1 Year Later
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
A9
RISING
Continued from Page A1
“When we got here, we
were told it was a Level 1
(evacuation status),” Court-
ney said. “Ten minutes later, we
were told, ‘You need to leave.’
We had no time at all.”
“We were in the eye of the
storm,” Dean said.
After trying everything they
could to save their home —
and assuming they’d be able to
save it — the couple left with
little more than the clothes on
their backs. When they left their
burning home, the pair tried to
help others save their properties.
One year later, the Foxes
have rebuilt.
Thanks to Pendleton draft-
er and designer Gary Kopperud
and Mt. Vernon contractor Byron
Hughes, the family is putting the
finishing touches on a new home
built where the old one once stood.
But, “It hasn’t been all but-
terfl ies and rainbows,” Courtney
said.
“We have insurance, but it
went up considerably,” Dean said,
adding they also had to install a
new water system.
There have been emotional
struggles as well.
“Some people say, ‘Get over
it,’ but it’s still a deep thing,” Dean
said.
He said he’s noticed that chil-
dren deal with it differently and
have a hard time talking about
it. The thought of elderly people
who lost everything to the fi re is
also painful, he said.
A wooden sign in their living
room sums up where they are at
this point: “Tough times don’t
last — Tough people do.”
The couple expressed that
the silver lining amidst all the
stress has been the selfl ess giv-
ing shown by too many people
to name.
“I feel, for the rest of my life,
I need to pay it forward,” Court-
ney said, adding she knows she
could never truly repay people’s
generosity.
“There were people giving
from near and far,” Dean said.
“It was pretty overwhelming.”
He said he’s happy with life
now, and thankful for their new
home.
“I hope we can (all) learn
from this destruction, and make
changes, so it won’t happen
again,” he said. “We’re moving
forward. You have to move for-
ward. If you look back, you’ll
never have a future.”
“We’re keeping it positive ,”
Courtney said. “We’re proud.
I feel like we won, because we
didn’t let it destroy us. We strug-
gled, and we overcame. We just
don’t want it to happen again.”
Some whose properties
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Dean and Betty Elliott’s
cat Smudge was saved
from last year’s fire.
Contributed photo/Courtney Fox
This is what was left of Dean and Courtney Fox’s home after the Aug. 14, 2015, Canyon Creek Complex fire.
Contributed photo/Courtney Fox
The Canyon Creek Complex burned this home
belonging to Dean and Courtney Fox shortly after
this photo was taken.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Dean and Betty Elliott have moved to Prairie City
since losing their Canyon Creek home to the
August 2105 Canyon Creek Complex fire.
burned in the fi re moved out
of the county, including Judith
Beaudet Reed and her husband,
Robert Reed. After 26 years in
Seneca and the Canyon Creek
area, they moved to Burns.
“Life was so good in the
canyon,” Judith said. “We had
a beautiful place and awesome
neighbors.”
Although their home in Can-
yon Creek, located below Rat-
tlesnake Ridge, was saved, their
30 timbered acres were charred,
and they lost a historic barn, a
shop, a bridge, their water sys-
tem and many memories, she
said.
“I couldn’t live in the ‘char-
broiled acres’ — that’s what I
renamed our place,” she said.
“It was too heartbreaking. It’s
heartbreaking for the whole
community. Everybody was af-
fected.”
She said she knows people
who are still paralyzed by stress
and depression over the experi-
ence.
“The minute we drop over
Starr Ridge, it all comes back,”
she said.
Last summer’s fi re pushes bears to new food sources
EO Media Group
A wildlife biologist said
bears might cause problems
in the John Day area this fall
as they search for food sourc-
es to replace the berries and
grass burned in the Canyon
Creek Complex fi re last year.
Ryan Torland, ODFW
district biologist for Grant
County, said residents
should clean up fallen
fruit around trees, avoid
leaving pet food outside
and keep garbage cans in-
side a garage or shed if
possible.
Torland
said
there
have already been a cou-
ple incidents with bears
poking
around
homes
on the outskirts of John
Day.
Bears spend the fall eat-
ing heavily to build up fat
for winter hibernation, Tor-
land said in an ODFW news
release. But the Canyon
Creek Fire south of John
Day last summer scorched
a major food supply, and
could send bears searching
elsewhere, he said. Bears
that raid garbage cans or
fruit trees in residential ar-
Wishing Our Area Kids a Happy &
Healthy New School Year
We hope every one of your children has an outstanding school
year! Let us help you get the children ready to get back to school!
Now is a great time to call and get an appointment for your child’s
Annual Wellness Exam or Sports Physical. We are also available for
those times your child is not feeling 100% or needs vaccinations
to be brought up to date. Our goal is to provide quality pediatric
care and do our part in preparing your child
for a successful school year.
Give us a call today! We are accepting new patients - and are always
happy to see our established patients for a visit. In many cases, same
day appointments are available.
S TRAWBERRY W ILDERNESS
C OMMUNITY C LINIC
180 Ford Road | John Day
541-575-0404 | www.bluemountainhospital.org
eas could get habituated to
them as a food source and
cause trouble for homeown-
ers, he said.
For bear tips, visit dfw.
s t a t e . o r. u s / w i l d l i f e / l i v -
ing_with/black_bears.
asp.
A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY
V ETERANS :
Did you know there may be VA benefits available for
you as a result of your spouses’ military service?
See your Grant County Veteran Services
Officer today for more information,
located at Grant County Court House.
Call 541-575-1631 for an appointment
Open: Mon, Wed, & Fri 10am-4pm by appointment.
She plans to take a 45-min-
ute commute to substitute teach
at Seneca School, and Robert is
retired from his career with the
Forest Service, much of that
time spent as a fi refi ghter. Burns
gives them an opportunity to
stay fairly close to friends, she
said.
“That place on Canyon
Creek was a dream come true,”
she said, “and our new house will
become a home, eventually.”
Another couple, Dean and
Betty Elliott, lost everything in
the fi re, including their 115-year-
old house where they lived for 53
years — but they still call Grant
County home.
While they didn’t rebuild in
Canyon Creek, the couple are re-
building their lives in Prairie City.
“We’ve been accepted in
Prairie City,” Betty said.
She said they could have
moved near their daughter in the
Willamette Valley, close to hospi-
tals and doctors, but preferred to
stay in the county.
“People were wonderful at
taking care of us,” Betty said.
“That is one reason we’re still
here,” Dean added. “We could
have moved somewhere else
and been a lot more comfortable,
but we didn’t. We wanted to stay
here.”
The Elliotts were known for
their businesses, the Grizzly Bear
Pizza Parlor, later called Gold
Town Pizza, and the Wilderness
Theater.
Dean Elliott worked as a re-
serve sheriff’s deputy for several
years, serving under four sher-
iffs, and was chairman of the
John Day Rural Fire Protection
District. He said he’s felt bitter
about the fi re.
“Did it have to happen?” he
said. “There was so much ne-
glect — without that, it could
have solved a lot of problems.
We lost everything, so I guess it
is what it is.
“We just have to keep on
keeping on.”
- T hank Y ou -
We would like to thank each and every
person that has so graciously donated
money, items, time and emotional support to
help us during the tragedy that took place in
our canyon on August 14, 2015. We would
also like to thank the local businesses and
surrounding communities for their support to
all of the fire victims. We will never be able
to reach out to every person that donated to
our family and we truly appreciate all the
generosity from near and far. Our new
beginning would not have been possible
without the compassion of all you wonderful
people.
And last but not least, a huge thank you to
our employees. They have kept our
livelihood intact while we rebuilt our new
home!
With most sincere gratitude,
The Fox Family