North Morrow
Volume XXXI
Number 10
March 1, 2024
TIMES
FREE MONTHLY PUBLICATION
CAR RT. PERMIT 2 ECR-WSS BOARDMAN, OR
FREE
Mountain Valley Land has a long history in the Boardman community Mountain Valley Land Company opened its doors for business in 1965 on Main Street in Joseph, Oregon. With all of the opportunities arising with the relocation of the town of Boardman, Oregon, John Prag moved the company here in the early 1973. With all of the growth continuing in Boardman and having 5 real estate agents, in 1978
Lee and Pam Docken Mr. Prag opted to build a professional building on the corner of S. Main St. and Kinkade Ave., known as “Landmark Square”. Lee Docken obtained his Oregon Real Estate License in 1985 and joined Mountain Valley Land Company. John Prag decided to retire in 1990, and having earned his Real Estate Brokers license, Lee purchased the business. In 1994, the Dockens had the opportunity to purchase the “old grocery store” building on the corner of NW 1st Street and NW Boardman Avenue. It was a full “gut” project which included the addition of 17 windows, new roof, etc. – but with help from family and friends, they turned that eyesore into a professional building which would house Morrow County Health Department; Morrow
County Mental Health; Simmons Insurance Agency, and Mountain Valley Land Company. At the same time, Lee expanded his business into Gilliam and Wheeler Counties. After two years, Morrow County approached Lee and wanted to purchase the building at 101 NW Boardman Avenue. So, now the Dockens had to find a new home for Mountain Valley. At that same time, in 1996, John Prag was willing to sell his building, so Mountain Valley Land Company was back at S. Main & Kinkade. The economy slowly improved and Boardman was beginning to grow again. In 2008, The Dockens were approached by 1st Community Credit Union, who purchased their building. So the search was on for a new home for Mountain Valley Land Company, AGAIN! Then Karen Pettigrew agreed to sell her 2 buildings on NE Columbia Ave – known as “J&D Electric”, So, in 2019, after some renovation, Mountain Valley Land Company relocated to its current address: 491 NE Columbia Ave. They just recently completed a covered storage area there for RVs and plan on adding another. So, many have asked, when and how did Lee Docken come to live in Boardman? Once upon a time, well March of 1968, to be exact, a Volkswagen carrying 3 Wilson High School Seniors (football players) from Portland, Oregon pulled into Boardman to grab fuel and a burger on their way to Sun Valley for skiing during spring break. The story goes that, as they stood outside the C&D Drive-In looking at a post office, a grocery store, service stations and a lot of sand, one of them stated: “Who on earth would ever live here”? – well, yes, one of those seniors was Lee Docken and 2 years later he would be a permanent resident. Actually, Lee came back that
summer after graduation to assist his family in constructing the first commercial building at the Port of Morrow, which is now known as “Barenburg Seed”. Lee returned to Portland for 2 years to attend college and was also managing a “Kings Table” restaurant. His father contacted him about 80 acres that was for sale in Boardman. Lee has always (even to this day) believed in the growth and opportunities that Boardman had to offer, so up the freeway he came to purchase that land from the Rand family. He moved to Boardman full time in 1970. He worked various jobs, including running a D-8 Cat breaking ground on one of the first farms in the area – now called Three Mile Farms, and then worked with contractor Bill Nelson assisting in the construction of Inland Empire bank building (today Banner Bank building), Sandpiper Apartments and other apartment buildings. In 1974 Lee joined in a partnership with Rik Haberlach and they purchased city property and built the first low-income apartment complex in Morrow County = Hab Doc Apartments – which today is known as Sagecrest Affordable Housing. Housing was badly needed in Boardman, so the Docken family, including Lee’s parents, Doc and Emma Docken, sons Mark and Eric, decided to build a 129- unit mobile home park on part of the 80 acres Lee had purchased and called it Desert Springs Estates – now known as “Bella Vista Estates”. They also struck a deal with Portland General Electric and built a “man-camp” on the south side of the mobile park to house all of the workers for PGE Coal Fire Plant. That facility was later made into an RV Park, called Driftwood RV Park. So, how did Pam Docken end up here? Well, marriage, of course. Lee and Pam were married in 1979 – they raised their 2 daughters + 1. Another fact,
Mountain Valley Land Co. is located at 491 NE Columbia Avenue, Boardman, OR Laura, Lisa and Desi were a part of the first students to attend the new Sam Boardman Grade School. Their daughters went off to college, came home and married “local boys” – in fact, 2 of their daughters, 3 of the 4 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren live in the local community and are homeowners, which makes Lee and Pam very happy and proud! Pam worked various jobs, but her very favorite was Secretary of Riverside High School for 10 years. She will never forget interviewing with Dan Daltoso, principal at the time, and receiving that phone call the next morning, with Mr. Daltoso saying “where are you? It is 10 minutes after start time”? Pam was elated. She met so many wonderful parents, students, and teachers. But, then reality set in and Lee pointed out that Mountain Valley Land Company had sent 3 secretaries to Real Estate school only to have them move out of town due to husbands relocating. So, Pam became a licensed realtor and joined the real estate company full time. This has turned out to be so fulfilling – along with Lee, they have helped many families purchase their first homes, their second homes and even third homes. They have made many great friends along the way. Lee and Pam have also been active in the communities serv-
ing on the Morrow County Planning Commission, Boardman City Planning, Boardman City Council, Columbia River Health and Boardman Kiwanis. Lee has served on Umatilla Electric Cooperative Board as Director for the Boardman area for 36 years. Mountain Valley Company also has two full time agents, both longtime residents: Saul Llamas, a Riverside High School alumni who has lived in Boardman for 20+ years and Laurrie Blackman who has lived and raised her family in Irrigon for 20 years. Both have served on various boards and been involved in community activities. There is a lot of experience and knowledge with this local real estate company and they encourage you to stop by 491 NE Columbia Avenue for any questions you may have about real estate and remember: (1) There is no such thing as a stupid question and (2) It does not cost anything to ask questions. The Docken family feels truly blessed to be a part of this community. For them, it has been and still is a great place to raise your families and to call home. After all, “home is what you make it”, so building and improving your local communities helps insure a good future for all.