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LA GRANDE EVENING OBSERVER, LA GRANDE, OREGON
Page Three
FIRST SCHOOL IN LA GRANDE OPENED DOORS IN 1862
Rude Log Cabin In Old
Town Taught by Provi
dence. M. Currey.
Seventy-two years ago, one year
after the first house was built In
La Grande, education in the
Grande Ronde valley put In an
appearance, the stepping stone to
cultural progress that today sees
La Grande as the educational
center of a great area, seat of the
only Institution of higher learn
ing in Oregon east of the Cascade
range of mountains.
In a rude log cabin In Old
Town, Providence M. Currey
taught the irst (school in; La
Grande in 1002. Today his grand
son, George H. Currey, is) in busi
ness here. Providence M. Cur
rey's school was a private one,
located in his home on B street.
The first five students to attend
were Joe Baker, Sarah Russell i
Chaplin. William! Russell, Ada
Erown Rogers and her sister, Es-
ther Brown Ellsworth, j
A few ycRrs later the first pub-
lio school was erected on a little
knoll near the mouth of Mill can- :
yon. The building was a two-:
story wood structure with two
rooms the older children up
Btairs and the younger ones on
the first floor. There were no
graded classes then and as soon
as a child finished the books that
were used downstairs, he was
moved to the upstairs room.
In 1880 the "old white school"
was built on Second and K streets,
back of where; Central school now
stands. IB furnished the first
high school course available in
La Grande. 'But it proved inade
quate, and two years later a two
room brick school was erected, on
Fir street. Then came the old
Blue Mountain university which
for many years was a leading in
stitution of higher learning in
the state.
"in 1899 Central school was built,
serving as both high and grade
school. Greenwood was next in
1906, and the others followed in
rapid order.
Five years ago the Eastern Ore
gon Normal school was built here,
marking the final step in the
present educational set-up here.
Already hundreds of students have
been graduated at the E, O. N.,
with a class of 69" receiving diplo
mas early this June.
The La Grande High school
graduating lass numbered 128
this yean and in all the schools
in the city, including the Normal
school, there are nealy 2500 stu
dents receiving education through
the spring, winter and fall
months. The public schools here
not only draw from La Grande,
but many from elsewhere in the
county send their children to this
city for their first 12 years of education.
CELEBRANTS QUIT SPEAKER
WHEN FIRST TRAIN WHISTLED
UNION COUNTY
COURT HOUSE
A 'TRAVELER'
Stories about early days in Un
ion county are hardly complete
without, some mentioning of the
"travelling" court house. In brief,
here's the facts about the mat
ter: The court house and county
seat first was established in 1864
in La Grande, but before long,
other towns started attempts to
get It. In 1872 a vote was taken
to decide whether La Grande, Oro
Dell, Union, Suramerville or Cove
should become the county seat,
but none of the live received a
majority. So a eecond election
was held, this time in November,
1874, with Union and La Grande
tha chief contestants. Union -woo,
and when It came to moving the
county seat to Union, a Union
delegation came to La Grande and
loaded the old log Jail on wheels
cut from a log and .moved the
entire thing to Union, fording
Catherine creek to get then.
Union remained the county seat
until a 692, when it was moved
back to La Grande, several men
of this city going to Union one
Sunday -and bringing the books
and court records back with them.
The present county court i&ouse,
built by the city and tented to
tfae county for marry yeas be
fore it finally was purchased out
right, was built that year.
PASTOR BGSIGMS
Bet. Alexander &aa reetrofid m
pastor of the M. M. churoo. la
this city and will go east tor a
two-year course In a theological
Institute. Rev. o. U. Xrartn has
been secured to officiate as pas
"You bet I was there when that
Tirst train pulled in," says Mrs.
Margaret Wallslnger Oliver, now
here from Portland for the big
celebration. "We had a big fam
ily of children, but I never stayed
at home of the children's ac
count. I had seen pictures of
engines pulling trains of cars and
I had a pretty clear Idea of how
they should look, but I had never
seen a real puffing, smoking,
c hu ggi n g one. When tlie date
was set for the grand entry of
that train Into La Grande, I
knew I would be there. : A trip
to La Grande was always some
thing of an event and occupied
the greater part of a day, but
never had a trip been looked for
ward to with such eagerness as
the Fourth of July celebration In
1884.
"Mr. Oliver and I, with some
of the children, went to town In
the family hack. We lived at
the old home place (now in the
Valeria district) and the hack
drawn by two farm horses could
get us. to town in one and a half
to two hours. We proceeded to
the piace up on the hill where
the celebration was to be held,
with the big barbecue dinner at
noon. Wo all took our dinner
baskets and had some of the meat
from the animal which had been
roasted in) the pit.
"Among other things on the
program was an address by Col.
Currey, prominent local orator,
father of George Currey. There
was a big crowd present, I re
member. What Col. Currey was
saying, I do not remember, but I
do know .that before his address
had progressed very far, that en
gine whistled and did that audi
ence get up and run I Where? Oh,
over to the edge of the hill where
I think the Normal school now
stands, and there stood part of
Col. Currey's one-time respectful
audience, all breathless and ex
cited, greeting the noisy, smoky
iron horse in varied ways. The
children went wild and the older
folks were not very far behind
them In the matter of thrills."
LA GRANDE BOASTS OF FINE
RECREATIONAL ADVANTAGES
MASONIC GHOI'P KLKCTS
Tho following were elected and
Installed as officers of La Grande
lodge, A. P. and A. M., Dec. 20:
W. M..-H. S. Strange; S4 W., P. J.
Holmes; J. W., John McAllster;
treasurer, M. F. Honan; secretary,
J. L. Curtis; S. D., H. C, Cotner;
J. D., B. F. Owsley; tiler, C. G.
Stacey; stewards, E. Reynolds
and F;. Allen, iLa Grande Ga
zette, Dec. 26, 1890.
MtAN'CII COMPLETED IX 1908
In the year 1908 the extension
of the La Grande-Elgin branch
line railroad was completed into
Joseph, providing an additional
64 miles of line. The road to El
gin was built in 1890.
La Grande, and the surround
ing country of Union and Wal- j
Iowa counties, presents the lead- :
ing recreational area in Eastern
Oregon, In fact in most of the
Inland Empire. , j
Situated as It Is at the gate
way to Wallowa lake, "the Switz
erland of America," annually
thousands of people, from both
here and outside points, pass
through La Grande en route to
tho mighty Wallowas for a period
of camping, hiking, fishing, mar
velling at the magnificent scenery,
perhaps climbing the 10,000-foot
Matterhorn or Eagle Cap, or In
some way eiijoy an out-of-door
vacation to the fullest.
Of the thousands who go to
the Wallowas, hundreds stop in
this city to play golf on the La
Grande country club course, un
questionably one of the finest,
sportiest in the northwest. Other
hundreds, especially in the late
summer, stop here to drive to
the top of M,t. Emily, 6000-foot
peak north of La Grande where
an unusually Impressive pastoral
poses, and bring a fine income
waters throughout Union and
Wallowa counties attract hun
dreds of others.
In fact, taking La Grande as
the hub of a recreation center,
there Is little that can be sought
for and not :ound from swim
ming in faultless pools here, at
Pine Cone and at Cove, to hunt
ing pheasants, grouse and deer
In tho fall, op from snaking a 20
inch trout from any of a number
of fine fishing streams to pic
nicking above the tlmberllne af
ter a marvelous ride over well
kept roads through sometimes vir
gin forests.
The recreational possibilities of
this portion of the state is ono
of tho chief charms of existence
here, and as a result nearly every
citizen Is an ardent sportsman,
following out a course, his own
particular ideas in the sport ho
chooses to enjoy,
1 1
OWNS HICEWEUV
Julius Roesch Is the proprietor
if tho only brewery In tho city.
Ho has had the misfortune to
have two brewery buildings de
stroyed by fire but now has a
substantial building of brick that
is practically fireproof. He Is a
member of tho city council and
Is among La Grande's most pro
gressive citizens. La Grando Ga
zette, Dec. 26, 1690,
f
MIGHTY lll'NTEIl
While on a hunting trip last
Sunday, G. M. Rlchey succeeded
in bagging a good sized coyote,
"Mac" Is becoming quite an ex
perienced hunter, and with
"Mino leetlo vee tog" at his heels
ho wages war with anything that
crosses his path. La Grando Ga
zette, Sept. 23, 1892.
1884-1934
Here With the Railroad
We are proud of the fact that it was Oscar Wheeler Moon who
was the engineer on -the first train to run into lia Grande,
50 years ago.
Proud, pleased and well satisfied too, that he was followed here by his
son, Edward ML Moon, -father of Edward O. Moon, Harry W. .Moon and
Elmer B. Moon, proprietors today of the Moon Drug Co., -of this city . . .
Proud we. are too of the business built and the part the Moon family has
played in thesrrowth and progress of La Grande . . .. With our .patrons we
have constantly strived through fair and honest dealing to repay the
favor of generous public patronge accorded this firm over these many
years we have succeeded here in business . . . And we pledge continuance
of -square dealing into the future of what we hope and trust will be most
successful, happy years for one and all of La 'Grande nd surrounding
territory.
. MOON DRUG CO.
FIR AT ADAMS .
tor, La Gxarooe Cnroalcle, May
1 1, j