Out of the Past: Jan. 9

Published 10:29 am Monday, January 7, 2019

100 years ago

January 9, 1919

Twenty blocks of streets in the business center of Enterprise will be paved this year. The streets to be paved are North, Main and Greenwood, running east and west, and the north and south streets connecting.

In the last year, 605 new books were added to the Carnegie library in Enterprise, of which the board bought 409 and 196 were donated. This is the greatest growth the library has made in any one year of its history.

Schools in the county will not be permitted to reopen before January 20 the county court decided last week due to influenza. The case against the directors of the Lostine school district, who were charged with having violated the state board of health order, was dropped before it came to a hearing. Efforts to prevent the gathering of the old-time crowd in the post office have been made during the week by city authorities. City Marshal A.J. McInturff stationed himself at the outer door and refused to permit any person to enter unless he had a post office box.

70 years ago

January 6, 1949

The young people of the Christian church, under the supervision of Mrs. Delman Brown and Rev. David DeWelt, enjoyed a coasting party on the Reavis hill Thursday. This affair has been just about an annual event in the church.

Cy Kooch reported that it was 28 below zero at his place Monday night – nine degrees colder than the official temperature in Enterprise. At Joseph some amateur observers, with the best thermometers put out by Woolworth’s, recorded minimum temperatures of only around zero. But out along Hurricane creek Bird Frazier and others have been seeing 28 below zero weather for some time.

A record attendance is expected at PTA Monday evening for the annual Men’s Night program. Judging by previous years, this event will prove one of the high spots of the season’s calendar of events. William E. Williams, high school principal, is in charge of arrangements.

50 years ago

January 9, 1969

Two girls were injured, one seriously, on New Year’s Eve during the teenage dance at the Joseph Civic Center. The injuries came as the result of a large firecracker, or bomb, which was touched off in the hall during the dance. The exact nature of the explosive device is unknown, but it is suspected that it was a homemade contrivance.

Vin Searles, 8th grader from Enterprise, was the winner of the county-wide free throw contest sponsored by the Elks Lodge. Vin shot 19 baskets in 25 tries to beat Rod Riggs of Wallowa who shot 16 of 25 and John Naughton of Joseph with 13 of 25.

Mr. and Mrs. Jay Ward, Joseph, are the parents of the first baby born in Wallowa county in 1969. Their new daughter, Lois Ilene, was born on New Year’s Day, January 1, 1969 at 6:15 a.m. The father was also a first baby of the year when he was born in La Grande.

25 years ago

January 6, 1994

A deal in the works for the past four years was consummated this week when the keys to Summit Ford-Mercury were handed over by owners Keith Bird and Doug Crow to the new owners, Mick and Jeff Courtney.

A timber feller died Monday after a tree snag fell on him on Sloan Ridge in the West Grossman area about 20 miles northwest of Wallowa. James Bartlett, La Grande, was found by the other feller on his team and an attempt to revive him with CPR failed.

A referendum asking local voters whether they supported the idea of designating Hells Canyon as a national park was ranked as the number five local story in 1993. 95 percent of the local electorate turned thumbs down to the idea in the election last September. In terms of its effect on day-to-day life during 1993, probably no story had a greater impact on more people than the story of the $5.8 million Minam Grade improvement project.