COUNTRY
Continued from Page 1
gion's thousands «l square
mill's are a silent testament
t» their failed dreams
And while the residents nl
today have considerable-udvan
(ages to those pioneers elei
tricitv for wells, better and last
er transportation life in Ore
gon's Big Country is stillcloser
to that pioneer experience than
vs ha! most W estern Oregon'res
idents are act tistomisi to
And like those who pret rded
them, the people living in
Southeastern Oregon in lim.’
came here be< ause they wanted
a better life
The slower par ed lilestvle is
tin' most commonly given hen
elit of the region, as well as the
small numbers of people and
the resulting lack nl crowds,
tralfii . pollution and < rime
Mam Southeastern Oregon
residents lived previously in
larger towns or cities but tew
have any regrets about leaving
the hustle and hustle that goes
along with an urban lifestyle
"I don't miss any part of it,"
said Malena Konek. who owns
the store in 1-renehglen. f>5
miles south of Burns
Konek grew up in Albany
and lived in Washington and
on the Hast Ooast Indore mov
ing to this tmv community,
population 10. 10 years ago
She remembers many facets of
city living she would just .is
soon forget
"! don't miss all the people,
the trullic. or the rain," Konek
said
Konek said without all those
distractions, life is pared down
to its elemental roots
"I like living a more hash
life, she said Mv life here re
volves around the seasons,
around nature I like the cli
mate and the country
Darrell Northrop, who runs
the store and motel in Fields.
100 miles south ot Burns, gave
similar reasons for enjoying life
in Oregon's isolated corner
"I like the remoteness," hi'
said And the lifestyle
When asked if he ever con
siderod living in a more popu
lated area. Northrop a Mar
riev County native who has
lived m fields, population
' about 20,' lor 25 years
laughed and said simply, "too
many people
It's not surprising that resi
dents of Oregon's Big Country
would lie more happv without
a lot of crowds Both Konek
and Northrop said except for
the tourist season roughly
between April and October
thev don't do business outside
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Trte ori0-room elementary school al Andrews (population three),
about 100 miles south trom Burns, had two students in 19S/and has
none now
of Ihii loear residents kmirk
said she sees no to.ur.Uts' in
i tviH h^lon during tin- winter
What is surprising; is rh.it age
doesn't seem to In- .1 significant
limiting f.n tor in peoples dei i
sions to live in sui h an isolated
region with its often inhospitu
file weather
“This is ideal lor us as far as
I'm concerned,' said tifi year
old William Warner, who owns
the town of Wagontire and
makes up its entire population
together with his wife. (Jlgie
The Warners, who moved to
this !m\ cluster of buildings on
a winds plateau along t' S
Highway t')r> from lielio, Nov
ftve and a half years ago, have
no regrets about leaving city
life for this outpost fit) miles
southwest of Burns ami 7S
miles north of Lakes lew
You ( an t pH k up a paper
over there in lingerie or Port
land without something had
having happened, William
Warner said 'Dope, crime and
all that We've never find alls
problems like that here
Hot h W i I Hum W arner and
Northrop downplayed the
weather in Southeastern Ore
gon, which is much more ex
treme than on the west side of
the Cascade Mountains In fait
troth seemed to thins the oil
mate was just about rigid
We’ve been to I tie coast alii!
all it does is ram, rain, ruin."
Warner said I w o or three
days in a row all the time
liiis winter it only got
down to zero two or three days
In the summer t! gets up to
airout UK), but there s always a
bree/.e \nd it's drv over here
too
/.iTodegrees In winter and
luu irt summer may si‘i'111 [>ri"t
Iv extreme In those lit us im'ii
to the more moderate tempera
I tires iti.il j>n• s .ill in Itn- WTl
lumette Valley. bul Northrop
linin'! think nun h of the si/
/ling fii'.i! and frigid culil tli.it
also prevail around fields
The climate is pretlv mild
here. Northrop said with a
straight face
Despite their i hoh es to brave
this wildest i iinter of Oregon,
nonetheless its residents rei og
ni/e there are also good reasons
for living near towns and < (ties
"When you get to a curtain
age you have to think about
moving i loser to medical f.u ill
ties and things like that.
Konek said
And William Warner has pul
Wugontire up for sale, saving
it’s about time to think about
retirement
Still, neither the W arners nor
konek plan to move without a
good reason
Willi a m Warner said h e
plans to travel for a year il he
sells the town but he and his
wife want to come bai k and
live m Wugontire and help with
tile restaurant and motel, espe
i i.i 11 v during the summer when
traffic ori the highway is heavi
est
konek, too, expressed a de
sire to remain a resident of Ore
grin’s Big ( nuntrv, and perhaps
she summed up best the feel
ings of many of tfu.se like her
"As long as I am aide I’d like
to continue living out here,
she said I don't want to be
any w here else
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