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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (May 19, 2021)
A2 RECORDS Wallowa County Chieftain Steep vertical gondola opens for fi rst full year OUT OF THE PAST en’s Clubs for District VIII which covers most of East- ern Oregon. 100 YEARS AGO 25 YEARS AGO May 20, 1920 As a result of the great sunfl ower campaign con- ducted by the farm bureau, Wallowa county has been advertised more widely than any other county in Oregon. Articles on the movement have appeared recently in such representative agricul- tural journals as the Breed- er’s Gazette, Hoard’s Dairy- man, the Oregon Farmer and others, and the County Gen- tleman will have a column or more on the same subject in an early issue. Two trials were given last week to the new elec- tric siren fi re alarm which has been set up on the roof of the I. O. O. F. hall. It was sounded in the day time and then, without any previous warning, was turned on Sat- urday night about 11 o’clock. While the volume of sounds is not great, it demonstrated that it will be heard in nearly every house and will rouse the town quickly. A brick warehouse is to be erected at one by Keltner & Skaggs on the fi rm’s land across the alley south from its store. The structure will have a frontage of 55 feet and will go the full depth of the lot, 120 feet. It will be of suffi ciently heavy construc- tion to carry a second story if this is desired later. The building will cover half of the quarter block. 75 YEARS AGO May 16, 1946 A good buying crowd attended the John J. Peters auction sale held Tuesday at Flora. The top mile cow with May 16, 1996 Wallowa County Chieftain, File This photo from a May 1971 edition of the Chieftain shows members of the Wallowa High School Class of 1936 who were identifi ed by readers of the newspaper. In the picture are, from left, front row: Laura Trump, Myrtle Weaver, Helen Mead, Betty Jane Dement, Ruth Tulley, Bonnie Conner. Second row: Joan Bales, Rachel Johnson, Cora Sasser, Virginia Nell Royster, Florence Fordice, Roberta Johnson. Third row: Dorothy Larm, Marcella Slaughter, Mae Couch, Leonard Lively, Superintendent Roy Conklin. Fourth row: Alfred (Dick) Evans, Jesse Sarrett, Arthur Running, Glenn Southwick, Ross Southwick, Ross Womack. Not pictured in the class of 26 graduates were Stephen Joplin, Vera Joplin, Clayton Sutphin and Aura Todd. calf sold for $137. Another cow and calf sold for $136 and a third brought $121. Grade Hereford bulls from 14 to 17 months old sold for $82, $58, and $56. Heifers sold for around $50. A 1400- pound work mare brought $15. Top price for wheat was $1.45 a bushel. A gasoline Maytag washing machine sold for $14, an extremely low price. Kermit Victor pleaded guilty on Monday before Circuit Judge R. J. Green to a charge of assault and battery and was sentenced to one year in the county jail. He was paroled from ten months of this sentence upon condi- tion that he way the doctor and hospital bills incurred by Ed Johnson, whom he was charged with assaulting, and that he refrain from the use of intoxicating liquor. Death Notice Anna L. Surber of Hermiston, Oregon, born October 21, 1948 in Waltham, Massachusetts died on May 7, 2021 in Hermiston, Oregon at the age of 72. Graveside funeral service will be held on Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 1:00 PM at the Enterprise Cemetery, Enterprise, Oregon. Please share memories of Anna with her family at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com Burns Mortuary of Hermiston, Oregon is in care of arrangements. Reta Mae (Witherrite) Snyder September 27, 1929 - May 14, 2021 Reta Mae (Witherrite) Snyder, age 91, died on May 14, 2021 at the Wildflower Lodge in La Grande, Oregon. Reta, born Sept. 27, 1929, to Lyal & Sylvia (Whitman) Witherrite. She was born at home in Enterprise, Oregon. Moving to the Imnaha River homestead when Reta was in 2nd grade. In the fall of 1947, she was introduced to Tom Snyder they married May 27, 1948. She worked for her board and graduated high school from Walla Walla High School 2 hours after they were wed. They lived in Wallowa County on the Snyder Ranch on Rye Ridge near Paradise, Oregon. There is where they had their four children, Jack, Jean, Terry, and Nancy. In 1963 they moved to Kettle Falls, WA where they were involved in a family busi- ness: Singers Junction Café, service station, and motel. Reta always had big gardens and worked hard at keeping the family fed. We always had plenty of home canned vegetables and fruit. Reta made western shirts for Tom and the boys and many clothes for the girls also. In 1964 Tom went to work for ASARCO mining Co. Then 1971 Tom was transferred to the Black Cloud mine in Lead- ville, CO, still with ASARCO. They resided in Buena Vista, CO out in the country were Reta could have a garden and Tom could have horses. Tom was trans- ferred back into the beautiful northwest with the mining company and they moved to Troy, MT in 1981, where Reta had a huge garden, fruit trees, large yard and lots of flower beds. They both worked hard to make this a beautiful place. Tom retired, and they moved to Wallowa, OR in 1997. She was a member of the Methodist Church in Troy, and in Wallowa, OR then the Christian Life Center in Elgin and then Enterprise Christian Church in Enterprise when she moved to the Alpine House in Joseph, OR. Church was a big part of her life. Reta bought property and built a home in Elgin, OR after Tom’s death in 2002. Living in Elgin until 2013 when she moved to the assisted living, Alpine House, in Joseph, OR. Then moved to the Wildflower Lodge in La Grande, OR in February of 2021 to the memory care unit. Reta is survived by her sons: Jack Snyder of Joseph OR, Terry Snyder of (Paradise) OR, daughters: Jean (Gary) Sublie of Deer Park WA, Nancy (John) Rolfsrud of Keene ND; eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Brothers: Weldon (Barbara) Witherrite of En- terprise OR, Jerald (Lou) Witherrite of Imnaha OR, and Orson (Pam) Witherrite of Kennewick WA; brother-in-law William “Bill” or Bud (Rita) Snyder of Corval- lis OR and numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, Tom Snyder; parents Lyal & Sylvia Witherrite; sisters, Dorene (Earl) Wattenburger, JoAnn (Fred) Haslam/Banks; brothers, Lyal Jr. (Clare), Norman (Fern), Terrel (Alice) Witherrite. mother & father-in-law, Jeff and Ruby (Graham) Snyder; brother-in-law, Frank (Marge) Snyder; sister-in-laws, Myrna Witherrite, Lillian (Joe) Beach; daughter-in-law, Jody (Foster) Snyder; great-grand daughter, Auburn Schaefer. Funeral Services will be held at Merchant Funeral Home, Clarkston, WA on May 22, 2021 at 2pm, with burial services at the Vineland Cemetery, Clarkston, WA following the Funerals service. At Reta’s request there will be a private viewing for family before her service. Please mask up to attend the service. In Lieu of flowers, if desired you may send donations to the Vineland Cemetery, Clarkston WA or to the Enterprise Cemetery, Enterprise, OR for main- tenance. Please designate your preference. Appreciation and thank you goes out to our family and friends as well as all the staff at Assisted Living, Alpine House, Joseph, OR and the same to Wildflower Lodge, La Grande, OR for all the care Reta got in her last leg of life. As well as Heart ‘n Home Hospice, La Grande, OR for all their tender and loving care in her last days. The doctor and hospital bills amount to $681. 50 YEARS AGO May 20, 1971 The steepest vertical rise 4-passenger gondola in the United States plans to open for business on Friday, May 28, for the fi rst full year’s operation. The ride to the top of Mt. Howard takes 15 min- utes each direction. A spec- tacular view is aff orded the passenger as the Wallowa Mountains are easily iden- tifi ed and unlimited view of the surrounding valley is extended below. The Wallowa County Junior Woman’s Club held their annual installation of offi cers at the Chief Joseph Hotel May 17. The mem- bers of the club enjoyed a buff et dinner which was fol- lowed by a short business meeting. Sandi Blanchard of Enterprise was named the most Outstanding Mem- ber of the Year. She received this award for her active par- ticipation in all club activ- ities. She is also third vice president of Junior Wom- A La Grande man killed himself Monday morning at the Williamson Camp- ground about 10 miles up the Lostine River. Kyle Wynn Neustel, who had his 37th birthday three days before his death, was found dead in his 1973 Chevrolet Nova with the engine still running by Undersheriff Ron Jett. At 11:43 a.m. Jett left to drive up the Lostine River after a report came in from the La Grande Police Depart- ment that Neustel might be suicidal and in the area. A fl ex hose dryer vent hose was running from the car’s exhaust pipe into the rear right window of the car, Jett said. The Joseph and Enter- prise High School girls track teams qualifi ed a host of athletes for the upcom- ing OSAA/U.S. Bank Class 2A fi nals in District 8 com- petition at Vale last Satur- day. Enterprise got a tre- mendous performance from Shannon Ables enroute to its 104-point, third place team fi nish. The junior was the champion in the 100 meter dash with a 12.52 and in the 200 with a 26.40 … Ane- liese Johnson also was a big winner for the Savages, ram- bling to a 5:25.45 champi- onship in the 1,500 and a 2:32.54 winning time in the 800. Her Sister Andrea was no slouch, blowing away the competition in the competi- tion with a 1:02.54 time in the 400. … The John Rob- erts-coached Joseph Eagles, fourth in the team standings with 82 points, qualifi ed for state in fi ve events. Criss Collier led the way, win- ning the javelin event with a 111-8 toss, placing second in the shot put with a 32-2 eff ort, and taking second in the discus with a 102-0 performance. CORRECTION An article in the May 12 edition of the Chieftain didn’t specify which fi re dis- trict three individuals were running in during the district elections. Bob Young, Dave Hurley and Greg Johnson all ran for another term with the Wallowa Lake Rural Fire District. Wednesday, May 19, 2021 Summer meal program begins next month By ANN BLOOM For the Wallowa County Chieftain Children in Wallowa County will not go hungry this summer just because school is out. Building Healthy Families and the Summer Meal Program will see that every child who wants one has a lunch. The federal summer meal program begins June 14 at three sites — the east side of Evans Park in Wal- lowa, Enterprise Park and by the free library at the Joseph United Method- ist Church parking lot in Joseph. The program runs four days a week, Mon- day through Thursday, until Aug. 5. Between 105 and 115 meals are served each week. The program is open to all children under age 18 regardless of income. The program is spon- sored by Building Healthy Families. Susan Polumsky, the agency’s USDA Food Program coordinator, said the process would follow the same system as last year — grab and go. She explained that the meals are put in contain- ers and then into a sack and people come to one of the sites from noon to 12:30 p.m. to pick up a meal and then leave. “This controls the exact amount. There is no waste. Left over meals are given to families that have food needs, “she said. She said she antici- pates a return to eating in the park next year instead of grab and go meals. Also included in the grab and go lunches is a curricu- lum activity or some other information for the child or the family. Prior to the pandemic, the summer meal program was still held in the parks, but children could sit down to eat their meal. Meals were premeasured, and a child had to take everything that was off ered. “The USDA food pro- gram requires that each child receive a bal- anced, nutritious meal that includes servings of meat, grain, fruit and milk,” she said. Also, meals could not be taken off premise due to food safety concerns. If a child did not want some- thing, they could place one item on a “share table” — for example, a piece of fruit or a carton of milk for someone else to take. Last year, Building Healthy Families spent over $9,000 on food to serve 3,088 meals to 3,052 chil- dren. Meals they would not have received otherwise. “Families really depend on these meals,” said Polumsky. Lunches can either be hot or cold. Menu items include hamburgers, turkey cheese sandwiches or tacos. Sides may include grapes, watermelon, grape toma- toes or broccoli and milk. Polumsky said she asked one little boy if there was anything he especially liked about the lunches. “He said, ‘I like every- thing that you serve,’” she said. A press release sup- plied by Building Healthy Families stated that during the school year, nation- ally, more than 22 mil- lion children receive free and reduced-price break- fasts and lunches through the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Program. Then, when school is out for the sum- mer, many children no lon- ger have access to even that one nutritious meal during the day. Research has shown that a lack of drop in nutritious meals during the summer months may set up a cycle for poor school perfor- mance once school begins, stated the press release. Flyers will be going to schools in the next sev- eral weeks advertising the program. If anyone needs more information or would like to support the sum- mer meal program with a donation, they can contact Building Healthy Families at 541-426-9411. Death Notice Rita M. Snyder, age 91, of La Grande, OR died at Wildflower Lodge Assisted Living in La Grande on Friday, May 14, 2021. Arrangements are being handled by Merchant Funeral Home in Clarkston, Washington. Obituaries The staff at the WC Chieftain recognizes your family's loss at this time of grieving. We are here to help convey your message of loss and to share with others, the life lived by your passing loved ones. To submit your obituary call Jennifer Cooney at 541-805-9630 or email jcooney@wallowa.com $125 for up to 400 words and $8.66 per column inch after that. Includeds color photo of your loved one with a border and realted graphic. WHAT’S HAPPENING SEE THE EXPANDED ONLINE CALENDAR AT EASTERNOREGONEVENTS.COM ONGOING A.A. online meetings ore- gonaadistrict29.org. Building Healthy Families 541-426-9411. Community Connection 541-426-3840. Enterprise Public Library 541-426-3906. Fishtrap 541-426-3623. Hurricane Creek Grange 541-605-8233. Josephy Center for Arts and Culture 541-432-0505. Wallowa Public Library 541-886-4265. W a l l o w o l o g y 541-263-1663. Weather Forecast Courtesy of Weather Underground • wunderground.com High Low Conditions May 20 50 33 showers May 21 47 33 showers May 22 50 33 showers May 23 60 36 cloudy May 24 67 40 partly cloudy May 25 69 42 thunderstorms May 26 68 41 showers Phases of the moon May 26 June 02 June 10 June 17 Full Moon Last Quarter New Moon 1st Quarter WALLOWA COUNTY SUNRISE & SUNSET MAY 20-26 (from the U.S. Naval Observatory) THUR FRI SAT SUN MON TUES WED 5:12 8:20 5:11 8:21 5:10 8:22 5:09 8:23 5:08 8:24 5:07 8:25 5:07 8:26