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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2019)
JOURNEY Blue Mountain Eagle C2 Wednesday, July 31, 2019 FROM LEFT: The control panel for the Fremont Powerhouse is all lit up for visitors touring the historic site. The Fremont Powerhouse was built in 1903 to supply power to the Red Boy Mine and was rebuilt after snow collapsed the roof in 1993. Homes used by the staff who operated the Fremont Powerhouse are now available as cabin rentals through the Forest Service. A family looks behind the control panel at the historic Fremont Powerhouse. Historic Fremont Powerhouse a gem at the small town of Granite Restored cabins are available for rent By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle he gold mining boom and bust in Oregon’s Blue Moun- tains left a legacy of altered landscapes and industrial-sized historical artifacts that draw visi- tors from around the U.S. The town of Granite, at 4,660 feet elevation, is a good exam- ple. Albert Tabor discovered gold in Granite Creek on July 4, 1862, hence the town’s original name of Independence. Tabor was the only merchant in town in 1874 and became its first postmaster. The town really took off by 1899, when it was incorporated with 5,000 people. Granite in 1900 claimed six hotels and restau- rants, including a 65-room hotel, 25 retail stores, two newspapers, four saloons, a gravity-fed water system, an electric power and light station, two churches and a public school. Twelve producing mines and 2,122 mining sites in the immedi- ate area supported the local econ- omy, including the Red Boy Mine. But it all came to a screeching halt in 1942 when the War Production Board shut down gold mining in the U.S., deeming it a non-essen- tial war effort. Today Granite is the fourth-smallest incorporated town in Oregon, with 38 residents in 2010 — up from 24 in 2000. It lies along the Elkhorn Drive Sce- nic Byway, a 106-mile closed- loop route popular with bicyclists, motorcyclists and car tourists. The Lodge at Granite is open year-round. Call 541-744-5200 for reservations. The Outback Country Store is open in summer and hunt- T Eagle photos/Richard Hanners Visitors learn about the twin generators at the historic Fremont Powerhouse. ing season from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The store sells gas and diesel and has an RV park in back. Call 541- 755-5300 for information. About 8 miles northwest of Granite is the historic Fremont Powerhouse and four restored rental cabins. The National Reg- ister of Historic Places and Ore- gon’s State Historic Preservation Office list the complex as a his- toric district. The Romanesque building houses two 500 kilowatt genera- tors and a control panel built from an 11-foot wide piece of blue Flo- rentine marble. Redwood and steel pipes once carried water eight miles away and 1,100 feet down- hill from a dam built at Olive Lake to drive the turbines. Built in 1903, the powerhouse originally furnished power for the Red Boy Mine, which relied on steam power. As mining slowed down in the 1920s, the plant was connected to generating plants at Cove, La Grande and Baker to form Eastern Oregon Power & Light. The Fremont facility also powered the gold mining dredge at Sumpter. The powerhouse was sold to California Pacific Public Utilities Co. and then shut down in Octo- ber 1967. The next year, the company donated the entire complex to the U.S. Forest Service. After snow from a winter storm in 1993 col- lapsed the powerhouse building’s roof, the Forest Service consid- ered dismantling the building and its generating equipment. That’s when Joe Batty, a long- time Oregon National Guardsman who worked with his wife, Sha- ron, at the powerhouse from 1968- 1981, came in and saved the facil- ity. From 1999 through 2005, Batty and a crew of guardsmen rebuilt the 2,300-square-foot building and the four cabins. About 1,000 visitors typically stop at the site each year. The Fre- mont Caretakers Cabin and the Fremont Congo Gulch Cabin each sleep 10 and rent for $80 per night; the Fremont Hilltop Hideaway sleeps four and is $55 per night; and the Fremont Miners Retreat sleeps six and is $65 per night. For reservations, call 1-877-444-6777 or visit recreation.gov. To get to Granite from John Day, drive east on Highway 26 to Austin Junction, follow State Route 7 for 25 miles, turn left on State Route 410 and drive about 20 miles to Granite. To get to Fremont Powerhouse, turn left at Granite on County Road 24 and drive about 6 miles. For more information, call the North Fork John Day Ranger Station at 541-427-3231 or visit fs.usda.gov/umatilla. Grubsteak Mining Co. An old schoolhouse is used as a museum in the small town of Granite. 6th ANNUAL ANTHONY LAKES MOUNTAIN BIKE FESTIVAL Saturday, August 3 11am to 3pm Restaurant & Lounge S Guided rides, free demos, on-site repairs, kids skills k park, BBQ & beer, and more! Open 7 days a week 11 am - 9 pm Live Music 1pm to 3pm Hood River’s Greenneck Daredevils Lounge & Lottery Great Burgers & Steaks! S Take-out • Lunch • Dinner l use ANTHONYLAKES.COM LIFT-SERVED MOUNTAIN BIKING at ANTHONY LAKES MOUNTAIN RESORT 149 E Main St., John Day 541-575-1970 127897 Depot RV Park B eer , BourBon , Beans and Bacon - we have it all ! DAYVILLE MERCANTILE • Souvenirs & gifts • Snacks • Hot & cold beverages • Beer & liquor 20 Full RV Hookups - 30 amp 20 Covered Full RV Hookups - 30 amp • Covered Picnic Area Picnic Area & Playground Playground Sites & Shower Facility Tent Sites • & Tent Showering Facility Quiet Setting Quiet Setting • Wi-Fi 4 blocks south of Hwy 26 on Main Street Prairie City • 541-820-3605 129385 www.cityofprairiecity.com www.prairiecityoregon.com Open Mon-Sat 8am - 7pm Sun 9am - 5pm • Groceries & Snacks • Fishing/Hunting Licenses • Bait • Fishing Gear • Trapping Supplies • Non-Ethanol Fuel • Beer & Wine • Boat & Paddle Board Rentals 270 W. Franklin St., Dayville 541-987-2133 Mon-Sat, 8AM-6PM • Sun, 10AM-4PM 41345 Hwy. 19, Kimberly, OR • (541) 934-2060 130377
