History of Castle Rock
By Curt Cunningham

The Oregon town of Castle Rock was located 5 miles upstream from the Boulder ferry and 6 miles downstream from Boardman. The town was named for a natural rock formation that stood 40 feet high among the sand and sage brush, and from the river it looked like a castle to the passengers passing by on the old riverboats. Castle Rock was originally just a steamboat landing which was used by the people of Heppner and the surrounding area in the 1870's. During the spring of 1883 the O. R. & N. completed its line to Portland and established a station at Castle Rock.

After the railroad came through, a town began to form and on June 24, 1883 the Castle Rock Record was established. On July 19, 1883 the town was officially platted. On August 3, 1883 a post office was opened in the general store. The new town of Castle Rock was to become an important shipping point for wool and wheat brought in from the farmers and ranchers of the area to be shipped out on the railroad, and for supplies and machinery coming in with the majority of the cargo bound for Heppner. This situation would last for 5 short years. This was because the O. R. & N. completed its Heppner branch in 1888. This ended the dreams of those who wanted the town to become an important shipping point.

An article in the May 11, 1883 edition of the Willamette Farmer said that because of the railroad, towns would spring up along the Columbia river among the sand hills and under the bluffs all the way from The Dalles to the Snake river. One of the new aspirants for name and fame was Castle Rock. In 1883 a county road was surveyed from Heppner to Castle Rock. The road followed the divide between Willow creek and Butter creek, past the well known Tub Wells, which was on the old emigrant road, and then it came down naturally to terminate at Castle Rock.

The country around Heppner, between the Blue mountains and the railroad, has a great extent of arable lands that was quickly settled due to the new railroad. The town of Castle Rock, commanded the position as the natural outlet, and profited by its favorable location. Willard Herren, son of W. J. Herren, of Salem mills, had moved there in 1883. He built a commodious warehouse and acted as an agent for the O. R. & N. Co., and he kept a good stock of goods. The Farmer in the 1883 article said they would be looking for heavy shipments of wool from there that season and the paper would watch with interest to see what the outcome would be.

Castle Rock News Items of December 1883

Over the years the Heppner Gazette ran a column about news items that came out of Castle Rock and the other small towns in Morrow county. On December 13, 1883 the Gazette said that several new buildings were under construction in Castle Rock, and a school house was being planned. Daniels and Herren had just received a large stock of first class lumber for a store. Willard Herren and J. H. Forsyth were the early merchants of Castle Rock and they said that trade was "particularly flattering." During the month of November 1883 about 200,000 pounds of merchandise was received at the train station for the merchants of Castle Rock.

The saloon was run by John D. Locknane and was called "The Arcade." That week in December he received a shipment of wine and liquors. It was reported that Thanksgiving was properly observed by all and a good supply of turkeys was brought into town by an enterprising farmer and the city rejoiced. Captain Lombard of the Portland Ice Co. came into town to see about building an ice house and ice depot. It was reported that during that week in December 1883 the first marriage took place in Castle Rock. This was between Thomas Martin and Ida Carlyle who were from Coyote (Was a station near Boardman) The town wished them a long and happy life of wedded bliss.

"Boom! Bang!" The boom times had struck Castle Rock that December. Businesses were rushing, the river was rising (by 2 feet the week beginning December 10, 1883), and J. B. Shippey had battered his house. Castle Rock was rising sublimely from among her fallen and bankrupt sister towns, to come proudly to the forefront. The citizens of Castle Rock had recently graded a good road from the mouth of Island canyon (Crow Butte) to a point opposite that town across the river for access to the ferry landing. They were now talking about "Brushing" the Heppner road with sage brush and grease wood.

On December 20, 1883 the Castle Rock store of Willard Herren had advertised in the Gazette. He sold general merchandise, staple groceries, wool sacks, twine, etc. He also did forwarding and was a commission merchant as well. He also was an agent for C. H. Dodd & Co's farming implements, and for the Albina Lumber Co. He gave a cash advance on consignments of wool, sheep, pelts, beef and deer hides.

Castle Rock News items of February 1884

News of February 21, 1884; The Heppner Gazette editor said that Castle Rock still lived and prospered. There were several land hunters who were waiting for the Chinook wind to melt the snow so they could make locations. The Gazette offered free filings of land claims. That week a well boring machine arrived and was to be put to work after the thaw. There were people in town that week looking for a place to build a new and first class hotel which was just the thing needed to accommodate the travel that was coming through town.

Other improvements which were being talked about were; a new feed corral, a warehouse and restaurant, and schoolhouse and several private residences. Mr. Powell who was the clerk at Herren's store was preparing to build his home in the bunchgrass country for a "little bird," and rumor had it that he was to find her in Heppner. "Barkis is Willin."

The Columbia had froze over above town that month and people and horses were crossing over to Washington on the ice. Ben Snipes of The Dalles was to arrive in a few days to harvest ice for the refrigerating works which was to be constructed at Blalock. Johnny Locknane distinguished himself that day by showing off his skating skills to the amazement of everyone.

News of February 28, 1884; Castle Rock has had a free ferry for some time as the ice over the river was still frozen so that horses and teams were crossing over very frequently. There was quite a large amount of freight which had just come in on the railroad bound for W. J. Leezer's store in Heppner. Among the goods were stoves and hardware. The demand for lumber was still strong and Daniels & Herren were doing a brisk business selling it.

Castle Rock January 1, 1885

The January 1, 1885 edition of the West Shore said the following about Castle Rock; "The town now has a population somewhat in excess of 100. It has a good ferry across the Columbia, rendering considerable territory on the north side of the river tributary to it. This region is rapidly settling up with a thrifty class of people. Two good stores transact the business. Much wool is forwarded from Castle Rock, and it is becoming a grain shipping point, since the surrounding country is being converted into farms."

The Telegraph

In 1886 the Heppner & Castle Rock Telegraph company was formed. On June 25, 1886 it was reported that the Heppner and Castle Rock telegraph line had been completed and communication was now open between Castle Rock, Heppner and Portland. On April 5, 1888 at the annual meeting of the Heppner & Castle Rock Telegraph company, the old board of directors were re-elected consisting of J. L. Morrow, Frank Kellogg, M. C. McDougall T. W. Avers and Henry Blackman. T. W. Avers was elected president, M. C. McDougall, vice-president and T. E. Fell general manager. A dividend was then declared of $1.47 a share.

On August 16, 1888 it was reported that the Heppner and Castle Rock telegraph line had been working so badly it forced the residents to depend on Joe Keeney's effective Cayuse service, rather than to take chances in trying to get a dispatch over the wire. It didn't take long for the company to fix the connection and announce that it was in good working order again.

On August 19, 1889 only a year after the company had repaired their line that complaints were coming in again saying that the telegraph company should look after their line. People were reporting that the wire was laying down along the wagon road in many places. People were worried that the live wires on the road would cause horses to bolt and in the process would wreck someone's wagon and possibly injure them.

On February 7, 1889 the Western Union completed their line to Heppner along the railroad tracks down Willows creek. This was the beginning of the end for the Heppner and Castle Rock telegraph company. 

Looks like the Heppner company finally had enough and decided to call it quits. On July 31, 1890 notice was given that the property of the Heppner & Castle Rock Telegraph Co. would be sold at public auction on Saturday, August 16, 1890, at 2pm, at the office of the city recorder in Heppner. Bids could be made upon the entire line, or on the section between Ione and Heppner and between Ione and Castle Rock. The instruments and batteries would also be sold at auction. The committee reserved the right to reject any and all bids. It appears nobody bid on the line and that was the end of the company.

Castle Rock Businesses of the Late 1800's

On August 16, 1888 Johnny Lewis had purchased the store, stable and hotel business of J. D. Forsythe, at Castle Rock. In the 1880's George Swaggert ran a saloon at Castle Rock and by 1890 he had closed up shop and the building sat vacant. It is unknown if this was The Arcade saloon or another establishment. On April 17, 1890 Henry Johnson and Frank Rogers had purchased the building from Swaggert and on that day they traveled from Heppner to Castle Rock to move the old saloon building to Heppner. On February 25, 1896 Mattie Teeters became the postmaster of Castle Rock. By 1900 the post office had closed.

Town For Sale

The town began to decline when the Heppner branch railroad was completed in 1888 as Castle Rock had lost its importance as a shipping point for Heppner and other points to the south. On February 11, 1897 it was announced that Thomas L. Teeters who was the owner of the Castle Rock Hotel had purchased a large portion of the town at a sheriff's sale. On November 1, 1888 T. J. Carl of Ione traveled to Castle Rock to take down George Fell's store and rebuilt it down at Ione.

Artesian Wells

On November 20, 1902 Edward E. Bartholomew informed a Gazette reporter that the Columbia River Development co. has their new oil drill on the grounds ready for operation opposite Castle Rock. This drill could bore a hole 10 inches in diameter and 2,000 feet deep. The company meant business, as they had already spent considerable money in the endeavor. Mr. Bartholomew said that they had a good flow of natural gas. He said a ferryboat was now running between Castle Rock and the Washington side of the Columbia.

"If the company was successful in getting oil on the Washington side of the Columbia," Bartholomew said; "there would be an equal chance to find oil on the Oregon side in Morrow county, and should oil be found in sufficient quantity, and the assurance we have of an unbounded supply of coal, nothing can keep Morrow county from plunging ahead, and in the near future be noted for its oil and coal fields."

On February 19, 1903 the Heppner Gazette reported that Ross Beardsley, of the Columbia River Development co. was in Heppner that week for the purpose of leasing more oil lands in the Castle Rock oil district on the Columbia river. Mr. Beardsley stated that the company was very much encouraged over the oil prospects. An oil expert from Ohio who recently inspected the district had made a very encouraging report. The Columbia River Development company, was composed of people from Heppner and Arlington.

Two wells were bored, the first one at Alder creek on the Washington side where a hole was put down 100 feet. The drill was then moved to the mouth of Dead Canyon on the north side of the river. When the drill reached a depth of 114 feet at Dead Canyon, there was such a flow of water that drill operations were stopped. The water continued to spout out of the ground and it made a noise that could be heard for quite a distance. Drill operations would be commenced again a few days later. Whether oil was found or not, the discovery of artesian water in this portion of the country along the Columbia known as the sand country, was of no little importance. Consequently oil would never be found.

Fortunately the discovery of water would transform the barren wasteland into a rich and productive district that would support thousands of people. The discovery of water had created quite an interest in the district that several surveying parties traveled to Castle Rock that February and the land was quickly being taken up. Above Coyote and Long Island, operations began in drilling for water. Parties from Arlington and The Dalles also commenced drilling about 5 miles out of Castle Rock that month looking for water.

The artesian water which was found showed a temperature of 69 degrees, and the altitude was only from 200 to 300 feet above sea level in a good portion of the sand country. It was thought there would be plenty of water on both sides of the river wherever wells were drilled deep enough to be on a level with the river.

On March 27, 1903 Industrial Agent R. C. Judson, who had just returned from a trip to Eastern Oregon said that; "vast tracts of land which had been considered worthless were being rapidly taken up by settlers in Umatilla and Morrow counties, and a number of those were taking up land," he then said, "some were coming from points in the Northwest, from Yakima, Spokane and the Willamette valley, but the most of them are coming from the East. The arid land is being reclaimed by means of artesian wells, and around Coyote, Castle Rock, The Dalles and other places, water has been struck at a depth of 50 feet."

"Four townships have been taken up already and the rush is assuming a veritable boom. Last Saturday, 25 intending settlers got off the train at Echo, and 13 at Umatilla, and they are coming into Castle Rock and Coyote at the rate of 4 or 5 a day. Back of Castle Rock, in one artesian well water was struck at a depth of 52 feet, but boring will be continued until artesian water is struck. Other wells being bored have produced water at the same depth. The soil is the same as that which has made parts of Eastern Oregon famous as an agricultural district, and will prove equally valuable when water is turned upon it."

"People here have no idea of the rapid improvements now under way, a good many settlers are headed for the section to be covered by the government ditch. This morning I met Mr. Michael of North Carolina, who is looking over Oregon with a view to finding a tract of land for a colony from his home. There is a friend of mine in Portland who has $25,000 to invest in a stock farm, and another who wants to invest $15,000. So you see that a number of the settlers now coming to Oregon have money, and will help to increase the state's wealth right from the start." Mr. Judson said that the weather was fine in Eastern Oregon and men were going around wearing only a shirt.

Irrigation of the Desert

On March 10, 1903 it was announced that the Columbia River development co. was going to reclaim several thousand acres of desert lands in the vicinity of Castle Rock. Herbert W. Bartholomew informed the Heppner Gazette that the plans for the new irrigation enterprise had already been formulated and that work would be commenced at once. The company put in a 60 horse power gasoline engine, which was guaranteed to pump 1,800,000 gallons of water every 10 hours. This pump had already been purchased and the pumping plant was to be installed at once. Water would be taken from the Columbia river and forced through a 12 inch pipe a distance of 3 miles and to an elevation of 200 feet, and at first, would be distributed over a number of desert claims owned by various parties in that immediate vicinity.

The Gazette wasn't sure whether it was going to construct reservoirs for storing the water, or whether the water would be forced through pipes direct to each claim. The object of the company was first to assist parties holding claims to gain title by furnishing water sufficient to enable them to make a home and improve their property. Afterwards a well defined irrigation system would be put in operation. In fact it was the beginning of a system that reclaimed several thousand acres of arid land immediately south of Castle Rock, which was extended as rapidly as conditions permitted.

Herbert W, and his brother Edward E. Bartholomew had title to 7,000 acres of land in that section which included the Castle Rock townsite. They were helping the scheme along by giving land free of charge to the company for its pumping plant, and encouraged it in other ways. Irrigation by the pumping system had been a success in other sections and they said there was no reason why it would not be a success at Castle Rock. The were correct and the project ended up being successful and their irrigation efforts had paid off.

Edward Bartholomew reported on April 14, 1904 that there was a brisk demand for Castle Rock town lots. Because of the increase in settlement Castle Rock began a new period of growth and the post office was reestablished on April 12, 1903 with William W. Wilson as postmaster. The post office lasted for just a few short years and would again be shut down.

By 1912 irrigation was the main employment for workers in the town of Castle Rock and it had experienced a little growth and by the spring of 1912 the post office was reopened again with J. A. Gibbons as the new postmaster.

The Castle Rock School

The Castle Rock school was established in the 1880's and had taught the children of the area for years afterward. But due to the declining population after the railroad was completed to Heppner, the enrollment at the school declined as well. By February 13, 1908 the school at Castle Rock was down to just 2 students and the teacher Miss Gardner decided to quit. She had a contract for the full term, but as the only family in "town'' had left, there was no place for her to board. So she moved to Irrigon to live with her sister, Mrs. Slater. It was said that she would probably bring suit for the balance of her salary, as she had a contract for the full term.

The new settlers moving into Castle Rock during the early 1910's as a result of the irrigation, brought with them many children. In 1909 J. A. Gibbons was hired as the new teacher for the Castle Rock school. On Tuesday March 2, 1909 a Gazette reporter visited the school at Castle Rock. The reporter said that J. A. Gibbons was the new teacher and the schoolhouse was a very fair building. New outbuildings including a woodshed, had just been built and the school was supplied with excellent blackboards, some of which had been added within the past few days. Noiseless erasers were also furnished.

The reporter then said that the school had 2 dictionaries, an encyclopedia, a set of charts, a fine flag, a thermometer, a few maps, and several library books. An order for $50 worth of new books for the library had just been sent in that spring day in March, and a splendid bookcase had been purchased and was already in place. The windows were provided with boards so the room could be ventilated without danger from drafts of cold air. The enrollment was only 8 that year, but the pupils were doing good work even if they did not have the stimulus which comes from numbers. During October of 1909 the reporter returned and said that a new floor was put in and the books they ordered back in the spring had arrived. The doors were replaced to comply with the new law, and a new clock was placed on the wall along with some framed pictures.

In 1912 the Castle Rock school had the best library of the one-room school houses in Morrow county.

On December 4, 1914 it was reported that Professor Gibbons was back teaching at the Castle Rock school and was also the principal. The school building now had a patented heating and ventilation plant. The floor was oiled and a supply of sweeping compound was provided. Paper towels were furnished for the pupils and a number of other improvements were contemplated. The children were making good use of the croquet set and they were planning to add other playground equipment.

On October 5, 1916 J. H. Cox, Thomas Chidsey and Glenn Young traveled from Heppner to Castle Rock to build a new school house. The new building was finished by November of 1916 and was constructed on a more suitable site. It had been remodeled so as to have the light admitted from the left side. The walls were covered with plaster-board and then neatly papered. The building had a new Smith heating and ventilating plant, and a fine library which was kept in some excellent bookcases. The school also had a suspension globe, a set of weights and measures and some good maps. The pupils were making a large cement map of Eurasia at the time of the report and Professor Gibbons was still the teacher.

The Castle Rock school which had been in operation for about 40 years had closed its doors due to a lack of students in 1920. On March 13, 1920 it was voted to auction off the school buildings which included the schoolhouse, woodshed and outhouse. The sale would be to the highest bid over $150, and the bidding took place on April 10, 1920 on the front steps of the Boardman school. It is unknown who purchased the structures.

Castle Rock News Items of 1911 and 1912

On July 19, 1911 the Upper River Transportation company's boats had both stopped at Castle Rock while on their way upriver to Pasco, the 19th; one took on passengers, and the other to unloaded freight for the grocery store.

On July 27, 1911 Someone took the ferryman's boat across the river without asking "by your leave," and the boat could now be seen at the landing on the other side. 

On Friday October 27, 1911 the Gazette said that the Castle Rock school was for some unknown reason. They thought it was to allow him time to get his house ready for a new bride. They were correct because the next day on Saturday October 28th, Professor Gibbons arrived back in town and brought a lady with him. The Gazette then said the lady was his new wife and they wished them joy and many children. 

On November 2, 1911 Castle Rock resident L. M. Davis who bought and sold wild horses was hired by the telephone company as its construction foreman. He was in charge of unloading the telephone poles from the railroad and putting them in place on the new line between Castle Rock and Heppner.

On November 29, 1911 Mr. Davis, purchased a sailboat from Ed Marona and then established the Davis & Co. delivery service. He delivered groceries to people liveing along the river at Castle Rock, Irrigon, and customers across the river who would place a signal at the riverbank which alerted him of their need for groceries. In 1914 Davis and his family moved into the Henkle house at Irrigon and he rented out his old home at Castle Rock.

In the spring of 1912 Ed Marona had been coming over the river to Castle Rock quite frequently on business. On May 30, 1912 during a nice sunny day, Marona came across the river to Castle Rock and played a long list of selections on his violin and was accompanied on the piano by Oliver Senn, who proved his ability with that instrument. Quite a crowd had soon gathered to hear the music. The 2 little children of Mrs. Wasley furnished a festive diversion by dancing to the music. Miss Stella did fine being only 18 months old.

The Castle Rock Stabbing

Although there was plenty of joy and dancing in Castle Rock over the year it wouldn't always be that way. On Friday evening May 8, 1914 excitement ran high in Castle Rock because of a fight that had taken place there. About 40 workers had been doing some extension work on the side track, and after a long hard day 2 of the workers got into a quarrel. One of the workers had called the other a "round head" and after a few more choice words Joe G. stabbed his workmate with a knife, which severed a small artery near his heart. It was thought for a time the injured worker would bleed to death before aid could be administered. However the section foreman James Bellamy quickly took the injured worker in his car and sped to Arlington where he was taken care of and his life was saved.

Some of the injured man's family became angry and it looked like there was going to be a large brawl. In the meantime Professor J. A. Gibbons had called the sheriff, who gave him authority to take charge of the assailant until deputy sheriff McDuffee could arrive from Heppner. Gibbons took the attacker to his home where he kept watch over him. Deputy McDuffee would arrive at the Gibbon residence at 3am the next morning. McDuffee was in Lexington when he got the call and along with Mr. Beach they took off in a car to Castle Rock. Unfortunately when they were about 5 miles from their destination they became stuck in the sand and had to walk the rest of the way to Gibbon's house.

They stayed the night at Gibbon's place and the next morning they had Harold H. Weston pull the car out of the sand for them with his horse team. Afterwards the deputy had no more trouble and started out for Heppner via the Willow Creek Road. Joe G. would plead not guilty to the charge of assault with a deadly weapon, and was going to stand trial. Before the trial was to take place he decided to change his plea to guilty of a lesser charge of simple assault and was fined $100 or spend 50 days in jail. It is unknown what punishment he chose.

The Empress of Ireland Tragedy

From the World History Encyclopedia; The RMS Empress of Ireland was a transatlantic passenger ship that sank early in the morning of May 29, 1914 on the St. Lawrence River killing 1,012 of the 1,477 people on board. It is considered Canada’s worst maritime disaster and one of the most tragic in maritime history.

The tragic event came just 2 years after the RMS Titanic sank after striking an iceberg on April 15, 1912 taking over 1,500 lives. After the Titanic disaster, measures were taken to ensure nothing like it would ever happen again. The Empress of Ireland was equipped with more lifeboats than necessary, and watertight longitudinal bulkheads which, in the event of an emergency, could be sealed so the ship would remain afloat even with 2 of the sections compromised. The crew were also highly trained to respond to a crisis, and the ship was upgraded in 1912 with state-of-the-art safety devices, lifejackets, and new steel lifeboats.

All these precautions turned out to be meaningless, however, when the ship was struck by the Norwegian collier Storstad around 1:50am on May 29, 1914, tearing a large gash in the starboard side of the Empress that flooded the ship and it sank in under 14 minutes.

In the Heppner Herald issue of June 4, 1914 it was reported that Annie Marshall of Castle Rock came near being a victim of the Empress of Ireland disaster. She had planned on taking a trip to the place of her birth in Ireland and had purchased a ticket for her trip aboard the Empress on May 23rd. She then boarded a train bound for Quebec and when it arrived in Spokane she became ill and was unable to continue on with her journey. It was truly a "lucky" sickness. Annie Marshall returned home to Castle Rock on the day of the disaster, and when news of the tragedy reached town her friends congratulated her on her escape from possible death. Annie Marshall whose maiden name was Mulligan was married to sheep rancher John Marshall in Heppner on Wednesday July 8, 1913 by Rev, P. J. O'Rourke.

The Castle Rock Ferry

The Castle Rock ferry was in operation between that town and Crow Butte on the Washington side from about 1900 to about 1926. Harold Hamilton Weston was the ferry operator. There 2 small towns on the Washington side near the landing, one was at the west end of Crow Butte called Carley, and another which was called Whicomb was 5 miles east of Carley. There used to be a stage running between these towns before the railroad was completed, and the children from Whitcomb rode this stage to school at Carley. Carley was founded by N. E. Carley who was also its postmaster. Both Carley and Whitcomb would become submerged by Lake Umatilla in 1968. 

On the 1908 USGS Blalock Island Quadrangle map, it shows 2 ferry routes leading across the river from Castle rock. One landed on the west end of Crow Butte and the road led west to Carley. The other route landed at the eastern shore of Crow Butte and the road showing an abandoned or unimproved road leading eastward toward Whitcomb.

In January of 1912 Weston had lost his scow due to it being washed away by the strong wind, and the following month he purchased a new boat from Mr. Snow at Coyote. In the summer of 1914 Weston was doing good business with his new ferry boat. In August of that year he said if business continued to be as good as it had been, he was going to put on a gas powered ferry which could cross the Columbia in 3 minutes. It is unknown if this actually happened.

In 1921 Weston was about to get some competition to his ferry service but it never materialized. This was because on October 11, 1921 it was reported that Amos B. Strait, who had secured a franchise for a ferry across the Columbia river at Boardman in the spring of 1920 had recently completed building new new boat there, and was at Heppner on Wednesday October 5th securing a change of franchise permitting him to change the location of his ferry from Boardman to Castle Rock. The reason for the change was that it was found that in the fall, when the river was low, there was not sufficient water near the Oregon shore to float the craft, making it impossible for him to make a landing.

The petition was granted and Mr. Strait made a similar request to the county officials on the Washington side, hoping to have his boat in commission to handle all the business it offered. Mr. Strait had invested several thousand dollars besides a summer's work building the boat, and he figured that lady luck had given him the "mitten." He felt that his troubles would soon be over and he would realize well from his investment.

Things did not go quite as he had planned. Just before he began operations of his ferry at Castle Rock the railroad put a fence across the road leading to the landing so autos and teams could not cross over their track. So in December of 1921 he was back in Heppner asking what he could do about having the fence removed and a crossing of the railroad's right-of-way granted.

On April 11, 1922 the Heppner Herald reported that members of the Morrow County court went to Boulder Friday April 7th to be present at a meeting of the Public Service Commission when testimony was taken regarding the merits of a grade crossing over the track of the O. W. R. & N. railroad to permit auto and team travel to reach the landing place of the ferry recently installed there by Amos Strait. Judge Campbell, who headed the Heppner delegation, said that a large number of residents from the Washington side of the river were present at the hearing and expressed active interest in the project which would give a large portion of that section of Washington an all year outlet to Portland and other southern points.

The railroad company was perfectly willing to grant either an overhead or an underway crossing but were utterly opposed to a grade crossing. Either of the former methods, the Judge said, was impracticable on account of cost. The commission heard the testimony on the matter and were expected to render a decision at an early date. Mr. Strait built his ferry at Boardman some 2 years prior and expected to operate it at that point but after securing a franchise and building his boat he found the water too shallow to float it near the Oregon shore. 

After all the testimony was heard he was granted a grade crossing over the railroad to his ferry at Castle Rock. But lady luck seemed to not have given him "the mitten" as after he began operations he found similar conditions as was encountered at Boardman only this time it was on the Washington shore. He then had to move to Boulder where, if the railroad crossing was granted it was said he will have plain sailing for the ferry. After moving to Boulder the railroad again protested a crossing there and Strait had to take them to court. He ended up getting a crossing and operated the Boulder-Alderdale ferry for a few years before he sold it in 1924.

The Columbia River Highway

The first road constructed in the Castle Rock area was the Telegraph Road which was built in 1869. This road was about a mile inland from Castle Rock and ran from The Dalles Military Road to Umatilla. In 1883 the frist wagon road was completed between Castle Rock and Heppner which followed Willow creek. There would be no road along the river until the Columbia Highway was completed between Arlington and Umatilla in 1920.

The road was first just a dirt road through the sand and sagebrush. In 1923 the roadway in this section was surfaced with 16,000 cubic yards of gravel. The highway then became an instant hit with the traveling public and traffic increased though Castle Rock which helped bring in business to the store. The general store was then owned by long time resident John Marshall and was sometimes operated by his brother Mike who in the spring of 1924 had taken a trip to Irrigon and reported that because the highway was improved business had increased.

The Roadside Oasis

In the Boardman Mirror issued on January 13, 1936 it was reported that the Federal Roadside Beautification Project was officially launched. This is when the highway commission opened bids for 2 artificial oases, which were to be used as highway rest stops on the Columbia River Highway. One was to be constructed a quarter mile west of Castle Rock, and the other was 5 miles east of Boardman. On March 13, 1936 O. N. Pierce and Frank Conner of Portland were awarded the contract with the lowest bid of $8,290. Construction started soon afterwards.

Today this rest area is still above water and a grove of trees which was planted there in 1936 are still growing along a portion of the ghost highway which is above the water. The site of the Boardman oases is located on what is now called Columbia Boulevard, about 3 miles northeast of exit 105 on Interstate 84 at Laurel Lane. From the satellite map you can see the remnants of these rest stops though if you don't know what your looking for you'd never know they were ever there.

The project to build these 2 artificial oases consisted of the planting of trees, shrubbery, etc. and required the drilling of 2 wells, construction of 2 pump houses, installation of pipelines and other facilities which were used to water the shrubs, trees and lawns. The bids also called for the erection of 1.25 miles of woven wire fence to keep out livestock. The rest stops were opened by the summer of 1937 and were used by travelers until the freeway was built in the early 1950's.

Fire at Castle Rock

On Sunday evening October 18. 1925 the Heppner Gazette-Times reported that John Marshall's store and post office at Castle Rock had caught fire. It was not known how the blaze began but the store building and its entire contents were completely destroyed. Unfortunately there was no insurance. The newspaper said that Castle Rock was an old landmark and years ago was a thriving little town on the stage line from The Dalles to Eastern Oregon and is located 9 miles west of Boardman. Marshall did not rebuild the store and it was the last business in the once busy little town along the Columbia river.

The Castle Rock Tragedy

The town of Castle Rock had ended with the tragic burning of its last business, but only a mere 6 months later a more serious tragedy occurred. Annie Marshall who had escaped certain death 12 years prior was murdered on Friday May 14, 1926 by her husband John Marshal who was the former Castle Rock storekeeper and postmaster. After killing his wife Marshall took his own life. The murder was the result of a fight they had in which Annie received numerous bruises before being shot by her husband. John left a full confession of the crime before taking his own life, and an investigation conducted by county coroner L. M. Case indicated that Annie had been dead for about 2 hours before John shot himself. Apparently John had cleaned up all traces of the fight and then wrote a detailed account of the killing as well as a statement listing his debts and assets.

He had killed himself by putting the revolver in his mouth and firing. Before he shot himself, John had notified people at Boardman telling them that something was wrong at his home. The bodies were brought to Heppner where internment was made Sunday May 16th in the Catholic cemetery with Reverend Father Cantwell officiating. The Marshall's had no children and John only had a brother Mike who was a Castle Rock sheepherder. The Marshall's had resided at Castle Rock for many years, and were prominent citizens, and were well liked in the small community.

Marital troubles had disrupted their home for a few years prior to the tragedy, and at the end of summer in 1922 Anne left home. Then on October 3, 1922 John had a letter he wrote posted in the Heppner Herald which was dated September 12, 1922 and read; "To all whom it may concern, my wife Annie Marshall has left my bed and board and I will not be responsible for any debts contracted by her." A few months before she left home, Annie had asked authorities to arrest John for attacking her with a butcher knife. This prolonged trouble was given as the reason for this sad and tragic day, and quite possibly the burning of the store had exacerbated their troubles.

Explosions and Drunk Driving on the Columbia River Highway

In the July 17, 1930 issue of the Heppner Gazette it was reported that 2 men were brought to Heppner on Saturday evening of the 12th from Boardman by Deputy Sheriff Guy Barlow. The 2 men were arraigned in the court of Justice Huston on Monday July 14th. They gave the names of I. S. Irons and George Bell, and said they were from Vancouver, WA. They were caught with some bootlegged booze near Castle Rock and the deputy took them to the city jail at Boardman. During the arraignment the men were so disruptive in court as to be unmanageable, that the Judge ordered them to be taken to Heppner and confined in the county jail.

Irons was charged with driving a car on the highway while intoxicated, and also with assault on J. F. Barlow who was the tow truck driver. Irons pleaded guilty to the assault charge and received a fine of $10.00. On the other charge he was held in jail to await trial. Bell entered a guilty plea to the charge of using obscene and profane language on the highway, and his fine was assessed at $10.00. Their story which developed at the hearing, the 2 men siad they had secured a bottle of "white mule" from a bootlegger in the vicinity of The Dalles, and took off driving east on the Columbia River Highway. By the time they had arrived at a point near Castle Rock Irons had become so drunk that he ran the car into a ditch on the side of the road.

They tried to get the car back on the highway again, and walked to Boardman to get the wrecker to pull them out of the ditch. This was when the assault was made on J. F. Barlow, and the men were then taken into custody by deputy Guy Barlow. The men claimed to be on their way to Umatilla county to seek work in the harvest fields.

On Friday evening September 26, 1930 the Columbia River Highway near Castle Rock was a scene of a fiery explosion. This was when a gasoline tanker truck that was going down the highway near Castle Rock caught fire and burst into flames. The explosion was caused by a safety that cap came off the 4,000 gallon gas tank and fuel was spilled onto the exhaust pipe, which caused the fuel to ignite. The trailer exploded in the evening and it burned all through the night. The following day the fire was put out with 2,000 gallons of fuel still in the tank. Traffic was detoured around the disaster through the sagebrush. It was lucky that no one was hurt or killed.

Castle Rock and Castle Station in the 1930's

Although the town had faded away in 1925 there were still people residing in the area around Castle Rock. These residents now had to drive to either Arlington, Irrigon or Boardman for groceries, and the children rode the bus to Boardman to attend school. Mrs. Bottenmiller was the bus driver in 1932. The Castle Rock station continued to be used for railroad passengers and to ship out wool and other farm products. The railroad had closed the Castle Rock section sometime in the 1920's and the workers who maintained the track there came from Boardman.

On January 10, 1935 it was reported by Rachel Barlow in the Heppner Gazette that the section at Castle Rock was reopened that week after bring closed for several years, and was renamed Castle. She said that a number of railroad workers from Boardman who were working part time there were transferred to Castle and employed in permanent positions. Some of these workers then moved their families to Castle. In 1935 Jack Rainville of Pendleton was temporary foreman of the Castle section. Art Allen, George Wicklander and Claud Silvernel were some of the workers there.

Columbia River Highway is Vacated

By 1952 Castle Rock was a ghost town with a sad memory. On May 22, 1952 Morrow county ordered signs to be placed on all highways entering the county which said that Morrow county had no herd law, and all territory was open range. Also on that day it was announced that the Columbia River Highway beginning at the western boundary of Morrow county at Engineer's station minus 14 plus 5 of the old highway on the line between Section 25, Twp 4 North, Range 23 East, and Section 30, Twp 4 North, Range 23 East was to be vacated from that point eastward to the west boundary of the old townsite of Castle Rock. This is when the new 2 lane  roadway was completed to the south, which today is the westbound lanes of Interstate 84.

Lake Umatilla

In 1968 the John Day dam was nearing completion and that year Lake Umatilla was allowed to form behind the new dam. The lake inundated most of the Columbia River Highway beginning from the dam and upriver as far as Boardman. The railroad was also flooded and it had to be rebuilt higher up on the bluffs to the south. By then 2 eastbound lanes were added to the 1952 highway.

Today only a few remnants of the old road still exist. Near Castle Rock there is a mile long section of the old highway which can be viewed using a satellite map. Just look across the river from Crow butte. You should also be able to see were the old oases used to be on a small remaining section of the old road.

The new railroad alignment is 56 feet higher than the 1883 railroad line and there is nothing there today except an abandoned fertilizing mixing machine in what looks like an old storage building.