La Grande evening observer., July 13, 1934, Image 21

Page Fifteen
COMING OF RAILS BROUGHT END TO THE STAGE COACH
LA GRANDE EVENING OBSERVER, LA GRANDE, OREGON
Mrs. Edith Gekeler
Watches Development
in Last Half Century
"I did not attend the celebra
tion held in a Grande, July 4,
.1884," said Mrs. Edith Gekeler,
valley pioneer of 1878, "but I
i, heard the engine whistle which
hernlded the arrival of the first
- train into La Grande on that day.
Mr. Gekeler and I were living on
the Gekeler homestead, the house
being located on the Gekeler
lane, Just a little west of where
Roy Spencer now lives. The tents
of the construction crews were
pitched between our house and
Grandpa Gekeler's place. We saw
a good deal of the men and heard
a lot about the railroad. Of
courso we knew of the arrival of
the first passenger train had been
set for the Fourth. Sometime
near noon of that day, we began
to listen, finally we heard a far
distant whistle, then one a little
louder, lastly, one long, continu
ous shriek that announced the
train had reached its destination.
. "Did you ever feel like crying
for Joy? Well, that was the way
, I felt as I stood there and heard
the whistle. A hundred and one
things crowded into mry mind. I
saw in my mind's eye, the new
vista that had opened and had
put us in touch with the outside
world.
"The days were over for the
rocking stagecoach with its fear
less driver and its fractious horses.
No more big heavily-loaded freight
wagons with their wheels buried
to the hub In mud and the
horses or oxen encouraged by a
black snake and the sulphurous
language of the driver.. We would
now have markets for our live-
stock and farm produce. Here-1
tofore we had had no markets,
only the scattering mines. The
. cattle were driven to Cheyenne,
Wyo., and the hogs were taken on
foot to the mines. Many times
though, the hogs were butchered
on the farm and made into cured
. meat and then freighted to the
mining towns. The only hay i
. market was the stage station or i
the freighters. It was baled in
a home-made press but now we
could have our hay baled In a
modern press and have It shlp
ped, the new press to make the
same weight but half the size.
: "And dairying, I saw a great :
advancement in that, too. That I
branch of agriculture consisted .
of milking cows witn tne assist- ;
ance of the calves. During the j
summer, the butter was made in- j
to two-pound rolls, was packed in i
brine barrels and was freighted :
.--to the mines. j
"Our wheat, oh Joy, at Inst aj
market! Outside the grain used.
for Hour and hog feed, there was
none, only for the stage and
freight horses.
- "I did not think entirely of
what could be shipped out. I
thought, too, of what might be
shipped In. One thing, especial
ly, I wanted for myself, glass
fruit Jars to can fruit in. They
were so hard to handle that they
were not even, freighted in. Then,
most of all, top buggies and car
ina ges would eventually come. The
old wagon, the box being filled
.with rawhide bottomed chairs,
was the usual mode of travel for
the pioneer and his family.
"I came to the valley from.
Pennsylvania in 1878," Mrs. Geke
ler reminisced, "and at that, time:
-mere were wnispers oi a ruuriw
!;but it was so long coming that
4 when it did we could hardly
'realize it. Never for a minute
Jdtd we think the little village of
Old Town, as we called It, would
cover the Grandy grain field,
-'-A where the Gekeler header had cut
'.'the grain'
.i "I look back with amusement
on my first ride on the new rall
road. My mother, Mrs. M. E.
Carter, of Walla Walla, was vis
"itlng me. When she left for
;home I decided to take my month
old babe (now Mrs. Victor Ragain)
and go with her for a. visit. In
;the afternoon of Sept. 1, 1884,
;we boarded the train at La
Grande, rode as far as Umatilla
where we got off and waited for
rjtwo hours. Then we were put
;in the caboose of a freight train
,:and were taken as far as Wallula
; where we waited another two
: hours. Finally we got on a train
)that took us Into Walla Walla.
; We got there about the middle of
? the forenoon. Compare that with
j the speed of 1934 60 years later."
v AN OLD-TLME HOTCHAT
The season of the bal masque,
v popcorn, candy and striped sua
Spenders Is again upon us. Sound
'(the Jim Jam and beat the egg
J nog. Editorial In La Grande Ga
zette, Dec. 26, 1890.
FOUR ROADS
TO WEST IN
EARLY DAYS
The Blue mountains, now con
quered by rail and highway alike,
in early times of immigration to
Oregon was one of the greatest
obstacles in the way of overland
wagon trains. Sometimes months
of valuable time was consumed
in the perilous task, historians
report.
Finally four roads were con
structed over them between 1802
and 1868. One was the Meach
am road, one farther north the
Thomas & Ruckell, another still
farther to the north, the Linck
ton, and another south of the
Meaham road, built by the gov
ernment and later abandoned en
tirely. The Linckton in those
days was passable only in sum
mer. ...
MABKIBD AT UNION
L. B. Thomas and Miss Frank le
Horton, both of La Grande, were
married at Union Sept. 20, 1892,
with Justice Blakesly officiating.
Mr. Thomas is an employe in the
U. P. shops here. La Grande Ga
zette, Sept. 23, 1892.
r 1
, ' !
Schools and Homes
If you are looking: for a place to educate
your children come to La Grande. Large,
modern schools competent teachers grade
schools High School and the finest co
educational Normal School in the state. La
Grande is a city of beautiful residences and
buildings people who- live in La Grande
take pride in their homes They are good
neighbors.
LOWELL WILLIAMSON La Grande, Oregon
MRS. ANNA OLIVER SAW
. TRAIN FROM MT. EMILY
The resourcefulness, of which
Mrs. Anna Oliver's friends are so
well aware, stood her well in hand
on that Fourth of July, 50 years
ago and gave her a memorable
day which otherwise might have
been robbed of much of Its glam
our and thrill because she hap
pened to be one of the younger
children in a large family. She
uvas one of the family of John
McDonald who pioneered to this
valley in 1864, purchasing a tract
just north of the present N. K.
West ranch. As sometimes hap
pens, the older children in the
family managed to secure the
conveyances first getting away to
La Grande bright and early, and
it looked as though the younger
children would have to get their
knowledge of the first train by
hearsay. .
But heaven was kind to the
children and whether upon the
suggestion 04 the parents, or only
with their permission, Anna and
some of the others bravely start
ed up the slopes of Mt. Emily to
watch the grand entry from the
heights of the guardian angel of
the valley, They knew the time
EASTERN OREGON NORMAL SCHOOL IN LA GRANDE
LA GRANDE - a good place to live
''THE HOME. G ENTER
Homes
Farms
Williamson & Berry
"Headquarters for a Good Place to Live"
the train was supposed to pull
in and evidently they were sure
of their abilities as climbers for
they reached their destination In
plenty of time. Mrs. Oliver re
ports that what they saw was not
much more than the stream of
smoke from the engine, but It
WAS that, and they had this
special thrill all their own.
Judlng from her present In
clinations and desires, Mrs. Oliver
is certain that Immediately she
must have wanted to ride on the
train. The opportunity came
sometime later when with a
friend, she rode clear to Perry in
the cab of an engine her first
experience on the steam cars.
nilAXCH TO ELGIN OPENED
The railroad officials have
mado a secial rate for an excur
sion from La Grande to Elgin
next Sunday. The train will leave
La Grande at 0:30 and arrive at
5:20 in the evening. This will be
the first passenger train over the
new branch. Tickets for the
round trip will be $1. La Grande
Gazette, Dec. 26, 1890.
Business Headquarters
Make La Grande youu business headquarters.
It is geographically the business center of
alLEastemi Oregont. If your business takes
you in any direction east, west, north or
south, you will save time and money by locat
ing here. Investigaie the advantages of
making La Grande your home and the head
quarters for your Eastern Oregon territory.
OF EASTERN OREGON"
Insurance
MT. FANNIE
BEARS NAME
OF MRS. BROWN
Much has been said and writ
ten about Benjamin Brown, who
in 1861 erected the first build
ing in La Grande and tilled the
soil the first time in the Grande
Ronde valley. i i
Yet, in checking over histori
cal facts, it is learned that one
of the mountains in the county
bears the name not of Ml,
Brown but of his wile. Mount
Fannie, In the eastern end of the
county, was named alter Mrs,
Brown. .
PLENTY OF BUSINESS
Tho following statistical infor
mation has been furnished the
Gazette in regard to the ship
ment of wool, hides and Bhecp
from La Grande during the last
12 months, and the value of tho
same: ,.
Eight carloads hldes..$ 8,000
Furs 4,000
Wool, 780,000 lbs 128,700
Sheep, 40,000 head .... 80,000
-" " t
Total value $220,700
La Grande Gazotto,
Dec. 20, 1890.
CLAUDE BERRY