FROM PAGE ONE
A6 — THE OBSERVER
EOU
Continued from Page A1
mask mandate on March 12,
following steady numbers
throughout the winter. After
Eastern recorded 193 cases
in January alone, there have
been just 21 cases in Feb-
ruary and March.
Likewise in Union
County, the total case count
per 100,000 has dropped to
26.1 as of March 12. That
mark ranks Union County
as the fourth lowest out of
35 counties, with Wheeler
County not included in the
graphic due to population
size.
Karpilo noted that
the university is seeing a
number of students with
typical winter illnesses such
as the fl u, but that self-re-
porting symptoms is still a
priority on campus. In the
case of reported symptoms,
Eastern is continuing to test
for COVID-19.
Following the dropped
mask mandate, Karpilo
stated that there will not
be any major shift in
the number of events on
campus — for sports or
other gatherings, the only
diff erence will be the
dropped mask require-
ment. The university is
still supplying N95 masks
at the front of most build-
ings for those looking to be
cautious.
The dropped mask man-
date will see a signifi cant
shift in on-campus living
situations, with students
no longer required to wear
masks in hallways and
common areas in dorms.
Karpilo noted that the uni-
versity is seeing an uptick in
students utilizing common
spaces in living areas.
“I think students did
a good job of building
community while they’re
wearing masks, but we
know as humans that seeing
faces and things like that is
preferred,” she said. “I’m
really excited for students
to have the opportunity to
be in those common areas
and being able to see peo-
ple’s faces and engage in
that way.”
With spring break
here this week, Eastern is
remaining cautious as many
students and faculty travel
during the break. According
to Karpilo, the university
has bi-weekly testing clinics
scheduled for the fi rst two
weeks after spring break —
the clinics will primarily
focus on anyone with symp-
toms or those who were
around a positive case.
Karpilo noted that
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity is continuing to consult
with local health authori-
ties in looking to prevent
TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File
Hanna Saunders, a freshman accounting student at Eastern Oregon University, studies in the school’s library
on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. The university has seen a drop in COVID-19 cases following a spike early in 2022.
future outbreaks or spikes
in COVID-19. The univer-
sity remains stocked with
enough rapid test kits to
administer to students in
the case of an uptick.
“We’re in a good spot,”
Karpilo said. “We try to
stay prepared to test the
whole student population if
we have to, which we can.”
As COVID-19 num-
bers remain low in Union
County and at EOU, offi -
cials are continually mon-
itoring trends in order to
keep cases at a minimum.
“We’re going to respond
to our experts and local
health authorities to make
sure we’re doing what we
need to be for our students
and community,” Karpilo
said.
SHELTER
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night, roughly 25 visitors attend
the shelter for meals.
“For four months every night of
the week, volunteers are providing
homemade, hot meals for about 25
people,” Ladendorff said. “It’s pretty
incredible when you think about it.”
According to Ladendorff , the
shelter saw a steady fl ow of individ-
uals throughout the year. Many of
these people were regular attendees
who are from La Grande.
“In the beginning of the year,
we were actually not as packed full.
By the time the season was ending,
we were hitting full capacity most
nights,” Ladendorff said. “The
weather plays a big role.”
The 2022 season marked the
fi rst time that the warming sta-
tion was able to employ a paid
employee, thanks to grants. Cas-
sidy Porter, the station’s manager,
was able to contribute to the shelter
as a paid employee starting this past
December.
Many volunteers put in count-
less hours for the shelter, providing
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Kate Gekeler applauds for volunteers for the warming shelter at an appreciation
lunch at Zion Lutheran Church, La Grande, on Saturday, March 19, 2022.
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Dianna Douglas plates up roasted chicken for the warming shelter appreciation
lunch at Zion Lutheran Church, La Grande, on Saturday, March 19, 2022.
any resource they can. According to
Ladendorff , roughly 60 volunteers
give their time to the shelter and
about 15 individuals regularly vol-
unteer eff orts to provide meals for
the homeless.
Ellen Martin, a volunteer, works
night shifts that start at 10 p.m. and
conclude at 3 a.m. the next morning.
She also does laundry for the shelter,
cleaning bed sheets every time they
were used by an individual.
“It’s nice that we have that place
for them to be warm and safe,”
Martin said.
According to Martin, any given
night can be unpredictable. She
noted that a core group of individ-
uals typically frequent the station,
building relationships with each
HISTORY
MORE INFORMATION
Continued from Page A1
said a La Grande resident
that he and his wife know
spoke to Costner at the
Cabin Creek Ranch. It is not
known when Costner lived
on Palmer Junction Road,
but The Observer did report
in its Aug. 19, 1991, edition
that the movie star visited
the Grande Ronde Hospital
emergency room on Aug.
17, 1991, because his wife,
Cindy, needed treatment for
a scratched eye.
The stories about Rogers
and Costner are among
many surprising ones the
authors recount in their
450-page volume.
Another concerns
Upper Perry Lane and its
namesake D.W.C. Perry,
an engineer, for whom the
community of Perry is
named. Perry once lived
in La Grande but never
in the community which
today bears his name.
Dave Yerges said that in
the early 1870s Perry was
part of a team of engi-
neers who built a long
tunnel under the Andes
Mountains of South
America. Perry later
served as an executive
superintendent of the St.
Louis World’s Fair which
opened May 30, 1904 and
ran through Dec. 1, 1904.
“Perry is named after a
remarkable person,” Dave
Yerges said.
Mysteries the new book
lays to rest include one
concerning how Morgan
Lake got its name — it
was named in honor of
Thomas Morgan who
began working as a shep-
herd at the age of 10. He
later became a major local
landowner.
“Readers got familiar
with article titles like
other and with volunteers. Martin
stated that, despite their perception,
many homeless individuals at the
warming station are attempting to
become more stable.
“Last year, there was one fellow
who came, had dinner and went to
bed. He was up and out the door in
the morning because he had a job.
He just didn’t have a place to stay
and couldn’t save up enough money
to aff ord a place to live,” Martin
said.
Kate Gekeler, a board member
at the station, said it can take home-
less individuals months to become
self-suffi cient enough to aff ord
For information on obtaining
“Historical Guide to Union
County, Oregon Roads,”
email the authors at weframe@
eoni.com.
Dick Mason/The Observer
Dave and Trish Yerges pose for a photo with their new book,
“Historical Guide Union County Oregon Roads,” at Market Place
Fresh Foods, La Grande, on Saturday, March 12, 2022.
this: ‘Morgan Buys More
Land,’” they write.
Morgan went on to have
a long and eventful life and
remained active into his
80s.
“Even at age 84, Thomas
was making news for the
local paper, and it wasn’t
his obituary either. He
decided he would climb icy
Mt. Hood, something on
his bucket list,” wrote the
authors.
Morgan succeeded in
climbing Mount Hood on
Aug 11, 1955. After his
climb he rushed off to get
back to a herd of sheep he
was caring for.
“He just loved his
sheep, he was a true sheep
person,” Trish Yerges said.
Their book answers
many questions — but also
raises some.
One concerns Cath-
erine Creek Lane, which
was named after Cath-
erine Creek. Many have
long believed that Cath-
erine Creek was named
after Catherine Godley,
the daughter of Thomas
and Mary Godley, whose
family lived near Catherine
Creek. The authors, though,
have dispelled this notion.
Trish Yerges explained that
survey maps from 1863
list the creek at the site as
Catherine Creek. This was
about seven years before
the Godleys moved from
another state to the Cath-
erine Creek area.
“We have created a new
mystery,” Trish Yerges
said.
The story behind
Gaertner Lane on the
north edge of La Grande is
another eye opener.
It was named after Emil
and Lena Gaertner, who
came to Union County after
winning a lottery in their
home country of Germany.
The couple used their win-
nings to take a ship with
family members to Ellis
Island and then a train
across the United States to
Union County.
The couple came after
Emil Geartner wrote a
letter to her brother, Paul,
in Enterprise to share
their good lottery news.
Paul Geartner wrote back,
urging his sister and broth-
er-in-law to come to the
United States before their
lottery winnings were
spent. He told them that he
would help pay for other
family members to come
with them.
Dave and Trish Yerges
started working on the
book about four years ago.
They began well versed
on local history. Trish has
been a correspondent for
The Observer since 2005,
writing many articles
about local history during
her tenure. Dave began
working at the Mitre’s
Touch Gallery, La Grande,
Turning 65, paying too
much or want to
compare your options?
housing. The warming station is
able to serve as a warm place to stay
as individuals look to get back on
their feet.
Kay Durham, a volunteer,
recalled fond experiences getting to
know attendees at the Union County
Warming Station. She noted that the
perception of the homeless can often
be negative, but that services like the
station can help individuals in need
of assistance.
“Not every situation is the
same. The attitude has to change,”
Durham said. “We’re all humans.
It doesn’t matter what your circum-
stances are.”
in 1993 and later bought the
business before retiring in
2021. He published many
local history books, sev-
eral of which he and Trish
wrote during his time with
the Mitre’s Touch.
The couple’s latest work
is based on interviews
with many people during
the past two decades,
unpublished memoirs and
Observer archives from
1897 to 1964. The Observ-
er’s archives provided the
authors with a signifi cant
amount of information.
“For all the criticisms
that newspapers must take
from their reading public,
they are still among the
best repositories of histories
you’ll ever fi nd and for that
they must be commended,”
the couple wrote in their
introduction.
They said fi rst-hand
sources of history are dwin-
dling because of age and
time.
“It is with gratitude
that we have been able to
unearth some stories and
solve a mystery or two,”
Dave Yerges said.
The couple are glad that
their book is out but they
do not feel a sense of relief
because they had so much
fun producing the work.
“It was a labor of love,”
Trish Yerges said.
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