Seniors successfully defend class title

A common sight in some rural communities is a huge letter and sometimes a set of large numbers gracing a hill overlooking town, decked out with white rocks, depicting the graduation year of the current senior class of the local high school. But in the early 1900s the Pendleton High School class with the most moxie was the one displaying their graduation year, painted on the roof of the old fire hall south of the school.

On April 11, 1918, the reigning class of seniors was issued a challenge by the junior class. The seniors had led the school for two years, since their previous defeat of the senior class of 1916 as sophomores. The junior class decided it was time to unseat the champs, because if “1918” remained on the fire house roof after graduation day, it would stay permanently.

The combatants collided on the evening of April 12, and though the seniors were outnumbered two to one, they had the size advantage over the junior team. The goal was to climb onto the fire house roof and maintain control long enough to paint the class’ graduation year over the top of the previous victors’ numbers. The juniors, thinking to get an early advantage, made a dash for the fire house at 8:45 p.m., hoping to take their opponents by surprise. But the upperclassmen were expecting the ploy and were ready for them.

A great many onlookers from all the classes watched the battle shift many times, as boys from both classes wrestled each other to the ground and then tied the hands and feet of those bested. Boys standing by for either side would then drag the losers off into the weeds where they couldn’t cause any more trouble. Some of the senior girls assisted their classmates, wielding barber’s shears on the unlucky captives and “disfigurating their heads for weeks to come.” Most of the fighting, however, was entirely good-natured and no one was seriously injured.

About 10 p.m. the class of 1919 decided they were beaten and gave up one by one. The seniors, with a cheer, clambered onto the roof of the fire house and repainted their numbers in triumph.