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Show ntKKNtK uiiAbitK Page 3 in thirty minutes. RAINFALL AT HEPPNER-February-May, 1903 4 Average Feb. March Apri1 May Total rainfall: 1.38 1.43 1.38 1.64 5.83 1903: .05 .99 .14 .45 1.63 On June 11 the farmers hopes for rain lifted as a light sprinkle began in mid-afternoon. Unfortunately, it stopped almost as quickly as it had begun. An unusual thing then happened-the banks of Willow Creek, which bisects the community, were suddenly filled with water. The swift current stayed within bounds of the stream, but several trout and suckers, unable to navigate in the twisting flow, splashed onto dry land. Onlookers gathered. Three boys who had spent the afternoon fishing with no luck then proceeded to rake the floundering fish into gunny sacks. After a few minutes, the waters receded, the topsoil yielded up its moisture to the atmosphere, and the day ended in temperature near ninety degrees. Most of the older townsfolk remained indoors or in the shade on the afternoon of Sunday the fourteenth to escape temperatures in the upper nineties. Saloons were open, as usual, but business slacked off as the mercury soared. Only a handful of young boys were hardy enough to defy the heat-they started a game of baseball on Heppner flat, two blocks south of the business center near Willow Creek. Just before five o'clock a dark cloud began to form over the hilltops south of town. Soon, according to one eyewitness, it grew "black as a stove" and seemed to become denser as it moved northeast. A twilight obscurity slowly enveloped the town as the clouds thickened, blotting out the sun's rays. The baseball game broke up when a light rain commenced. Dinner time was approaching anyway, so most everyone retired indoors |
