Wallowa County chieftain., February 24, 2016, Image 21

Enterprise, Oregon
Issue No. 45
)eEruary , 01
Wallowa.com
$1
1970-71
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In less than a year, several businesses
and 10 apartments destroyed
Chieftain archives
Crews do what they can to quell the 1970 Grain Growers fire as the flames rise high into the night sky.
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
n the VhoUt VSan of nine PonthV in anG ¶ thUee ¿ UeV GeY
astated downtown Enterprise.
7he 6ept. *rain *rowers eleYator ¿ re started with
a À iFNer Eut TuiFNly proJressed to an alPiJhty EanJ that sent
¿ re¿ Jhters runninJ.
0onte 5adford and 6teYe <ounJ reported the ¿ re at appro[iPately
p.P. when the younJ Pen saw À iFNerinJ at the Yery top of the ele
Yator. $t ¿ rst they thouJht it was a liJht Eut TuiFNly deterPined it was a
¿ re. Within a few Pinutes À aPes were shootinJ froP the roof. 0inutes
later after ¿ rePen had arriYed an e[plosion Elew the roof off and sent
¿ rePen runninJ as the roof seFtion Frashed down. )irePan -iP +all was
helpinJ PoYe nearEy YehiFles away froP danJer when a warninJ shout
sent hiP diYinJ into a nearEy truFN. 7he truFN was hit Ey a EiJ seFtion of
the EurninJ roof and +all TuiFNly sFraPEled out the other side. Within
Pinutes the truFN was fully enJulfed in À aPe.
)ire responders FaPe froP Enterprise -oseph Wallowa and /a
*rande as fear Jrew that the ¿ re would spread to the 5iFh¿ eld EulN plant
on the south side *rain *rowers Jas and oil plant on the north side a
larJe propane tanN on the east and 6nyder /uPEer aFross the street.
7he /a *rande )ire 'epartPent arriYed around a.P. with a hy
drauliF ladder lift that allowed ¿ re¿ Jhters to Jet aEoYe the ¿ re and
drenFh it. It tooN an additional four hours Eefore the ¿ re was Fon
trolled suf¿ Fiently to allow the /a *rande unit to return hoPe.
I
Chieftain archives
See FIRE, Page C2
Three women survey the damage following the 1970 Grain Growers fire.
1995: The little team that could
A memorable
championship for
Oveson, Cougars
%\6FRW+HLVHO
Wallowa County Chieftain
7wentyone years aJo a sFrappy
Eoys EasNetEall teaP froP Wallowa
Pade a Cinderella run throuJh the
postseason and sent a Molt of MuEila
tion throuJh the entire Founty when
they returned hoPe as Class $ state
FhaPps.
It was an aPa]inJ aFFoPplish
Pent for a Jroup of younJ Pen who
entered the 1995 state tournament
at %aNer City with a JoodEutnot
Jreat reFord of 1. 'urinJ the
reJular season the CouJars rarely
were ranNed in the weeNly FoaFhes
poll and they neYer FraFNed the top
5. $nd without a sinJle player tall
er than feet Must aEout eYery op
Chieftain archives
The Chieftain
A newspaper clipping from 1995.
ponent had a heiJht adYantaJe oYer
them.
$t the same time it was a his
toriF feat for CouJars CoaFh *reJ
2Yeson who EeFame the ¿ rst person
in Class 1$ history formerly Class
% to win a title as a player 19
and also FoaFh his former team to a
Fhampionship.
9earl /ewis 2Yeson¶s teammate
Wallowa’s Greg Oveson, with a
wrapped knee and falling, puts up
a shot in traffic during the 1970
season that culminated with the
Cougars claiming a state title.
According to Chieftain archives,
the shot went in.
in 1970, told The Chieftain in 1995:
³2Yeson was a lot liNe the Nids on
the 1995 team. +e didn¶t EelieYe in
JiYinJ up.´
The CouJars sei]ed the title Ey
defeatinJ an e[plosiYe 3rairie City
team that already had Eeaten them
three times, inFludinJ a 59 win in
the distriFt title Jame two weeNs ear
lier. They did it with EalanFed sFor
inJ ² 1 points from TraYis -ones,
1 eaFh from 5ay and Clint -ohnson,
and 10 from *reJ *oss ² and a 5
edJe in reEoundinJ. They also
Flosed the deal late with 19 points
in the ¿ nal Tuarter en route to a Fon
YinFinJ 9 YiFtory.
5eid Wynans, 6hane 0F'aniel
and Chris /ewis also were amonJ
the CouJars¶ Ney players that season.
“In the tournament and most
James we played in this season, the
other teams were EiJJer than us,´
2Yeson said after the title Jame. “It
was important to Jet the Eoards, and
the Nids worNed hard at it.´
See TEAM, Page C3