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Senior photos pages 8-12.
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Friday, June 2, 2017 • Volume 4, Issue 22
Memorial Day at Mt. Hope Cemetery
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
On another warm Memo-
rial Day morning on Mon-
day, May 29, members of
the community gathered to
pay respect and to honor
those fallen during an Av-
enue of Flags service, held
in the Veterans Section of
Mount Hope Cemetery in
Baker City.
Veterans of Foreign Wars
(VFW) Anthony Lakes
Post #3048 Commander
Jerry Hunter, who opened
the service, said, “Ladies
and gentlemen, welcome
to the Memorial service for
2017... Comrades, on this
day, forever consecrated,
to our heroic dead, we are
once again assembled, to
express sincere reverence.
“This monument, these
graves, represent resting
places of departed com-
rades, who served in all
wars.
“Wherever the body of
a comrade lies, there, the
ground is hallowed.
“Our presence here is in
solemn commemoration of
all these men and women;
an expression of our
tribute for their devotion to
duty, to their courage, and
their patriotism, of their
services on land, on sea,
and in the air.
“They have made us
their debtors, for the fl ag
of our nation still fl ies,
over the land of the free.”
Post #3048 Chaplain
Austin Coates provided the
opening prayer.
SEE MEMORIAL DAY
PAGE 3
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
Back row L-R: Brandon Davilla, Brett Reinhart, Lori McNeil, Bob Nelson, Jerry Hunter, Austin Coates, Wayne Coates, Duncan Pearce
Kneeling: Gary Young, Jerry Shaw.
Oregon Trail Interpretive
Center celebrates 25 years
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
On Thursday, May 25, the National Historic Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center celebrated its 25th anniversary
with a free admission day. The Center had a reception,
performances, and activities to celebrate the day.
The speakers at the event were former Oregon gov-
ernor Barbara Roberts who attended the opening day of
the center, Randy Guyer, Dave Hunsaker, Don Gonzalez,
Sara LeCompte, Shane DeForest, and Kathleen Cathay.
There was also a special performance by Joyce Badgley
Hunsaker as “Fanny,” a woman on the Oregon Trail.
Hank Cramer & Friends also performed live music for
audiences. Cramer is a traveling folksinger who lives in
Washington State.
The Vale BLM Fire Prevention was there to educate the
students attending the celebration with Smokey the Bear.
Madeline Fischer Fire Prevention Technician attended
with seasonal workers.
The center also offered activities, including a Black
Powder Demonstration by Jeremy Martin and a “Skats
and Tracks” table where attendants were able to see dif-
ferent animal pelts.
The Center was opened May 25, 1992. According to
Trail of a Dream a History of the National Historic Or-
egon Trail Interpretive Center, ideas for the center began
in early January in 1987 when Neil Goldschmidt had
been elected governor of Oregon. Michael Nelson had
been appointed to the governor’s transition council.
Friday
Mostly sunny skies with mild conditions. highs
near 70. Friday Night: Mostly clear and cool.
Low near 40.
Saturday
Mostly sunny skies with mild conditions. highs in
the mid 70s. Saturday Night: Mostly clear. Lows
in the upper 40s.
Sunday
Mostly sunny skies with warm conditions. highs
near 80. Sunday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the
upper 40s.
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
Students at the ‘Skats and Tracks’ table.
According to the text, “At a meeting with his transition
council prior to inauguration, Governor Goldschmidt
divulged an economic plan he termed the ‘Oregon Come-
back.’”
SEE INTERPRETIVE CENTER PAGE 7
Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County.
Our forecast made possible by this
generous sponsor:
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
UP train
hits, kills
pedestrian
On Sunday, May 28, 2017, at approximately 5:44 p.m.,
the Baker County Consolidated Dispatch Center received
a 911 call from Union Pacifi c personnel stating one of
their trains had just struck a pedestrian walking on the
tracks near where the Burnt River and the Snake River
intersect.
Deputies responded to the location and found the
westbound train stopped approximately three-quarters of
a mile west of the Snake River.
Personnel from Huntington Rural Fire were on scene
when deputies arrived. Through the course of the inves-
tigation it was learned 33 year-old Kristoffer McCreary
of Caldwell, Idaho, was walking west on the train tracks,
heading toward Huntington.
A Union Pacifi c Train, also heading west, observed
McCreary on the tracks and began sounding the train’s
horn and bell.
The conductor/engineer also began the emergency
braking procedures. As they neared McCreary, he did not
seem aware of the train’s presence. The train was unable
to stop in time, striking McCreary.
It appeared McCreary may have been wearing ear buds,
inhibiting his ability to hear the audible warnings from
the train.
This case remains under investigation. Anyone with ad-
ditional information is asked to contact the Baker County
Sheriff’s Offi ce.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
City selling surplus items online
Man drowns in Snake River
Sinclair robbed on Hwy. 7
Man’s arm pinned beneath vehicle
Kayak fl ips on 203 Pond
Boating accident in Hells Canyon
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