Community & History
Blue Mountain Eagle
The deadline for What’s Happening items is 5 p.m. Fri-
day. Call the Eagle, 541-575-0710, or email editor@bmea-
gle.com. For meetings this week, see our list in the classi-
fieds on Page A17.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 30
Democrats meeting
• 6:30 p.m., Canyon City Community Hall
All local Democrats are encouraged to attend. For more in-
formation, call 541-542-2633.
A7
SATURDAY, SEPT. 2
WHAT’S
HAPPENING
John Day Farmers Market
• 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Southwest Brent Street, John Day
The market features crafts, baked goods, produce, kids ac-
tivities, entertainment and information booths. For more infor-
mation, call 541-792-0958 or email johndayfarmersmarket@
gmail.com.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY, SEPT. 8-9
NPRA Rodeo
• 6 p.m., Grant County Fairgrounds arena
Tickets at the gate cost $10. Pre-sale tickets cost $8 and are
available from the fairgrounds offi ce, Wild West Hair Company
or any fair court member. Seniors are half price and children
5 and under are free. Concessions and a bar will be available.
A queen’s dance will be held Saturday after the rodeo, with no
cover charge. The dance will be family friendly with food and
a no-host bar. For more information, contact the fairgrounds of-
fi ce at 541-575-1900.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 1
Evaluating groundwater resources presentation
• 2-6 p.m., Grant County Regional Airport
Aquageo Frameworks will have geologists and geophysicists
present to explain how to understand and evaluate local ground-
water resources, aquifers and their recharge capacity. The John
Day Resource Center, Tomorrow’s Water and the Grant County
Citizen Water Group are sponsoring the presentation, and all are
welcome to attend.
MONDAY, SEPT. 11
First Friday
• 6-9 p.m., downtown John Day
Some downtown businesses will extend their hours to
participate in this free, monthly event. This month features
a book signing by Kathy Moss, a carving demonstration
by Mike Stinnett and Ashley Stevick Photography. Re-
freshments provided. For more information, call 541-620-
2638.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Grant County Senior Citizens Advisory Council
Eagle file photo
Chad Finley of Mt. Vernon competes in tie-down roping in
a time of 9.4 at the Grant County NPRA Rodeo last year.
The event is scheduled Sept. 8-9 this year.
• 1 p.m., John Day Senior Center
The meeting will introduce new members of the council,
present a letter of appreciation to Bruce Kaufman and ad-
dress future financial standings, possible future grants and
the Grant County Safety Policies and Procedures Plan as it
relates to the three senior centers. The public is welcome to
attend.
O UT OF THE P AST
75 years ago
Aug. 28, 1942
V-Mail provides safe
means of communication to
soldiers overseas
The Post Offi ce Depart-
ment announced today that
the V-Mail Service, inaugu-
rated June 15, is now past the
experimental stage, with each
week showing large increas-
es in the number of letters
mailed to American soldiers
overseas. The War Depart-
ment has increased its facil-
ities to handle promptly the
volume expected in the future.
Facilities are for photo-
graphing and reproducing
V-Mail to and from the Unit-
ed States and the British Isles,
Australia, India, Hawaii and
other points where the volume
may warrant.
Pointing out that V-Mail
provides a safe means of
communication with mem-
bers of our armed forces, the
Post Offi ce Department gave
assurance that the fi lm upon
which the communications
are reproduced are given the
most expeditious dispatch
available. Because of the
small space taken up by the
rolls of fi lm, they often can
be carried on ferry planes or
bombers.
Every pound of weight that
can be saved on air transports
to overseas, said the depart-
ment, means that an equiva-
lent amount of weight can be
allotted vital military materi-
al. V-Mail letter sheets have
been distributed at all post
offi ces and have been provid-
ed to all military and naval
personnel at overseas points
through Army and Navy post
offi ces and military channels.
Private fi rms and individuals
have also been permitted by
the Post Offi ce Department
to reproduce the letter sheets.
The sheets also will be avail-
able soon to all stores selling
stationary.
V-Mail Service provides
for the use by patrons of a
special letter sheet form that
is a combination letter and
envelope of uniform size and
design. The patron writes his
message, completes the name
and address of the address-
ee and the return card in the
space provided, folds, seals,
and mails the letter in the usu-
al manner.
V-Mail letters are pho-
tographed on micro-fi lm by
automatic machines at the
rate of 2, 000 to 2,500 per
hour and the fi lm rolls con-
taining 1,500 letters each are
transmitted to destinations.
Reproductions are then made
by other automatic machines
and delivered to the addressee
in individual sealed window
penalty envelopes.
The War, Navy and Post
Offi ce departments all co-
operated in developing this
service, largely with a view
to decreasing the volume of
mail to be carried overseas
and providing an expeditious
service. The public is urged to
use it at every opportunity.
50 years ago
Aug. 31, 1967
National forests closed;
recreation usage limited
All National Forests in Or-
egon will be closed effective
midnight Thursday, it was
announced this afternoon by
Chas. A. Connaughton, Re-
gional Forester, U.S. Forest
Eagle file photo
From Aug. 31, 1967: TACKLING PRACTICE: All-league lineman Moose Simmons gives a tackling dummy a hard workout as assistant coach Toni
Kosydar and halfback Steve Jolley watch. Simmons and Jolley will be co-captains for the Grant Union Prospectors. The tackling machine is a new
addition to the football program at Grant Union.
REPORTER
The Blue Mountain Eagle, a family-owned weekly newspaper in a stunningly
beautiful Oregon community, seeks an energetic, dedicated reporter.
The Eagle is located in John Day, where seeing deer in front yards is normal
and traffic is unheard of, just three hours from Bend and Pendleton.
Surrounded by scenic forests and dissected by mountain streams, the
location offers year-round recreational opportunities, including fishing,
hunting, backpacking, camping, snowmobiling and horseback riding.
Eagle file photo
From Aug. 27, 1992: A bird’s eye view: The 83rd Annual
Grant County Fair concluded Sunday with the annual
Jackpot Rodeo and Horse Race. One of the most popular
attractions at this year’s fair was a helicopter ride that
whisked passengers high above the county fairgrounds
and around the John Day Valley.
Service. The unprecedented
closure will be made be-
cause of the extreme fire
danger, the long drought
and uncontrolled fires in
the state, Connaughton
said.
The state forester has
been asked to recommend
the closure to the governor’s
office under provisions of
state forest law.
The closure will be lifted
immediately upon an appre-
ciable changed in the weath-
er, Connaughton assured.
Some change is predicted for
northwestern Oregon Friday
night or Saturday, but no
helpful moisture is forecast.
The closure will stop any
logging still being done in
the national forests of Ore-
gon. Main highways will be
open, but most forest access
roads will be closed. Rec-
reationists will be hard hit.
Some campgrounds and oth-
er facilities will be open for
use.
Back country and other
undeveloped areas will be
closed to all activity. Hikers,
riders, berry pickers, fish-
ermen, etc. will not be per-
mitted in the woods. Which
recreational areas and camp-
grounds will remain open
will be decided by individu-
al national forest supervisors.
Recreationists are asked to
contact local national forest
or ranger district offi ces for
information.
25 years ago
Aug. 27, 1992
Prairie City post offi ce
opens
Prairie City residents who
have long been waiting to get
a post offi ce box will wait
no more – the post offi ce has
moved into its new, larger
quarters on Main Street. Prai-
rie City Postmaster Barbara
Bass said the city has been
seeking a larger building for
about 15 years. Post offi ces
needing more space are put
on a U.S. Postal Service wait-
ing list.
The waiting list for indi-
vidual post offi ce boxes began
three or four years ago. Prai-
rie City’s number fi nally came
up in January 1991. The new,
modern grey and white build-
ing houses 790 boxes – 280
more than before – as well
as more storage and parking
space.
Most box holders have
the same box number after
the move, but a few, whose
box numbers don’t exist in
the new building, have had
to take a new number. Bass
said many people had already
checked on the status of their
number before the move.
A moving company trans-
ported most of the old offi ce’s
furnishings and equipment to
the Main Street location over
the weekend. Hours and ser-
vices will remain the same
as usual in the new building,
Bass said.
Despite the picturesque environment, the community is at the center of an
evolving natural resource restoration economy, which gains statewide and
even national attention.
Despite the small-town charm, the residents are engaged and politically
active in local and national debates, and hard-hitting stories are never hard to
find. Ongoing topics include state and federal policies, forest health, logging,
public lands grazing, water supply, wildlife habitat improvements and wildfire
resilience, in addition to coverage of small-town life and local government.
The position offers a wealth of breaking news and enterprise opportunities.
Serving the community for 146 years, the Eagle is the oldest weekly
newspaper in Oregon and is part of EO Media Group, an award-winning and
innovative news organization with an active family of owners. This position
offers excellent advancement opportunities in a company that prefers to hire
from within. EO Media Group owns 11 newspapers and 17 websites that
provide accurate, fair and timely reporting about the people and issues
impacting the communities we serve in the Pacific Northwest, reflecting the
responsibility and spirit of a free press.
We seek a journalist who is passionate about local news and excited about
the opportunity to publish in print, online and through social media.
Candidates must be able to develop story ideas, take photographs, develop
sources, prepare website and social media updates and work in a
cooperative team environment. Journalistic integrity is a must.
Journalism education or experience is required for this full-time position
offering insurances, a 401(k)/401(k) Roth retirement plan and paid time off
(PTO). Send resume, letter of interest and up to five clips to EO Media Group,
P.O. Box 2048, Salem, OR 97308-2048; by fax to (503) 371-2935
or by email to hr@eomediagroup.com.
195 N. Canyon Blvd.
John Day, Oregon
06023