather on my paternal side, Josiah Stewart Boothby. It was probably taken around 1894 when he served in the Oregon State Legislature in Salem, Oregon.  I have written several stories of his life in Heppner and Lexington Oregon around the turn of the century, but the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing prompt for this week brought me back to his story, and specifically to his Civil War military experience.  And since it is Memorial Day today as I write this, I also wondered about the origins of our current Memorial Day.  I learned some things I never knew! 

  Memorial Day was originally known as "Decoration Day" and originated in the years following the Civil War.  It officially became a federal holiday in 1971.  The Civil War ended in the spring of 1865 and had claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history.  The result was the creation of the country's first national cemeteries, where, by the late 1860's, various towns and cities began holding springtime tributes to fallen soldiers.  Flowers were laid on graves and prayers were recited. 

A woman visits the grave of William LeQuek in Woodlawn National Cemetery on Decoration Day in the 19th century. Photo courtesy of the LOC/cecildaily.com

  Some records show that one of the earliest commemorations was organized by a group of formally enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865.  They memorialized Union soldiers who perished at a makeshift prison at the Washington Racehorse and Jockey Club in Charleston by giving the soldiers a proper burial (they exhumed their bodies from the mass grave behind the grandstands and reburied them in a new cemetery).  On May 1, 1865, they then organized a parade around the racetrack, as black children carried bouquets. This  was organized a year before other U.S. cities began their observances, and three years before the first national observance.  This is a fascinating story and the author David W. Blight published a book in 2001 called Race and Reunion The Civil War in American Memory detailing his findings.  Even then, the memories of the war began to become segregated and this poignant story was eventually lost to the majority of the country.  

https://www.history.com/news/memorial-day-civil-war-slavery-charleston

  

   This is the pension record of Josiah Boothby (US Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1943 Ancestry.com). At the time he was married to his second wife, Susan Jane Yates Boothby, who received a pension as a widow after Josiah's death in 1905.  Josiah's experience in the war left him with failing health that would effect him for the rest of his life.  I found his affidavit on a webpage put together by a Boothby cousin (sersale.org).   She transcribed the letter as it was written, poor spelling and all. The transcribed letter now can be found on Josiah's Find A Grave memorial. 

   Josiah had served in the 7th Regiment, Missouri Infantry with Company F under Captain William B. Collins.  His obituary  states that he also served under Colonel Stevens, General Logan and General Grant, and that he participated in 22 regular battles.  The obituary states that 1,200 men started out in his regiment and about 134 officers and men were left when the was ended.  Part of his service was at the battle, capture and siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi in the spring of 1863.  

  His petition describes his illnesses as pleurisy, scurvy, diarrhea and then kidney and bladder infections.  It is hard to imagine the hardships these soldiers had to endure on and off  the many battlefields during the war.  Was serving in this war worth it to him? I often wonder what Josiah's motivation was for joining the Union army.  Was he politically motivated with an interest in preserving the Union? Did he even have antislavery views?  He was living in Willow Springs, Kansas in July of 1860 (Year: 1860; Census Place: Willow Springs, Douglas, Kansas Territory; Page: 137) and was 37 years old.  He was working as a farmer.  There was a severe drought in 1860, and the drought led him to Alexandria, Missouri where he and his family lived until the outbreak of the war in 1861.  I did some quick research on Willow Springs during the 1860's and learned that it was also the home of Methodists, Quakers and the German Brethren who took an early stand against slavery. Perhaps he carried his community's beliefs with him to Missouri.  So, whatever his motivation, he was mustered in on June 1, 1861 (U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 Ancestry.com) and fought for the Union.  

  (https://www.kshs.org/preserve/pdfs/douglascounty_willowsprings.pdf)

Josiah's petition for Civil War benefits in his own handwriting.  Shared by Mimi Boothby (sersale.org)

   Here is the transcription of Josiah's petition for a pension, written after the letter from his commanding officer (below) (transcription done by sersale.org)......

Independence Polk County Oregon

December 17th, 1882

Hon Comitioner of Pentions.

The first Sickness I had while in the Service. was, westren Mo. it was plurice in left side. was teated by the rigtmantle surgon.  That was December 61.  May 1862 while Camped neared Corinth Miss. was taken down with Chills and fever and Camp Direah. was treated in Camp Hospitle by the regt Surgon in about too weekes got well enouhf to go to my Company. in 1863 while on the march around Vixburge and near rayon Miss. about the first of May of that yeare. was taken with Dierah and Scurvey kept on duty until I gave out completely breaking down in my back.  Was taken to field Hospitle Stade thare for Several dayes don't remmeber but think Som ten dayes.  The surgon Said my kidneys and Blader was badly afected. and wanted to Send me to a Hospitle Boat.  I told him I thought that I wold com around all rite in a few days.  So he let me go to my companey.  I did not think at the time that I had Contracted a lifetime disease.  I lost all my teath in cocequence of the Scurvey.  Tho I hav not Said aney thing about the Scurvy in making out my Claim for a Pention.  Soon after the capture of Vixburg I had a nother atact of the Same Complaint of kidneys as before. was treated in my one tent. by the regtmat Surgon.  From that on untill I was Discharged from the Survis.  was treated a number of times in my one regtmental Quarters. as time wore on from the time I was Discharged until the presant time has bin groing worse. as I grow older I Cant remember the names of aney of my regtmatal surgons.  Tho the last one. was a hired Sitasan Surgon. I hav tride to giv the Departmant as Presisie acount of the times and pases of MY Direant Sickness as my Best recolection would Serve me. 

Very Truly youre obediant Survant

 Josiah S. Boothby

"This is a letter from his commanding officer.  The spelling was better, but his handwriting is awful"  (sersale.org).....

State of Iowa; Lee County

I WBCollins having been duly sworn on my oath say I am the same WBCollins who was Captain Company "F" 7th Mo fifth fols(?) and am personally and ultimately acquainted with Josiah S Boothby late of said Company "F" 7th Regt Mo fols(?) and now I understand the said Boothby resides in Independence Oregon that on or about the 5th day of May A.D. 1863 the said Boothby while in the field was taken down with affection of disease of the kidneys and bladder and as I now remember was prior to that time a few days complaining and left the Company and regiment then in the field near Raymond Mississippi. that said disease as I believe was brought about the the exposure incident to the Campaign.  that I was in command of said Company at that time and remember of this severe sickness but do not remember the details and particulars thereof or of the length of time he was absent from the company-that when he enlisted he was apparently stout and healthy.  That I have no interest in his application for pension and reside at Keokuk Lee County, Iowa

  WB Collins

Subsented and sworn to before me WB Collins this 1st day of July AD 1880 whom I certify to be the identical person he represents himself to be as I believe from his appearance and statements and have no interest in the above application for pension witness my hand and seal of official

SS James

Clerk of District Court

in and for Lee County Iowa

Josiah Stewart Boothby's Death Certificate (Ancestry.com).  He died from uremia caused by degenerated kidneys (chronic kidney disease) in 1905. 

    I will write more on Josiah's life in another blog post. But for today, it is enough to reflect on his military service and sacrifice as I also think about the many nuanced origins of  Decoration Day.  He did not lose his life during this conflict (we honor those who have lost their life in service on Memorial Day) but  he certainly paid with his health.  He died in 1905 after end stage kidney disease which also caused him to lose his eyesight.  He lived to be 81 years old.  

  Decoration Day was begun to help our nation heal its wounds from the War.  People told and retold their own stories, honored fallen heroes and reconciled with former enemies.  On this day, May 31, 2021, at this moment in history, let's remember to listen to everyone's stories. 

Relationship Reference: Me->Dale Boothby->Sterl Boothby->Josiah T. Boothby->Josiah Stewart Boothby

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 8 Theme: Power Josiah S. Boothby and the Heppner Flood 0f 1903

The town of Heppner, Oregon during the flood of  14 June, 1903 

National Weather Service Public Domain picture

  The theme for this week's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is Power.  I have chosen to explore the power of water and the Heppner Flood of 1903. 

  The power of moving water can be harnessed for many useful purposes when it can be managed carefully.   Moving water  has helped operate mechanical devises such as gristmills and sawmills for thousands of years.  It helped usher in the Industrial Revolution in Britain. Water in canals could be used to move goods and people long distances. Hydraulic mining during the Gold Rush era used high pressure jets of water to dislodge rock to then extract gold.  Even tidal power can be harnessed to generate electricity.  

  Sadly the power of water can be  responsible for a great deal of destruction when it is uncontrolled.  This is the story of the neighboring  towns of Heppner, Lexington and Ione Oregon on the 14th of June, 1903.  My paternal Great Great Grandfather, Josiah Stewart Boothby, was living in Lexington at that time working as a rancher and farmer.  I had no idea that this area endured so much devastation until I began my research into this side of the family.   The death toll was 247 souls and remains the deadliest natural disaster in Oregon history, and the second deadliest flashflood in the United States, behind the 1889 Johnstown flood  and ahead of the 1972 Black Hills flood.  The flood caused over $600,000 in damage, equivalent of $17 million dollars today (Wikipedia Heppner Flood of 1903).  

  

 The Heppner Gazette 18 June, 1903

  The town of Heppner is located in eastern Oregon, just south of US-84 and the Columbia River.  It lies in a small, tight valley that contains a small little stream that drains into the Columbia River.  Willow Creek is about ankle deep, and can even run dry during the summer.  However, on June 14, there was an exceptionally strong thunderstorm which dumped torrential rain and hail on the watershed of Willow Creek.  Within 15 minutes, smaller streams emptied into Willow Creek, which in turn sent water towards Heppner, which at that time had about 1,500 residents.  The rain and hail were so loud most people took shelter inside their homes, contributing to the death toll. It is thought that the rattle of hail masked the roar of the muddy water, trees, cattle and buildings that came down the canyon and into town.  The water was so powerful it picked up dozens of occupied houses and moved them downstream.  A third of the town of Heppner was gone, as well as a quarter of its population in a very short period of time. Excerpt from the Heppner Gazette....

"Words cannot express the horror, the awful destruction.  Entirely helpless, from the hillsides, the survivors watched the terrible waters take there course. To attempt to battle the great waves meant only suicide without being able to accomplish anything."

"This city is a heap of ruins. Twisted tree trunks against which are piled masses of wreckage mark the residence districts. Scattered throughout this wreckage and the bruised and distorted bodies of the dead..."

 "...the large two story residence building of T. W. Ayres left its foundation and swung around into May Street and crashed into and lodged on some wooden buildings just back of the Palace Hotel....Mr. Ayres was at the power house and his family was at home, when the building started. The family ran upstairs and were rescued when the building stopped ...the family came down on a ladder and were taken out uninjured." 

"Phil Cohn, whose family was out of town, was at home and asleep when the flood struck his house, he stayed with the building until it went to pieces and for a mile he clung to the wreckage, going under a half a dozen times or more, and was finally able to crawl out more dead than alive in W. O. Minor's alfalfa field." 

  The little town of Lexington, where Josiah Boothby lived, was down stream of Heppner.  The telegraph and telephone lines were out, so Lester Matlock and Bruce Kelly rode their horses down the valley, racing the moving water, and warned the ranchers and residents of Lexington and Ione of the approaching disaster.  Lexington was badly damaged, but Ione escaped any destruction.  When the flood had gone, it was apparent what force the water had.  These are excerpts from another local paper, talking specifically about Lexington, Oregon. 

"Fifty men were at work this morning breaking away the piles of trash expecting at any moment to come across the body of some unfortunate who went down in the flood. Yesterday morning, the body of an elderly lady, the wife of ex-judge Keithly, was found in Andrew Rainey's field two miles below Lexington. Mrs. Keithly was in Heppner when the flood came. As Heppner is nine miles from Lexington, it can be readily seen what force the water must have had to carry a body that distance.

  The paper also listed monetary damages suffered by its residents...

"B. M. Booher, one of the prettiest cottages and finest orchards in Lexington, $1,500 ; W. J. Davis, orchards and gardens ruined, $2,000;  J. S. Boothby $1,500 across the creek; Mrs.  Penland, owner of the principal portion of the townsite and several orchards up the creek, will loose $8,000......while some of these figures seem small it means everything to the poor unfortunates. Their all is gone. In many cases not even the soil is left in fit condition to cultivate.  Rocks are embedded in the slime, which covers the land to the depth of 12 to 20 inches." 

Willow Creek dam above the town of Heppner,  constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1981 to prevent further destructive flooding. 

   In 2003, a three-panel stone monument was placed in the town of Heppner to mark the 100th anniversary of the disaster. The monument also lists the names of the victims of June 14, 1903. 

  

  The present day Community Bible Church in Lexington, Oregon.  It was originally the Methodist Episcopal Church when Josiah Boothby and his family attended, and is best known for being swept off its foundation during the Heppner flood of 1903.  It rode the flood tide down the street and crashed into the Congregational Church.  It was retrieved, replaced and restored and continues to serve the community at its original site. 

 Josiah Stewart Boothby died in 1905, just two years after the disaster.  He was buried in the Penland Cemetery.  I have to think that this event had a profound effect on his health and his family.  His monetary losses were substantial.  My Great Grandfather, Josiah Thomas, was also living and working as a farmer in Lexington in 1900 with his wife Lillie Mae Hayman Boothby.  They had a home there with Lillie's four children by her first marriage (Ciola, Harry, Clyde and Marion), as well as Thomas Josiah Boothby, their first born together.  Although he is not listed with other town members as having lost a home or property, it took the town quite a long time to rebuild the railroad bed and other damaged infrastructure to enable it to function economically as it did before 1903.  By 1910 my Great Grandfather  was farming in Grass Valley, Oregon, so he may have not been able to make a living  in Lexington to support his growing family.   Lexington remains a very quiet little town today, with a population of a little over 200 people, up from 185 in 1910.  Residents are mainly sheep and cattle ranchers, and wheat farmers.