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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2020)
Fall Flavors Inside In Home & Living Fulfi lling a rodeo dream, 2A Rallies in Bend turn violent, 7A Follow us on the web TUESDAY • October 6, 2020 • $1.50 Good day to our valued subscriber Jeri Barker of La Grande Dispelling folklore, adding truths Historian digs into reality rather than myths in latest book about Hot Lake By Dick Mason The Observer Dick Mason/The Observer A pedestrian strolls past the Liberty Theatre Complex on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in downtown La Grande. Workers have all but fi nished restoring the fronts of the complex’s two structures — the Putnam Building and the Liberty Theatre. Looking back in time Past becomes visible once again for the Liberty Theatre Complex By Dick Mason The Observer LA GRANDE — A restored portion of La Grande’s theatrical past now is easier to see. A 5-foot high security fence in front of the Liberty Theatre Complex on Adams Avenue in downtown La Grande was removed after being in place for more than three years. The fence, which blocked the front view of the complex, was removed because exterior work on the front entrances of its two buildings, the Liberty Theatre and the Putnam Building, is vir- tually complete. The exterior includes ground-fl oor windows like those in place about a cen- tury ago and historic colors that decorate the complex’s exterior the way they did a century ago. The fence had been in place to protect the public while activities like demolition was conducted to remove the previous facade and Dick Mason/The Observer Bob Copeland of Quiet Life Construction does fi nal painting work Fri- day, Oct. 2, 2020, on the exterior of the Putnam Building in downtown La Grande. The Putnam is part of the Liberty Theatre Complex, which for the fi rst time in at least three years no longer has a 5-foot-tall fence obstructing its view. replace it with one that has a his- toric look. “It (the fence) was put up for safety,” said Dale Mammen, who owns the Putnam Building with his wife, Ginny. The colors on the facades include Decatur Buff, burgundy, waterbury green and mill springs blue. These colors are all classi- fi ed as historic, Mammen said. The Putnam and Liberty The- atre buildings have long been linked. Mammen noted the original owners of the Liberty lived in a portion of the Putnam Building. He also said at one time the Putnam Building had a door that opened onto the stage of the Liberty. The restoration of the fi rst fl oor of the Putnam Building now is almost complete. Its features include a mezzanine, facilities for a bakery and a restroom that meets Americans with Disabili- ties Act compliance. The upstairs level of the ren- ovated Putnam Building will feature two small apartments to serve as dressing rooms for LA GRANDE — Historian Richard Roth, the author of a series of books about Hot Lake’s history, is again in a paradoxical position. It is one Roth embraces. Roth busts myths and intro- duces readers to true tales about Hot Lake’s pre-1974 history, sto- ries arguably more interesting than the fi ction that shroud the site like the steam rising from its broiling waters on cold days. The prolifi c writer is at again in his latest book, the second edi- tion of “Hot Lake — A Short Story,” which puts folklore to rest and brings interesting docu- mented stories to light. “True history is far more inter- esting than myths,” Roth said. His latest work includes a story about an incident that proves the Old West was alive and well at Hot Lake in 1883. Roth writes about a shooting in Hot Lake’s old dance hall in March of that year that ultimately claimed two lives. Eighteen people were in the dance hall when a pistol shot rang out, and one Clay Miller took a fatal bullet. “I’m shot boys, I’m shot,” Miller cried out before he died, Roth said. The shootout was the result of three men entering a room near the dance hall with a bottle con- taining an alcoholic beverage they had concealed. The bottle went missing, which led to an argu- ment that resulted in the shooting. A man named H. Green also was hit in the shooting and died three years later as a result of his wound, said Roth, who found an account of the shooting in an 1880s copy of The Daily Astorian. Hold the Mayo Roth lives in Orting, Wash- ington, but knows Hot Lake fi rst- hand. He grew up there, and his parents, the late A.J. and Fern Roth, owned Hot Lake from 1942-74. In his youth, he heard the founders of the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, brothers Charles and William See, Theater/Page 5A See, Book/Page 5A Oregon bucks wildlife crime with K9 unit By Margo Craig Capital Press SALEM — Buck isn’t like the rest of his colleagues in the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Divi- sion. The yellow Labrador retriever and Trooper Josh Wolcott are the state’s fi rst anti-poaching K9 unit. Their job is to track down hunters who illegally kill game animals. Buck underwent fi ve months of training and has been on the job since May 2019. He was chosen for his perseverance, playfulness and friendly demeanor, Wolcott said. Buck has three main jobs in the fi eld: detect wildlife, sniff out car- casses and track suspects. Occa- sionally, Buck and Wolcott also assist in homicide and missing person investigations. Buck is trained to detect the scent of gunpowder residue and Oregon’s most monitored wildlife: elk, deer, steelhead, salmon, bear, INDEX Classified ...... 4B Comics .......... 7B Crossword .... 4B Dear Abby .... 8B Oregon State Police/Contributed Photo See, Dog/Page 5A WEATHER Home ............ 1B Horoscope .... 4B Letters ........... 4A Lottery........... 2A THURSDAY Obituaries ..... 3A Opinion ......... 4A Sports ........... 8A State .............. 7A K9 unit Buck leads the way in the search for a possible poacher. Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Wednesday 41 LOW 81/44 Clear Partly sunny CENSUS BY THE NUMBERS CONTACT US 541-963-3161 Issue 119 2 sections, 16 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com. More contact info on Page 4A. Online at lagrandeobserver.com
