1946: Local fire department deals with a busy week as three blazes erupt in town

---

95 years ago

January 14, 1926

When William R. Moore and Kennedy Euston in their Studebaker special six, and Alonzo T. Wright in his Chevrolet touring car, crossed the McKenzie pass Sunday, it marked an unusual date in the history of the McKenzie pass. Never before, so far as can be ascertained, has an automobile made its way through the deep snow at this time of the year. The Studebaker car broke the trail for the two lighter cars, the Chevrolet and an Oldsmobile coach from Bend.

Although the snow has drifted in various places, five feet of snow is now on the lava beds and on the summit of the pass, according to the drivers. They report the slope on the other side of the pass rather dangerous because of the boulders.

75 years ago

January 17, 1946

Members of the Prineville Volunteer fire department have had a busy week, with three alarms since last Friday. The first in the series came Friday afternoon when a gas engine being thawed at the new Ochoco grade school flared up and the flames threatened the scaffolding where the new gymnasium is under construction. This fire was quickly extinguished without much damage being done.Monday evening, an alarm was turned in from the L.G. Van Schoiack home at the corner of East Seventh and Nichols, where fire had spread from an overheated chimney. There was no one home at the time, the fire was confined to the attic, and was extinguished with little water damage.The third fire in the series came Wednesday afternoon in a two-room house on the Crooked river road below Prineville on the west side of the river. The city's new tank truck supplied extra water for use on this fire, and while the building was badly damaged, the walls and roof were saved.

50 years ago

January 14, 1971In its first full session, the new Prineville City Council met for over two hours Tuesday night to consider several items on a relatively heavy agenda.

Paul Rowan approached the council to ask for their consideration to allow him to use the city streets and alleys to bring cable television into the city.

25 years ago

January 9, 1996

Crook County Sheriff's deputies arrested 25 minors late Friday night at a beer party on Congelton Hollow Road near Paulina.

Sherriff Rodd Clark said his office had received information late Friday afternoon that a party was being planned in the Paulina area. Shortly before midnight, the party was located about five miles from Paulina, and arrests were made.

Wheeler County Sheriff's officers arrested a Prineville man and his female companion last week, shortly after they had allegedly broken into a remote cabin.

Sheriff's deputies were called to a Rowe Creek Road residence by Zack Keys. They were told that Keys had watched the suspects driving two pick-up trucks onto his property.Keys and several family members and friends blocked the suspects' only escape route out of the canyon. Keys told the officers that he recognized belongings from the cabin in the back of one of the trucks. Deputies confronted the subjects at gunpoint and made the arrests without incident.