INSIDE
RETURN OF THE ELUSIVE CATBIRD | OUTDOORS & REC, B1
June 18, 2022
lagrandeobserver.com | $1.50
WEEKEND EDITION
COVID
cases on
the rise
in Union
County
Recent uptick may
be greater than
reported due to
at-home testing
By ISABELLA CROWLEY
The Observer
LA GRANDE —
Coronavirus cases are once
again on the rise in Union
County.
During May a total of
105 coronavirus cases were
reported in Union County,
the Center for Human
Development, La Grande,
announced. This month, 59
cases have been reported as
of Wednesday, June 14.
The uptick has CHD
worried. Large gather-
ings can be a concern when
cases are increasing. People
who are attending large
events should think about
steps to protect themselves
and their families. The
Center for Human Develop-
ment recommends wearing
a mask while attending
large, indoor gatherings and
maintaining 6 feet of dis-
tance when possible.
However, according to
the public health team at the
Center for Human Develop-
ment, there is not currently
a single set of criteria that
would trigger more man-
dates. Instead, the agency
examines each situation and
determines the appropriate
response.
The Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Pre-
vention classifi es Union
County’s COVID-19 com-
munity level at medium.
That means the CDC rec-
ommends anyone who is
at high risk for severe ill-
ness should consult their
health care providers about
masking and other appro-
priate precautions. Anyone
who is experiencing symp-
toms should get tested.
Resources are avail-
able for anyone who tests
positive. CHD provides
“wraparound services”
that include delivering gro-
ceries, food boxes, at-home
The Jerry Gildemeister Collection
Shown here in 1919, the manmade Goodbrod Lake in Union was gone by the 1950s, but not forgotten by all.
A nearly forgotten legacy
Remembering
A.J. Goodbrod and
his namesake lake
near Union
DICK
MASON
ANSWER MAN
IF YOU GO
Steve Wadner, a researcher and
volunteer at the Union County
Museum, will present “The Mystery
and the History of Goodbrod Lake”
at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 21. The
free Third Thursday lecture on A.J.
Goodbrod and the lake he built in
Union in the late 1800s is open to
the public and held at the Little
White Church building on Main
Street in Union. Learn more at www.
ucmuseumoregon.com.
U
NION — Denny Langford fondly recalls
Dick Mason/The Observer
his rollicking experiences with friends
Steve Wadner examines a guest register from Union’s Centennial Hotel
on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Wadner used the registers while conducting
research on A.J. Goodbrod, who operated the hotel from about 1887 to 1891.
at Union’s Goodbrod Lake while he was
growing up in the 1940s.
“When I was in fi fth,
man-made lake, which
sixth, seventh and eighth
was about a quarter mile
grade I had a ball down
south of the Eastern
there,” said Langford,
Oregon Agricultural
who has lived in Union
Research Center on the
almost all his life.
west edge of Union, van-
Langford and his
ished in the 1950s, Lang-
Langford
friends particularly
ford said.
enjoyed paddling wooden rafts
Today, however, the lake’s
to Goodbrod Lake’s two small
story is resurfacing and so is
islands. There they caught
the intriguing tale of the man
water snakes and crawdads.
who created it.
“The islands were full of
Long forgotten information
them. We just had a big time,”
about Goodbrod Lake and its
he said. “It was a fun place.”
namesake, A.J. Goodbrod, are
The 2.5-acre, 5-feet-deep
coming to light with the help
Union resident Steve Wadner,
a Union County Museum vol-
unteer who has done extensive
research on both the man and
the lake he built. Wadner will
give a presentation on his fi nd-
ings at 7 p.m. Tuesday,
June 21, at the Little White
Church building on Main Street
in Union.
Goodbrod Lake’s story
dates back to the early 1890s
when Goodbrod created the
lake over a three-year span
from 1892 to 1894. The site’s
features included a dance hall
and the presence of an old
cannon that may have come
from England, Wadner said.
The lake was in a pictur-
esque setting, according to a
story about Goodbrod in the
Feb. 21, 1909, Oregon Sunday
Journal.
“He has built a lake on his
place which is one of the most
beautiful in Eastern Oregon,”
the article said.
Small boats were available
at the site that people could
rent, Langford said. He noted
that they were gone by the late
1940s. In addition to being a
recreation hotspot, the lake had
See, Legacy/Page A3
See, COVID/Page A3
State parks commission tours Wallowa Lake
Talks events center,
access; hears
public comments
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA COUNTY
— Getting back to normal
after the COVID-19 pan-
demic, the Oregon Parks
and Recreation Commis-
sion held its fi rst meeting
in person and they came to
Wallowa County this week
to do so.
“This is the fi rst time
they’ve seen each other
face-to-face in two years,”
Chris Havel, deputy director
and commission spokes-
person, said of the trip to
Wallowa County.
Havel said the members
of the commission chose
Wallowa County to bid
farewell to outgoing Com-
missioner Lisa Dawson,
of Enterprise, whose term
ended with the last meeting.
They plan to hold their next
meeting on the coast and
before that wanted to take a
trip to Northeastern Oregon.
The commission meets fi ve
times a year, Havel said.
INDEX
Classified ......B2
Comics ...........B5
Crossword ....B2
Dear Abby ....B6
“For the people who have
never been here before, we
tend to hear the same thing,
which is “Wow’ and ‘This is
a part of Oregon I’ve always
wanted to see,’” he said.
Agency Director Lisa
Sumption expressed her
pleasure with Wallowa
County after the meeting.
“You have some of the
most incredible scenery and
humans here,” she said.
Seeing the sights
The commission mem-
bers started their gathering
See, Tour/Page A3
WEATHER
Horoscope ....B2
Local...............A2
Lottery ...........A2
Obituaries .....A5
Opinion .........A4
Outdoors ......B1
Sports ............A7
Sudoku ..........B5
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Mac Freeborn, left, manager of Wallowa Lake State Park, shows
members of the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission
a parcel of land Tuesday, June 14, 2022, that the commission is
considering for purchase.
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Sunday
46 LOW
60/46
Becoming cloudy
A p.m. shower
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541-963-3161
Issue 73
2 sections, 14 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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