FROM PAGE ONE
SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2022
LEGACY
TOUR
Continued from Page A1
Continued from Page A1
a utilitarian purpose, for
Langford noted that his
father used water from the
lake to irrigate his farm.
It is not known how the
lake was created, Wadner
said. The man responsible
for what today remains a
bit of an aquatic mystery
arrived in Union in 1876
as a Civil War veteran
with battle scars. He was
a member of Company B
of the 11th New York Cal-
vary and fought in the
battle of Fairfax County
Courthouse in Virginia,
where he was seriously
wounded.
“He was hit by a .52
caliber mini ball. He
spent fi ve months in a
hospital recovering from
it,” Wadner said.
Goodbrod later
rejoined Company B,
which was based in Lou-
isiana and Tennessee, at
the end of the Civil War.
earlier in the week with
a trip up the Wallowa
Lake Tramway hosted by
co-owner Mike Lockhart.
That gave him a chance to
discuss issues he believes are
important for the commis-
sion and Wallowa County.
Lockhart is president of
the Wallowa Lake Tourism
Association.
“I talked a little bit about
how tourism has grown
exponentially,” he said. “We
have a bit of an issue now
in that tourism is outpacing
our ability to provide the
infrastructure to take care
of our guests properly.”
Lockhart noted that
the lack of infrastruc-
ture is not just lodging,
but everything: parking,
stores, restaurants and other
amenities.
“We wouldn’t have (the
infrastructure) if it wasn’t
for the tourism that sup-
ports them during the
summer season,” he said.
“It’s important to address
the local needs of the
people so it doesn’t become
a burden on them.”
Protecting Lincoln
THE OBSERVER — A3
slated to be built just east
of the current buildings in
a couple of years and likely
will incorporate some of the
current parking lot.
Although it is still early
in the planning stage, Free-
born said, a cost of $3.5
million is estimated for
the 3,000-5,000-square-
foot building with another
$400,000-$450,000 for
architectural fees.
It will have a 360-
degree view with many
windows, a small kitchen,
restrooms, changing rooms
and dividers so it can be
turned into several smaller
rooms or opened to one
large room.
But the cost won’t all
come from state coff ers,
Freeborn said.
“We’d have to do a lot
of fundraising,” he said.
“That’s where the stake-
holders are coming in.
They’re going to be key in
raising money for this.”
Specifi cally, Freeborn
mentioned Lockhart and
Chuck Anderson, who
heads the annual Oregon’s
Alpenfest.
Alpenfest, which is regu-
larly held in late September
and early October, used to
be held in the century-old
Edelweiss Inn. However,
that building has become
too dilapidated and would
be too costly to restore,
Lockhart has said in the
past. Instead, he said June
15, he and his partner, Bill
Whittemore, have decided
to dismantle it and have
off ered to let the Parks
Department use parts for
the events center.
Lockhart and Anderson
both expressed their hopes
for the events center after
the meetings.
“We think it would
be a good deal for the
parks and for everybody,”
Lockhart said.
Anderson said that with
no viable venue at the lake,
Alpenfest will be held Sept.
29 to Oct. 2 at the Chief
Joseph Days Rodeo grounds
in Joseph.
“I was there to lobby
them to move as fast as
they can with their planned
events center at the state
park because when that’s
built, we’re hoping for it to
be the new permanent home
of Oregon’s Alpenfest,”
Anderson said. “One com-
missioner asked, ‘What are
the dates? I want to come.’
I passed on a brochure to
the commissioners and
I’m hoping to see a few of
them.”
Freeborn said the
parking lot at the events
center likely will have to
be redesigned. He also said
the beach area is likely to
change with the planned
refurbishment of Wallowa
Lake Dam.
Ground is expected to
be broken on the $21 mil-
lion project in the fall of
2023, according to Dan
Butterfi eld, president of
the Wallowa Lake Irriga-
tion District, which owns
the dam.
Freeborn said that once
the new dam is completed,
the water level of the lake
could rise by 2-4 feet,
which will fl ood some of
the current beach area.
Company B was initially
based in Washington, D.C.,
where it fought in area bat-
Union County Museum/Contributed Photo
tles and provided protection
Events center
for President Abraham Lin- A.J. Goodbrod poses for a photo in the late 1800s. Goodbrod was
active in the Union community after moving there in 1876. A Civil
Early on Tuesday, June
coln. The Army unit was
War veteran, he was a hotel owner and farmer in Union, and he
14, Mac Freeborn, man-
responsible for escorting
built a nearly forgotten 2.5-acre lake on his property that included
ager of Wallowa Lake State
Lincoln and his family
a dance hall and boats to rent.
Park, led the group on a
to and from the Soldiers’
tour of various sites at the
Home each summer. The
Active in Union
Evacuation access
lake, including the site of
Soldiers’ Home was a cot-
Wadner said his name pops
The commissioners met
community
the proposed events center
tage on a hill about 3 miles
up all the time when exam-
The end of the Civil
June 15 in Cloverleaf Hall
at the marina, the site of a
from Washington, D.C.,
ining Union documents
War did not mark the end
in Enterprise to conduct
proposed property acqui-
then known as Washington
and news articles from that
of Goodbrod’s military
routine business and hear
sition, the Upper Wallowa
City. The Lincolns spent
era. So frequently does
career. He reenlisted in the Goodbrod’s name appear
public comments.
River that is slated for res-
their summer nights at
Army in 1866 and was sent that Wadner wonders why
One of the written com-
toration, the Wallowa Falls
the cottage because it was
to California and Oregon to he is not better known
ments submitted involved
Campground, the Little
cooler there.
Wadner said it is not
fi ght in Indian wars. Good- today.
improving access to the
Alps day-use area and the
known if Goodbrod ever
brod later left the Army,
south end of the lake. Cur-
Iwetemlaykin State Heri-
“Anyone who is inter-
helped escort the Lin-
and he came to Union in
rently, only Highway 82
tage Site.
ested in the history of
colns but the
1876. He
along the east side of the
The fi rst site — the pro-
Union should know about
chances that
purchased
lake provides access.
posed events center — is
A.J. Goodbrod,” he said.
he did are
Union’s old
not out of the
Centen-
question.
nial Hotel
“It is just
about a
as likely that
decade later
he did as
and began
he didn’t,”
operating it
Wadner
around 1887.
said. “In my
Wadner
mind it was
said regis-
50-50.”
ters from the
Good-
hotel indi-
brod could
cate that
have spoken
people from
New York Historical Society/ as far away
with Lin-
Contributed Photo as Mexico
coln if he did
accompany
and Ger-
his family on This is a recruiting poster for many stayed
the Company B 11th New York there. He
rides to and
Calvary in which A.J. Goodbrod noted that
from Sol-
diers’ Home. served during the Civil War.
some of the
But with today’s advances, HIV isn’t what it used to be.
“Lincoln
hotel’s vis-
People with HIV are living longer, healthier lives, with the
was known
itors may
to sit and visit with sol-
have been individuals
help of medication. By talking about HIV, we can support
diers,” Wadner said.
interested in investing in
The Union County
the fl ourishing gold mines
our community. Testing and early treatment protect you
Museum volunteer said that of Baker County.
and your partner. Help is available if you’re HIV+.
even if Goodbrod never
Goodbrod sold the Cen-
escorted Lincoln, he would
tennial Hotel around 1891
Learn more and find free testing at endhivoregon.org
have talked with fellow
and got busy creating his
soldiers who met with the
lake and working as a fruit
president.
farmer.
“It is still part of the
“He was hardworking
story,” Wadner said.
and industrious,” Wadner
He noted that he found
said.
a published account during
Goodbrod, who died
his research in which a
at age 70 in 1914, was
Company B soldier told
always a big part of the
of a long talk he had with
Union community during
Lincoln.
the 38 years he lived there.
People with HIV
are our neighbors.
More than half of Oregonians with HIV
live outside Portland, often in suburbs or
small towns like this one.
COVID
Continued from Page A1
test kits and masks. Anyone
with a positive result can
call 211 — an essential ser-
vice community hotline
— seven days a week
from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. for
guidance and resource
information.
Residents can go to the
Center for Human Devel-
opment to get free at-home
test kits and special tests
needed to travel to some
countries. Additionally vac-
cinations and booster shots
are available.
Uptick in contrast to
rest of state
The Oregon Health
Authority said June 15 that
cases in Oregon fell 5%
over the last two weeks to
about 21,000, compared with
around 21,100 cases recorded
the previous two weeks.
Total COVID cases statewide
are likely higher, according
to Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state
epidemiologist.
“While this trend is pos-
itive news, OHA assumes
these numbers are an
undercount of the actual
number of cases because
we know many people are
using at-home tests and not
reporting the results or not
getting tested,” Sidelinger
said in a statement.
The state’s bi-weekly
COVID report also showed
that deaths and hospitaliza-
tions are down. In the last
two weeks, hospitalizations
dropped 30%, and 37 people
died, four fewer than the pre-
vious period.
This downward trend
is expected to continue,
according to the latest fore-
cast by an Oregon Health
& Science University fore-
caster, Peter Graven. Hos-
pitalizations in the current
surge of the variant BA.2
peaked on June 5 with 327
people hospitalized, he said.
Since the pandemic
began, Oregon has reported
789,698 confi rmed or pre-
sumed infections and 7,721
deaths, as of June 16, per
Oregon Health Authority
data. The June 16 report
indicated 303 people in
the state were hospitalized
with confi rmed coronavirus
infections.
— Oregon Capital Chronicle reporter
Lynne Terry contributed to this report.