A Snapshot in Time
Looking back at 1975 via the Canby Herald
Local History: Canby Depot
By Dawn Coleman, Canby Historical Society
Canby High had decent food on the menu but it sure had a smoking problem. Stiffer penalties for on-campus smoking were approved by the Canby High School Board on Jan. 9, 1975. Students could receive up to a five-day suspension for the first offense and up to an expulsion for a second offense. A fire in a restroom prompted the stricter penalties. The smoking ban also included the board meetings. Later in the spring it would be decided to have off-campus privileges. Many parents felt that if smoking in restrooms and on campus was such a problem, a smoking area should have been created for the smoking student to indulge without repercussions.
A hair code for city employees was proposed to come into effect Feb. 1, 1975. It was initiated in response to citizens’ complaints. The code, initiated by Harry Wyman, the city administrator, limited the length of hair, sideburns, mustaches and forbade beards. Hair could not be over the ears or collars. Sideburns could not exceed the earlobe and mustaches could not go beyond the upper lip or outer edges of the mouth. No type of beards were permitted. Some employees were up in arms about the grooming code which was borrowed from the firefighting safety code. Non-compliance could be a suspension.
If are were part of the group Canby Now, you may have seen a lot of posts of missing or loose dogs. Well, this one topped them all. A dog named Keep on Truckin,’ or Truck for short, owned by Kim Wanner, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Wanner on Dryland Road, decided to heed his call to the wild and jumped out of the Wanner family’s pickup on the way home from the dog show in Mt. Angel. When the Wanners discovered the escaped dog, they drove back and forth 10 times looking for Truck. Back in ’75, you didn’t have the luxury of posting on social media or Next Door — it was knocking on neighbors’ doors, putting up flyers and making phone calls. The Wanners even put out a radio ad in hopes of finding their beloved Truck, but they heard nothing. Two days and 16 miles later, the muddy Australian Shepherd found his own way home.
One of the things from Canby in 1975 that I’d like to see make a comeback is the Lawnmower Grand Prix! With laps around Wait Park, it was such an event that even the KGW crew was there to record it. Donald Fox was the winner. It’s unfortunate the Herald didn’t say what the prize was, if there was one. Perhaps bragging rights was the biggest prize of all.
The Canby Historical Society preserves our rich heritage and inspires an appreciation and understanding of Canby area history. To learn more and to support us, visit us at canbyhistoricalsociety.org. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and are currently looking for talented volunteers and new membership.
