100 years ago

June 15, 1916

• The Trout creek sawmill of the E.M. & M. company, nine miles north of Enterprise, burned down yesterday noon while the crew was at dinner. While they were eating they heard men of A.H. Sasser’s county road crew shouting, and running out, they saw the mill in flames. Nothing could be done and in a short time the building was in ashes.

• The first store building erected in Enterprise, which in its day marked the very beginning of the pioneer town on Bennett Flat, has been moved from Main street to a new location out of the present business district. It has been moved to clear the ground for the large new E.M. & M. store.

• Thomas Murray had a hairbreadth escape Tuesday afternoon when Frank Riley shot him, the bullet striking the upper part of his forehead, between the eyes. Mr. Riley was arrested yesterday by Sheriff Marvin under a warrant charging him with being an insane person, unsafe to be at large. The shooting took place at the border of Mr. Murray’s ranch on the upper part of Alder Slope.

• The city of Enterprise has bought of Aaron Wade a triangular tract of ground back of the cemetery, running down into a deep gulch, for a dumping ground. It contains three and one-half acres … and is large enough to take care of the city’s waste until the time comes to handle it scientifically.

70 years ago

June 20, 1946

• Five girls, four from Joseph and one from Enterprise, are now entered in the contest for queen of the Chief Joseph Days celebration to be held in Joseph the last weekend in July. The girls, together with the number of votes each had received as of noon Tuesday, are: Mina Drake, 23,925; Carmen Turnbow, 14,225; Rita Daisley, 10,100; Catherine Daggett, 6,050; Jean Best, 2,500. Boxes for depositing votes are to be placed throughout the county.

• The Joseph city council was called for a special meeting Monday night for the purpose of discussing the emergency in the water system in Joseph. Water pipes are in very bad shape and bad leaks are showing up every day in new places. Work has been going on as fast as possible to repair these places but pipe is very hard to get. The council voted to cash the water bonds and send Hugh Grandy to Portland to try to locate new pipe.

• The annual meeting of the Wallowa county chapter of the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis was held Monday afternoon. The treasurer reported $1,179.22 on hand to be used in case of a polio epidemic. The chapter voted $200 to the Shriners hospital in Portland, where two children from this county have been receiving treatment.

50 years ago

June 16, 1966

• Photo caption: Bill Aschenbrenner was all smiles this week when he took a winning card into the Safeway store and collected $500 on the Bonus Bingo game. He is shown here accepting a check from Safeway manager, Tom Rash.

• Captain Dale L. Potter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Potter of Joseph, has been decorated with one of the highest U. S. Air Force awards – the Distinguished Flying Cross – for heroism in southern Asia.

• News from Lostine: Many town folk were up early Tuesday morning to watch the Christian Church building being moved to Wallowa.

• Two large projects for the eradication of grasshoppers in Wallowa county are now in the mill and it is hoped that final plans will jell to the point where the application of spray can begin tomorrow. Swarms exceed 100 per yard in some of the worst areas.

• Photo caption: Jay Meyers of the Fred Whitaker company inspects a consignment of wool from Elzie Makin, who looks on as “Tuff” Prince weighs the wool out of the Grain Growers warehouse in Joseph. Elzie is one of about fifty consigners in this area.

25 years ago

June 20, 1991

• The number of ski floats at Wallowa Lake would be limited to ten under a proposed county ordinance submitted this week to the Wallowa County Court.

• A festival promises to soar to new heights this week when the Wallowa Mountain High hot air balloon rally unfolds in Enterprise. The balloon rally, which began in 1988 with only 2 hot air balloons, this year will involve 25 pilots from 5 western states.

• Photo caption: The youngsters above were among the many local children who enthusiastically turned out for the opening day of the Enterprise Swimming Pool on a sunny Monday this week.

• Hotdog salesmen Lisa and Lori Braden’s business was interrupted briefly this week after they were notified by the city that they were in violation of the city’s “transient merchant” ordinance because they had not purchased a $105 license. They were also informed that their two-foot wide cart was blocking the sidewalk in front of Nez Perce Crossing gallery and museum in Joseph.