A12
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Forecast
Continued from Page A1
Historical gem
It’s been about 140 years
since Kam Wah Chung & Co.
opened its doors to Chinese
and American customers in
John Day, and about 45 years
since the former general store
and Chinese herbal clinic —
preserved as it was in 1955 —
was opened to public tours as
a museum.
The official tourist season
at Kam Wah Chung runs from
May 1 through Oct. 31, seven
days a week, with a maximum
of eight tours of eight visitors
per day, Merritt said.
The average is seven tours,
but three days last year saw
more than 100 people show
up, and about half of them
were unable to accompany a
tour guide in the historic stone
building.
Hundreds of visitors are
turned away each year, Mer-
ritt said, but they are still able
to learn from the exhibits in
the interpretive center on the
opposite side of Canton Street.
This particularly impacts vis-
itors who are passing through
and international visitors who
have limited time.
This year, Merritt will
introduce a pilot program
allowing a limited number of
visitors to set a date and time
to tour the historic building.
With the current system, tick-
ets are often gone by 9 a.m.,
he said.
Merritt said the staff does
not formally track where tour-
ists come from, but based on
queries last June, about 20 per-
cent came from China. About
60 percent are Dutch, drawn
to Eastern Oregon by a reali-
ty-TV game show called “The
Mole,” he said. This year, the
Philadelphians Tour Group
of Gresham will include Kam
Wah Chung on their tours to
Eastern Oregon.
OPRD doesn’t advertise
the heritage site, but Travel
Oregon promotes Kam Wah
Chung heavily, Merritt said.
Informal surveys indicate
Harvey
Continued from Page A1
Harvey noted that forests
around Paradise, California,
last year were “thick with
fuels.” He called last year’s
inferno “the most prevent-
able disaster we have ever
had.”
A 40-year-old law, the
1976 Federal Land Pol-
icy Management Act, pro-
vided the first congressio-
nal mandate for coordination
between local and federal
governments. The act states
that federal agencies “shall”
coordinate, Harvey noted.
Words matter, he said.
Supporters of the coor-
dination process saw prog-
ress when it came to the Blue
Mountains Forest Plan Revi-
sion. The Forest Service typ-
ically spends too much time
developing plans, he said,
and officials are upset when
locals oppose their plans.
But locals opposed the
Forest Plan for 15 years,
he said. They kept telling
the Forest Service the plan
doesn’t work. It had become
“so convoluted it was worth-
less,” he said, but Forest Ser-
vice officials were afraid to
do anything because of envi-
ronmental lawsuits.
During the objection pro-
cess, Forest Service offi-
cials from Washington,
D.C., came to local meetings
expecting harsh treatment.
Instead, they encountered a
friendly crowd, and they lis-
tened, Harvey said.
“By the grace of God,
they opened their eyes,” Har-
Eagle photos/Richard Hanners
Historic cooking supplies in the kitchen at the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site.
about 60-70 percent of visitors
learned about Kam Wah Chung
by word of mouth, he said.
Two new RV sites at Kam
Wah Chung will help OPRD
attract seasonal park hosts to
help with operating the her-
itage site, Merritt said. One
couple is returning after nine
seasons. Hosts camped at
Clyde Holliday State Park in
the past, he said.
New additions
Local residents were the
source of two new features at
the heritage site. Friends of
Kam Wah Chung authorized
the purchase of a hydraulic
monitor from Isa Larkin. The
heavy cast-iron water can-
non, which was used by placer
miners in the early years of the
gold mining boom here, will
be the centerpiece of a future
outdoor exhibit.
A 50-page scrapbook
donated by the family of Char-
lie and Cecille Lewis contains
memorial service cards and
ceremonial dimes, news clip-
pings and historical photos
about Kam Wah Chung and
the John Day Chinatown.
Charlie Lewis, who was
a close friend of Ing Hay
and lived to 104, wanted the
museum to have the scrap-
book after he died. He kept it
on his bedstand at night, Mer-
ritt said.
In addition to sample nap-
kins Ing Hay handed out for
the Fourth of July, the scrap-
vey said, and the Forest Plan
was withdrawn. Locals had
won the battle but not the
war, he said. There are good
people in Washington now,
and maybe local land man-
agers will listen to them, he
said.
County governments were
reduced to a single comment
during the objection process,
which did not sit well with
them, Harvey said. A better
approach is to use the coor-
dination process to ensure
local needs are adequately
addressed throughout the
land management process, he
said.
Harvey didn’t advise sim-
ply invoking coordination.
The first step is to draft a nat-
ural resource plan as a guide-
line. If written correctly, state
and federal agencies must
take it into consideration, he
said.
Judy Kerr noted that a nat-
ural resource plan for Grant
County brought to the county
court in September 2015 was
based entirely on the Baker
County plan. A court ruling,
however, prevented it from
being put on the May 2016
ballot.
The county must also
establish a Natural Resource
Advisory Committee to
advise the county court, Har-
vey said. The county court
should appoint the commit-
tee members, he said, and
he advised against relying
on a single person for that
role. Baker County whittled
down its advisory committee
to 13 members after some of
them weren’t willing to com-
mit themselves to all the hard
work, Harvey said.
book contains photos of Chi-
natown buildings and two
residents — Tall Sam and
Monkey Tom.
Last year, Eric Brand, a
student of Zhongzhen’s in
Hong Kong who is fluent in
Chinese, discovered a 300- to
500-year-old medical book in
the curation building. Owned
by Ing Hay, it may be an orig-
inal copy of a book written by
one of the founders of Chinese
medicine, Merritt said.
Archaeological finds
Last year’s subsurface
imaging project at the heritage
site led by Chelsea Rose, an
archaeologist at the Southern
Oregon University Laboratory
of Anthropology, turned up a
number of unexpected find-
ings, Merritt said.
Data from the ground-pen-
etrating radar was compared
to historical photos in order
to identify possible China-
town-era buildings, including
a temple, two more general
stores, a laundry and numer-
ous residences.
Remains of at least 10
structures were revealed,
including one close to Can-
ton Street, Merritt said. Two
important findings were that
the radar found no significant
mining impacts in the area,
which could have seriously
disturbed artifacts, and that
the discovered features appear
to be near the surface, he said.
Rose and a group of 15
Committee
members
could be recruited to attract
professionals and diversity.
Past Forest Service employ-
ees dissatisfied with the
agency would make good
committee members, he said,
but he advised against estab-
lishing an unauthorized citi-
zens committee or appointing
any current federal employ-
ees, which could create a
conflict of interest.
Jim Sproul said Grant
County had a natural resource
plan and committee, but it
had been “drug through the
dirt.” He said the plan was
backed with good documen-
tation and was a good start-
ing point. It has been a tough
four years, he said, and it
was a blessing to finally see
everything come together the
way it is.
Most people don’t under-
stand coordination, Dave
Traylor said. Many people
think, if people in New Jer-
sey don’t have a say, it’s not
coordination, he said.
People in other states have
the right to provide input on
land management planning
here, Harvey said, just as
people here have the right
to provide input there. But
people here don’t do that,
and wouldn’t expect them
to come here. They’re not
familiar with our needs, he
said.
The pendulum for public
land management has swung,
Harvey said. Even environ-
mentalists agree about the
overabundance of forest
fuels, and locals need to push
back in an organized way to
make the changes they want
to see, he said.
A Chinese shrine sits behind the historic wood cookstove in
the kitchen at the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site.
Tincture bottles, animal
parts and a mortar and
pestle sit on a table in the
apothecary section of the
Kam Wah Chung State
Heritage Site.
undergraduate and gradu-
ate students will return to the
heritage site July 11-15 to dig
a trench where the temple is
believed to be and at the site
near Canton Street.
The findings will influ-
ence planning for the heri-
tage site. An earlier master
plan is defunct now that it’s
known key properties can’t
be acquired by the state, Mer-
ritt said. It’s possible the only
location for a new interpre-
tive center is where the Glea-
son Pool sits now, he said.
A lot of design will go into
the new center before it opens
its doors at least four years
from now, Merritt said. In
addition to housing curation
facilities and existing exhib-
its, the new center could fea-
ture a “virtual reality” room
that would simulate the inte-
rior of the Kam Wah Chung
building.
Merritt said OPRD has the
equipment and staff to cre-
ate a three-dimensional digi-
tal image of the interior of the
historic store. That data could
be used to create murals that
would accompany displays
of items currently stored in
the curation building. He
cited exhibits at the Museum
of Chinese in America, in
New York City, as a model.
It’s even possible to stream
the data into 3D goggles for
children and people with
disabilities.
Funding for the interpretive
center will come from OPRD,
which is primarily funded
with lottery dollars, and dona-
tions. In 2006-2007, donors
contributed the $2 million
needed to build the exhibits at
the interpretive center, furnish
the curation building and pay
for the high-tech security and
fire-prevention systems inside
the Kam Wah Chung building.
Presentations
A public archaeology day
Grant
Continued from Page A1
The coalition would
retain ownership of some
individual fibers in each
cable that could be used by
public institutions, including
schools and local govern-
ments. The Grant Education
Service District would be the
internet provider for the pub-
lic side of the network.
The application for the
ReConnect grant is due May
31, and the John Day City
Council will vote on the appli-
cation May 14. The city has
been acting as the coalition’s
fiscal agent until it further
establishes itself.
Ortelco has been an inde-
pendent company since 1914
and began deploying fiber to
homes and businesses in 2005.
Its past success in obtaining
USDA funding along with
its engineering and construc-
tion personnel makes the joint
application stronger. The joint
effort will also streamline the
Court
Continued from Page A1
of Columbia v. Heller, which
recognized that an individual’s
right to possess firearms is not
connected to service in a mili-
tia, and McDonald v. Chicago,
which invalidated that city’s
handgun ban.
According to the resolu-
tion, “Grant County Court
will not authorize or appro-
priate governmental funds,
resources, employees, agen-
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Brandon Smith, a John Day city councilor and Grant County
Digital Network Coaltion board member, explains the
board’s recent decision to partner with Ortelco for a federal
grant application during the council’s April 23 meeting.
permitting process, Green told
the city council.
The proposal was presented
to the city council and Grant
County Court last week. Green
told the court it was a 40-year
investment — which is the
lifespan of the aerial cable.
Communications technol-
ogy rapidly changes, and fiber
provides the most capacity of
any commercial technology,
Green said. So the county must
build up to meet the demands
of changes in 10, 20 and 30
years from now.
Negotiations
continue
between the coalition and
Ortelco, including discus-
sions about the legal structure
needed to create a public-pri-
vate partnership between an
intergovernmental agency and
a for-profit company.
If all grant applications are
successful, construction of the
expanded network could begin
next year and possibly be com-
pleted by 2021, Green told the
city council.
cies, contractors, buildings,
detention centers or offices for
the purpose of enforcing any
element of such acts, laws,
orders, mandates, rules or reg-
ulations that infringe on the
right by the people to keep and
bear arms.”
That includes:
• Registration requirements
for existing lawfully owned
firearms.
• Prohibitions, regulations
and/or use restrictions related
to ownership of semi-auto-
matic firearms, including
those with the appearance or
features similar to fully auto-
matic firearms or military
“assault style” firearms.
• Prohibition, regulations
and/or use restrictions lim-
iting hand grips, stock, flash
suppressors, bayonet mounts,
magazine capacity, clip capac-
ity, internal capacity or types
of ammunition available for
sale, possession or use.
• Registration and back-
ground check requirements
beyond those customarily
required at time of purchase
prior to December 2012.
• Restrictions prohibit-
ing the possession, carry or
transport of lawfully acquired
firearms or ammunition by
law-abiding adult citizens or
minors supervised by adults.
The
resolution
also
acknowledges provisions of
existing laws, including pro-
hibiting possession of firearms
by certain felons, individu-
als who are ruled mentally
ill and certain individuals
convicted of domestic vio-
lence; possession of machine
guns, short-barreled shot-
guns, silencers and bump-type
stocks; possession of unlaw-
fully concealed firearms; pos-
session of firearms by a minor;
and possession of firearms in
public buildings.
1809 First Street • Baker City • (541)523-5439
BARGAIN MATINEE IN ( ) Adults $7
ALL FILMS $6 ON TIGHTWAD TUESDAY
Payments may be made at the Tax Collector’s Office at
the Grant County Courthouse in Canyon City, or the
payment may be mailed and postmarked no later than
May 15th, 2019. Please remember that delinquent taxes
accrue interest at the rate of 16% per year. If you have
any questions, please call the tax office at
575-0107 or 575-0189.
P.O. Box 10
Canyon City, OR 97820
118093
Monday - Thursday
7am- 6pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Mendy Sharpe FNP
Apppointments
available
AVENGERS: ENDGAME (PG-13)
The Avengers assemble once more in
order to undo Thanos’ & actions and
restore order to the universe.
FRIDAY
(3:45) 7:30
SAT & SUN (12:00) (3:45) 7:30
MON - THURS
6:30
UGLY DOLLS (PG)
Animation. The free-spirited Ugly Dolls
discover who you truly are is what
matters most.
FRIDAY
(4:15) 7:20
SAT & SUN (12:30) (4:15) 7:20
MON - THURS
7:20
BREAKTHROUGH (PG)
When her son drowns in a lake, a faithful
mother prays for him to come back from
the brink of death and be healed.
FRIDAY
(4:00) 7:10
SAT & SUN (12:15) (4:00) 7:10
MON - THURS
7:10
$9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth
117848
MOVIE SCHEDULE MAY 3 - MAY 9
The third installment of the
2018-19 property tax is due Wednesday,
May 15th, 2019 by 5:00 p.m.
will be held at Kam Wah
Chung on July 13 with dis-
plays of artifacts found both
in the ground and inside the
store. Archaeologists will
give talks, and visitors will be
given a chance to screen for
artifacts, Merritt said.
Three talks on Chinese
archaeology will be presented
at the Canyon City Commu-
nity Hall: July 11, Adrian
Praetzellis, a professor emer-
itus at Sonoma State Univer-
sity; July 18, Priscilla Wegar,
a well-known textbook author
retired from the University of
Idaho; and July 25, Ben Bron-
son and Chuimei Ho, a hus-
band and wife team who have
written about Chinese-Ameri-
can history.
The Oregon Museum
Association will hold a con-
ference in John Day on Sept.
15-17. Merritt said about 50
people will attend during Kam
Wah Chung’s busiest month.
Snowbirds passing through
the area boosted visitor num-
bers to 1,645 last September,
he said.