GRANT UNION MOWS OVER UNION – PAGE B1
The
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W EDNESDAY , A PRIL 27, 2016
• N O . 17
• 22 P AGES
• $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
‘SQUAW’ NAMES REPLACED
Federal board aSSroYes new naPes for loFations in Grant County
Blue Mountain Eagle
o
. R
Ro
M.
F
John Day R
Road 51
6
7
245
Unity
WALLOWA-
WHITMAN
NAT’L FOR.
Co. Hwy. 4 8
MONUMENT
ROCK
WILDERNESS
16
MALHEUR
NATIONAL
FOREST
6
r
e
36
47
10
d 1
r Ri v
heu
Seneca
oa
. R
F.D
N.
MALHEUR
M al
N .F.D. Roa d
26
9
. H
wy.
. Ro a
N.F.D
63
y.
Hw
Table Rock
7,815 ft.
y. 6 2
Hw
Co
Strawberry Mtn.
9,038 ft.
STRAWBERRY MTN.
WILDERNESS
o ad 13
C o.
11
395
14
d
Co
MALHEUR
NATIONAL
FOREST
. H
wy. 6 8
3. Donaldson Rock
BAKER
8
N.F
D. R o a d 15
N.F.
.
Co
67
wy.
10. Shootingstar Meadow
(Squaw Meadow)
7
5
Prairie
City
John Day
65
. R
H
C o.
Greenhorn
i v er
N.F.D. Roa
MALHEUR
NATIONAL
FOREST
o a 58
d
CROOK
Sumpter
MALHEUR
NATIONAL
FOREST
11. SHARP CREEK
GRANT
Mount
Vernon
10. SHOOTINGSTAR
MEADOW
3
Co. R
oad
20
d
WALLOWA-
WHITMAN
NATIONAL
FOREST
Granite
395
Dayville
BLACK
CANYON
WILDERNESS
N.F.D.
Ro
a
18
12
.D
N.F
9. Mona Creek
(Squaw Creek)
C reek
JOHN DAY
FOSSIL BEDS
NATIONAL MONUMENT
26
r
ve
Ri
19
Co. R
oad
OREGON
4
10
ay
8. Frosty Meadow
(Little Squaw Meadow)
Long
Creek
402
WHEELER
13
ad
UMATILLA
NATIONAL
FOREST
. Joh
n D
Kimberly
Area in
detail
NORTH FORK
JOHN DAY
WILDERNESS
Monument
Spray
UNION
iver Dale
1
d 2
/oFation Piles
long À ows east then north
into âNiySiya CreeN
Piles north of HaPilton
2rigin 8Patilla or-
igin reSortedly Peans
³sSirit´
n Day R
N.F.
D. Road
52
Ritter
d
oo
7. Wiwaanaytt Meadows
(Squaw Meadows)
Jo h
N. F.
Top
oad
N.F. D . R
2. Little Škáypiya
Creek
395
207
5. Myrtle Spring
(Little Squaw Spring)
6. Wiwaanaytt Creek
(Squaw Creek)
3
S. F. John D
er
a y Riv
/oFation Piles
long heads Piles north
of HaPilton À ows south-
east to the -ohn 'ay RiYer
2rigin 8Patilla or-
igin reSortedly Peans
³sSirit´
1 2
Co
ad
1. Škáypiya Creek
4. Kúckuc Creek
(Squaw Creek)
UMATILLA
NATIONAL
FOREST
.
F.D
N.
T
WALLOWA-
WHITMAN
NAT’L
FOR.
UMATILLA
MORROW
C o t to n w
hirteen natural Ieatures in *rant County haYe
been re-naPed reSlaFing ³squaw´ titles Ior
new PoniNers SroSosed by the *rant Coun-
ty Court and the Confederated Tribes of the
8Patilla Indian ReserYation
The 86 Board on *eograShiF 1aPes aSSroYed the
new naPes ASril The list inFludes eight FreeNs one
sSring three Peadows
and one roFN
Renamed areas
Here are the new
naPes along with their lo-
1. Skáypiya Creek
Fations naPe origins and
(Squaw Creek)
Yariant naPes aFFord-
ing to the 86 *eologi-
2. Little Skáypiya Creek
Fal 6urYey’s *eograShiF
(Little Squaw Creek)
1aPes InforPation 6ys-
3. Donaldson Rock
teP
(Squaw Rock)
Silvies
395
11. Sharp Creek
(Squaw Creek)
/oFation
8Patilla
1ational Forest Piles
12. Wewa Creek
southwest of Granite and
(Squaw Creek)
Piles northwest of
Bates
13. Goose Creek
2rigin George :
(Squaw Creek)
'onaldson - a
lifetiPe Grant County res-
Source: U.S. Geologic Survey
ident and aYid outdoors-
Alan Kenaga/EO Media Group
Pan 'onaldson logged
with horses and loaded
logs Yia narrow-gauge railroad 'uring the 'eSression
he worNed with the CiYilian ConserYation CorSs and
later worNed for the Forest 6erYiFe with Pining and
HARNEY
10 miles
No. 11: Formerly Squaw Creek, now named Sharp
Creek, crosses under County Road 60, as it
flows from the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness
northward toward Prairie City. The creek is one of
13 natural features in Grant County with “squaw”
titles that have received new names, approved by
the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler
No. 10: A mass of shooting star wildflowers
(dodecatheon meadia) can be seen each
summer at this Grant County site, formerly
known as Squaw Meadow. The site is now
called Shootingstar Meadow.
See NAMES, Page A12
Contributed photo
County FoPPissioner Fandidates speaN at foruP
Incumbent Chris Labhart faces challenge from Prairie City Mayor Jim Hamsher
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
Editor’s note: This article
covers the county commis-
sioner position on the May
primary ballot. The remain-
ing positions will be covered
in next week’s Eagle.
Candidates Yying for So-
sitions in the May SriPary
e[Slained their SlatforPs at
a foruP sSonsored by the Mt
9ernon Grange 6aturday
Positions uS for eleFtion in
May inFlude Founty FoPPis-
sioner 1o treasurer asses-
sor surYeyor and si[ PubliF
Forest CoPPission seats
Assessor Fandidate 'a-
Yid Thunell is running unoS-
Sosed as is surYeyor Fandi-
date MiNe 6Sringer
Both Fandidates for FoP-
Pissioner 1o inFuPbent
Chris Labhart and Prairie City
Mayor -iP HaPsher sSoNe at
the foruP along with all four
treasurer Fandidates 'oug
Carpenter, Julie Ellison, Tan-
di MerNord and Mary :eaYer
Most of the forest FoPPis-
sion Fandidates spoNe as well
County commissioner
No. 2
Labhart said he graduated
froP Grant 8nion in ,
where he returned for a -
year teaFhing Fareer after his
-year reunion
He said Mob retention, Yet-
erans, seniors and health Fare
are his priorities
6eniors FoPprise Pore
than perFent of the Foun-
ty’s population, he said, add-
ing he has Yisited eYery senior
Fenter He said there are Pore
than Yeterans in the Foun-
ty, and he has been worNing to
inFrease the hours of the Yet-
erans serYiFe of¿ Fer position
“Grant County is a great
plaFe to Fall hoPe,´ Labhart
said, adding people should
+elS aYailable Ior YiFtiPs oI se[ual assault
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
6e[ual assaults haSSen eYen in
rural areas but SeoSle Fan helS the
YiFtiPs and reduFe the SreYalenFe
*rant County 'eSuty 'istriFt At-
torney Matt ISson said these Fases do
oFFur here
³*rant County is not iPPune
IroP this sort oI behaYior and FriPe´
he said
ISson and about others SartiFi-
Sated in a Fandlelight Yigil ASril in
-ohn 'ay to raise awareness during
6e[ual Assault Awareness Month
and 1ational Child Abuse PreYention
Month
Andrea 2I¿ Fer direFtor oI the
distriFt attorney’s oI¿ Fe’s YiFtiP as-
sistanFe SrograP said awareness is
iPSortant
See HELP, Page A12
worN together to iPproYe it
HaPsher said his faPi-
ly PoYed to the area in the
s and he has liYed here
his whole life
He said, if eleFted, he
would hold town halls, listen
to the people and aFt aFFord-
ing to the PaMority’s wishes
HaPsher said he wants to
see the Founty surYiYe and
thriYe He said he would try
to rePoYe hurdles faFed by
sPall businesses to spur the
By Robby Bullock
For the Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
See FORUM, Page A2
Prairie City receives grant,
loan for sewer upgrade
Residents won’t
see an increase
in utility bill
Deputy District Attorney Matt Ipson and victim
assistance program director Andrea Officer
are available at the Grant County Courthouse
in Canyon City to offer assistance, answer
questions and provide resources.
eFonoPy, proYide Mobs for
younger people and FoPbat
the shrinNing population
“The status quo isn’t worN-
ing,´ he said
He said the AssoFiation
of Oregon Counties does not
represent the rural Founties of
Eastern Oregon and that he
would try to start an assoFi-
ation that inForporated rural
Founties in Idaho, 8tah, 1e-
Yada and Oregon
In the ne[t round, Labhart
PRAIRIE CITY — Prairie
City is about to get a sew-
er uSgraGe anG oI¿ Fials say
residents won’t see a rate in-
Frease
The Fity will reFeiYe a
Pillion loan and a
grant to iPSroYe
its wastewater systeP IroP
the 86 'eSartPent oI Agri-
Fulture Rural 'eYeloSPent
6tate 'ireFtor 9iFNi :alNer
said while Yisiting Thursday
³Rural FoPPunities aFross
the Fountry are IaFed with the
Fhallenges oI Paintaining and
uSgrading their inIrastruF-
ture´ she said ³This SroMeFt
will ensure adequate utilities
Ior Prairie City SroteFt the
enYironPent and helS suSSort
the town’s sustained eFonoP-
iF Yitality´
Rural 'eYeloSPent CoP-
Punity PrograP 6SeFialist
/a'onn MFElligott said the
Fity would be able to re¿ -
nanFe its Furrent sewer sys-
teP debt with the 'eSartPent
oI EnYironPental 4uality at a
low interest rate and a longer
terP years to PiniPi]e
the Fost to residents
See GRANT, Page A12