Day: August 9, 2009

Heading home: Oregon Trail Interpretive Park.

On our way home, we stopped at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Park. This was a great park with two short loops that walked you through the pioneer experience.

A succinct summation of your supplies.

It was interested to see the different “roads.” In my mind a road is a paved surface that climbs and descends slowly and steadily. This park drove home (hah!) the idea that a road was where the wagons went. At one point in the park you can see where five “roads” converge.

This was a point in the journey when the pioneers were very tired and they still had to get over the mountains before the snow came.

A view of the trail.

This tree bears the scars of the wagons rolling over its roots. How cool is that? This actual tree witnessed pioneers rolling right over its roots.

More of the actual trail.

A wagon, for your picture taking pleasure.

The first time I saw a covered wagon, I was pretty disappointed. They seemed so small. They were also much taller than I expected.

Commemorative picture.

I can’t look at the back of a wagon without thinking of Jack, Laura Ingall’s dog.

Enterprise: More sights.

I’m guessing Enterprise is cold in the winter as many houses (and businesses) had firewood stacked outside.

If you come to the VFW, you can also pick up your Avon order.

On Sunday morning I discovered the other part of the Fairgrounds. Here is the grandstand.

And here is the sign that is near the 4-H building where I bet we could have seen some good crafts.

This tiny building houses an important function.

It’s the DMV!

Imagine my delight when I peeked in the window and saw three chairs to wait in. Next to those three chairs? A “take a number” machine. I guess lines can be long even in the tiny Enterprise DMV.

Downtown Enterprise.

The library.

Our motel which was clean and nice and had a huge bathroom because we had the handicapped room.

A B&B around the corner from our motel.

Enterprise Cemetery

For the Sunday early morning walk, I visited the cemetery. You knew I couldn’t resist. This was a great cemetery, with tremendous views.

One thing I didn’t like was this columbarium’s practice of putting the wives’ maiden names in quotes, as if they were Mafia nicknames. Here we have Steve “The Rifleman” Flemmi, and over here we have Myrna “Stubblefield” Witherrite. To me, the quotes around the maiden name imply fakery, as if they women weren’t really people until they took their husband’s last name.
This cemetery provides picnic tables.

What a view!

I liked the fact that this gravestone mentioned that they were the parents of JD, Debbie, Tammy & Eddie.

It’s not often that I see statuary plopped down on a gravestone. Also, the husband’s name is Lenthal, which is an awesome name. I figured it was unique enough that I might get a hit when I Googled it and I did:

“Bollman Funeral Home”

The Bollman Funeral Home is located in the beautiful Wallowa Valley of NE Oregon with roots going back 80 years. As in the past Lee A. Bollman and Lenthal A. Bollman III strive to offer personalized service as did their parents


I was interested in the Latin phrase “Dum Tacet Clamat” on this gravestone. It turns out to be the motto of the Woodman of the World which was a fraternal insurance-benefit society which still exists today.

An excerpt from a Tennyson poem adorns this grave.

His wife has a quote that is reminiscent of Herman Melville’s “Life’s a voyage that’s homeward bound.”

There were some very old graves (for a western state) in the cemetery including this one from 1917.

This is an even older grave, from 1904. Mr. Zurcher was also a veteran of the Civil War.

1891 was the oldest grave I found.

Next to the Reverend William Owneby lies the wife of Rev. William Owneby. This is totally reflective of the times, but still makes me cringe. To be fair, her first name is carved on the top, it just is hard to read. No birth date though. Just when she died.
I enjoy coming across these survey markers.