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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1934)
Page Nine MODERN LA GRANDE ONCE THE GRANDY HOMESTEAD LA GRANDE EVENING OBSERVER, LA GRANDE, OREGON First Home on "The Flat" Erected Where La Grande Hotel Stands. More than half a century .ago, before the first steel rails stretch er across this end of the Grande Ronde -valley, what we know as the La Grande of today presented an entirely different picture. In fact, It was nothing more or less than a farm of 160 well kept acres, and approximately 59 years ago a farmhouse was erected on that ' acreage the first build ing in what later became modern La Grande. The farm was the property of the lata Ben Grand y, and was lo cated at Fourth and Adams, on land now covered by the six story La Grande hotel. Actually, the farmhouse stood for nearly half a century until 1927 when it was removed to make room for the new, modern structure. Some of the lumber for that first home was hauled from the 6nod grass sawmill at Oro Dell, Some was brought from Union, and finally It was completed, a modest, substantial residence of that day, and one of which Mr. and Mrs, Grandy were proud of many, many years. Today, Mrs. Lydia Grandy, who far many decadeit called th,at place home, looks at the La Grande hotel as being somewhat of a monument to the pioneering days. Intensely proud of La Grande, this woman who has the , distinction of being the first fern- ; Inine settler of this city as It i stands today, watched the town i grow from the first buildings f that were 'quickly erected with j the coming of the railroad back . In '84, to its present develop- I ment. She is one of the few re-I malnlng who watched the city t develop lyear by; year from Its earliest day. ' j As a young girl In her teens Lydla Palmer came with her , brothers and sisters and parents, ! Mi-, and Mrs. Robert H. Palmer ; and their family, from Pennsyl-; vanla across the great stretch of plains to Oregon. It was in 1864 and travel in those days was , nothing like riding on the streamline train of today. It took ' 72 days of hard travel before the Grande Ronde valley was reached. , The Palmers, upon arrival, es- ; tabllshed a temporary home In a ' cabin situated near the present ' location of the Robert Eakin ! place on Walnut street. In a short time Lydla was to become ' the bride pi Ben W. .Grandy, ! who pre-empted 160 acres that lay to the north of the then set- , tlement known as La Grande ! now Old Town, a part of the ' city's residential district. It was I In 1875 that the Orandys built ! their home. Mr. Grandy for many years, be sides his ranch duties, freighted across the mountains from La Grande to Umatilla Landing, go ing through dangers and hard ships unheard of today. After the coming of the railroad, how ever, he devoted his time to bus iness In the city, and to the dis posing of his land interests, tak ing an ever Increasing and Im portant place In this city's his tory. CORONATION OF QUEEN TO BE BIG EVENT One of the meet colorful and ' beautiful events of the Scmi-Cen-tennial U. P. celebration to be held here this month will be the queen coronation scheduled for the night of Thurtday, July 19, at the La Grande stadium. I Rehearsals for the queen cor- j onatton will be held during the j ' next week. Included in this page-j ant will be 250 to 300 school ch.il- 1 dren in festive attire under the I supervision of Miss Margerie Hor ' ton. The costuming of the chil ; dren Is in charge of Mrs. Geo. Williams, who also has the group of flower girls. This group has an t excellent feature dance in addi tion to its assigned duties ao the i designated "Lane of Flowers.' The famous La- Grande Triad i choir under the direction of Mrs. A. L. Richardson, will perform an t Important part in the coronation . services. Other, .musical - attrac tlous will be the Oregon state , champion drum - oorp of. Ia i Grande post American Legion. i chairman.. John .Gartty: the re- I nowned UnloiPaciflc Old Timer x ban of Ogden; Ulah. and the ' northwest's' own., .band of . La j Orande under the direction of Roy Mattoon. The queen and attendants cos tumes are under the personal di rection of Mrs. Don Rohan. The coronation as well as other night features on the La Grande stadium will be enacted under an excellent flood light system under the supervision of F. L. Robinson and Miss T. Whaley. A colored light scheme will also be used. Of great assistance will be the loud speaker system handled entirely by H. E. Dixon. Properties are ln charge of Don Rohan, chairman. Harley Richard son is designing and building the queen's float. HORSESHOE TOURNEY TO BE CELEBRATION EVENT Details of the horseshoe tour nament, one of the sports events of the Semi -Centennial U. P. cele bration next week, have been an nounced by J. B. Smith, president of the La Grande Horseshoe club and chairman of the events for the celebration tournament. Elimination contest) will be held on the 19th and 20th, with an entrance fee of 50c charged fdr each person entering the contest. All contestants will pitch 100 shoes to qualify for the final tournament which will be held on Saturday, July 21, The entrance fee for the final contest will be $1.00 per person and the 15 high est men In the elimination con The script covering the pageant was written by Miss Kate Houx and Mto. C. C. Long and Is being hailed as a masterpiece. The general assembly of the coronation will be directed by Mrs. J. B. McLaughlin, while Mrs. J. F. Corbett, as general chairman of the entire queen's coronation, holds the distinction of supervis ion over lne of the most out standing features of the celebra tion. All chairmen have their parts well under control, all participants are prepared and the public will witness an elaborate event in the history of the west, It was said. test will pitch a round robin for the prize money which Is being offered. The only persons barred from this tournament are agents, sales men, or any representative of any horseshoe company. All pitchers who qualify for the final tourna ment will rcrelve prize money, the minimum prize being $1.50 and this amount will reimburse en trants for their fees for both con tests. The fifteen prizes will be award ed as follows: 1st, $30.00; 2nd, $20.00; 3rd, $15.00; 4th, $4.75; 5th, $4.00; 6th, $3.75; 7th, $3.50; 8th, $3.25; 9th. $3.00; 10th, $2.75; 11th, $250; 12th, $2.25; 13th, $2.00; 14th, $1.75; 14th. $1.50. Back in the Days When THE horse and buggy was still a popular means of "comin' to town" and the public square was naked without its hitching posts, the name J. C. Penney was already commencing on the tongues of folks and becoming a household word for value and economy in matters of apparel and home furnishing. Today, through the years, the J. C. Penney Co., has grown and expanded along, that same strict adherence to the Golden Rule that made its early success so immediate and popular ... a policy of square dealing and customer satisfaction always paramount. Founded in 1902 at the Union Pacific coal mining town of Kemmerer, Wyo., there are 1487 J. C. Penney Co. stores . over the United States today the world's largest chain department store organization. 161 of Our Stores Along the Lanes of the Union Pacific U. Pk. J.E.REYNOLDS HAS LIST OF PASSENGERS Passengers wanted t President J. E. Reynolds of the Sons and Daughters of Union County Pioneers association Is making up a passenger list for the special train which is to pull into La Grande from Island City on the morning of July 19 as the opening feature of the U. P. Semi centennial celebration. More names are to be put on the list, for the train will accommodate 36 passengers and the Hon. Dunham Wright, sage of Medical Springs, Union county's most outstanding pioneer and president of the coun ty pioneer association, will be passenger No. 1. Reynolds is very anxious to complete the list which when finished, will have the name of one representative from, each of the prominent pioneer families of Union county. The Observer Is asking such representatives to get In touch with Mr. Reynolds at once If they have not done so already. Also, Mr. Reynolds Is asking for 100 per cent cooperation for the great pioneer parade which comfrs immediately after the speaking. He is asking that all the citizens of the county who will do so, come on the morning of the 19th attired in the prevailing fashions of the '80's ithis Is for the valley as well as for La Grande. Then valley fam ilies are wanted for the parade, families or representatives of fam ilies who will come In some horse drawn vehicle to Join the parade and help make It one of the strik ing features of the three-day cele bration. The Pioneer train leaves Island City at 9 o'clock. All aboard I FRIDAY MORN PARADE WILL BE BIG SHOW. Although the Seml-Centennlal U. P. celebration committee has not yet divulged full details, It was stated today that the Jubilee parade, to be held at 9:30 a. m. on July 20, would be beyond ques tion the greatest and most color ful procession ever staged In La Grande. Scores of floats, organizations, (Continued on, Page Ten) HOME HUIMHNO Thirty-one residences were constructed; In La Grande last year. A glance at the column of Improvements during the last yea rwlll Indicate how much ad vancement has been made In this class of improvement. La Grands Gazette, Dec. 26, 1B90. Miss Maude Durbin, formerly residing In La Grande and d gift ed elocutionist, has been en gaged to appear with Madame Modjeska. La Orande Gazette! Oct. 21, 1892. Mrs. James Hendcrshott, of the Cove, Is visiting with her daugh ter, Mrs. J. B. Eaton. La Grande Chronicle. May 17, 1893.
