Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 2016)
Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, May 4, 2016 O UT OF THE V AULT Historic mining town incinerated for third time By Renee Struthers EO Media Group With the cry of “Fire!” at 7:30 p.m. on April 19, 1937, the historic business district of Canyon City in Grant County burned for the third time since its founding in 1861. Buster Cresop, who lived in the old Elkhorn Hotel, looked out his window and saw smoke billowing up from the attic of the old wooden frame building and sounded the alarm. Some 25 guests were evacuated from the hotel, which was soon reduced to ruins. The lames, pushed by a stiff south breeze, rushed north- ward and soon most of the wood- framed buildings in downtown Canyon City were ablaze. The ire burned through the night, and when the smoke cleared, 15 busi- nesses and an apartment building had been destroyed. Cause of the ire was reported a carelessly dis- carded cigarette in the Elkhorn Hotel. Damages were estimated at around $150,000. The town of 350 was left with its homes, a service station, a Pas- time house (bar and card room), the post ofice, a relief station, the theater and a barber shop. Neigh- boring John Day sent emergency food supplies to hungry Canyon City residents, and other area cit- ies, including Pendleton, sent re- lief supplies or cash donations to help the town get back on its feet. One boy almost lost his life Contributed photo/Grant County Historical Museum Remains of the Blue Mountain Eagle office (foreground) and Masonic hall across the street after the 1937 Canyon City fire. when he attempted to plunge into a burning building in search of his mother. A guard restrained him, and he was later reunited with his equally distraught parent. Two John Day volunteer ireighters were temporarily overcome by smoke, but recovered. And a woman fainted after being evac- uated from her home. Otherwise, the townspeople emerged from the ire unscathed. The tinderbox-dry buildings threw lames so high that they could be seen 25 miles away in Seneca, and within a few hours more than a thousand people had gathered around the ire zone; the city promptly put the gawkers to work in a bucket brigade. In all, more than 500 volunteers pitched in to ight the blaze. In addition to the Canyon City iremen, John Day, Prairie City, Mt. Vernon and U.S. Forest Service crews laid extra hoses to keep the lames from historic buildings like the former home of poet Joa- quin Miller and the Episcopal Church, which had survived two earlier ires as well. Last to leave the downtown inferno was Mrs. Hilda Valade, a telephone operator who stood by the switchboard to call for help through the Mt. Vernon exchange, 10 miles away. She escaped through a rear exit only after the telephone ofices had started to collapse. At the Blue Mountain Eagle ofices in John Day, editor Clint Haight busily put out a special edition of the paper, but his Can- yon City building burned as well, destroying all the newspaper’s iles and archives. The Eagle (then the Grant County News) U P CLOSE WITH NEWBORN FARM CRITTERS had been the only downtown sur- vivor of the 1898 Canyon City ire that started, mysteriously, in the room of a traveling perform- er about an hour after he sang “There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight” in the town’s New York Theatre. He was ar- rested and put on trial, but acquit- ted for lack of evidence. An 1898 East Oregonian story reported an oil lamp exploded in the room of a “morphine iend.” Canyon City irst burned to the ground in August of 1870, when the town was a much larg- er, bustling gold mining town. Because the town was built in a narrow valley, and the main street was originally so narrow, no insurance companies would insure the businesses, and in the irst and second ires the town was a total loss. Renee Struthers is a commu- nity records editor for EO Media Group. See the complete collec- tion of Out of the Vault columns at eovault.blogspot.com. A9 Mushroom picking this spring? Read this Blue Mountain Eagle The U.S. Forest Service offers guidelines for lo- cal mushroom hunters this spring. Permits are not required to harvest, possess or transport less than a gallon in Oregon or less than ive gallons in Washington. That amount is intended for personal con- sumption and not to be sold, bartered or given away. A commercial permit is required for those 18 years and older who want to harvest mushrooms to sell, or who plan to harvest, possess or transport more than the pre- viously mentioned amounts. Commercial picking is pro- hibited in wilderness areas. Commercial permit rates are: • Consecutive day: $2 per day for a minimum of 10 days. • Annual permit: $100 for the period Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. • Buyer’s permit: $600 plus administrative costs. An industrial camping permit is required if harvest- ers and buyers plan to camp overnight on national forest system lands. People are reminded that some road and area closures may still be in effect from last year’s wildires. Those harvesting mush- rooms on the Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests are required to dis- play a recreation pass in their vehicle when using a desig- nated fee trailhead. Passes are $5 per day or $30 for an annual pass. Mushroom hunters are cautioned that many forest mushroom varieties are poi- sonous and cautioned to use ield guides for proper iden- tiication. P ick ou t a goo d on e for M o m ( a hanging basket, that is ) 10 % O ff On Mother’s Day Trees • Roses • Shrubs • Hanging Baskets • Bedding Plants • Veg Starts • Perennials Better Blooms & Gardens Between Prairie City & John Day Open Sun-Fri 9-5:30 • Closed Sat Members of Colleen Robertson’s Vet Science 4-H club and Jan Bauer’s Rocky Top Riders 4-H horse club met at Neil and Jan Bauer’s home near Mt. Vernon on April 10 to see two new foals and twin calves. From left, Neil Bauer, Kaytlyn Wells, Riley Robertson, Kaitlyn Hughes, Dalli Girvin, McKeely Miller and Jan Bauer. Kids can apply for aerospace camp Blue Mountain Eagle ONTARIO — Registra- tions are now being accepted for an aerospace technology camp for youth to be held Aug. 1-12 at Treasure Valley Community College’s Ontar- io campus. The two-week camp is open to middle- and high- school students who will experience hands-on learn- ing in the aerospace tech- nology field. Topics to be covered include: GPS and GPS satellites, robotics, drones, aerodynamics and the physics of wing struc- tures, computer-aided de- sign, pre-flight planning, photography, advanced aerospace welding and ca- reers and more. The main goal of the camp is to prepare youth to train for jobs readily available in the community. Preference is given to students in Malheur, Baker, Grant and Harney counties, and spots are limit- ed. A grant, provided by the Oregon Department of Edu- cation, will fund the camp for two years. For more information, vis- it http://www.tvcc.cc/academ- ics/cte/aerospacecamp.cfm. Angus junior member is from Long Creek Blue Mountain Eagle The American Angus Association has named Evan- geline Schultz of Long Creek as a new junior member of the group. Junior members of the as- sociation are eligible to reg- ister cattle in the association, Greenhouse opens just in time for Mother’s Day participate in programs con- ducted by the National Junior Angus Association and take part in association-sponsored shows and other national and regional events. The American Angus Association is the largest beef breed association in the world, with more than 25,000 active adult and junior mem- bers. Cowboy Chapel H our KJDY, Sunday, 7a.m. “Motherhood is a partnership with God.” E 3 3 3 Grant County Treasurer af . J OIN US O PENING N IGHT F RIDAY , M AY 13 - 7:00 PM “A NTICHRIST P ROPHECIES ” With guest speaker Steve Wohlberg Blue Mountain Eagle JOHN DAY — People can grab a great gift for mom while supporting Grant Union High School with a Mother’s Day sale Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7, at the school’s greenhouse located in back of the school at the north end. The greenhouse will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. Regular hours are 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mon- day to Thursday. This is the 18th year for the sale. • 36 years bookkeeping and office management • 5.5 years County Budget • Leadership Council for Oregon Community Foundation • Leadership in The Ford Family Foundation • Leadership to create community unity during the fires this summer • Honest, hard working and motivated to help Grant County 3 333 M a r y W e a v e r r333333 3 333 Paid for by the committee to elect Mary Weaver S ATURDAY , M AY 14, 2:00-3:30 , A MERICA ’ S R OLE IN P ROPHECY S ATURDAY , M AY 14, 4:00-5:30 , A MERICA AND THE M ARK OF THE B EAST A LIVE QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION WILL FOLLOW THE FINAL PRESENTATION EVENT LOCATION : John Day Senior Center 142 NE Dayton • John Day, OR 97845 Pre-register online at relevantseminars.org/johnday or call 855-219-7923