(rshsdepot) Ontario, OR

[I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com]

From The Argus Observer.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Celebrating the past
 
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer 
ONTARIO - Veterans Day weekend will be a busy one in Ontario as  several 
events are planned, including the Veterans Day Parade, which has become  a 
tradition to honor or military veterans, plus a ceremony marking the 100th  
anniversary of the Ontario Railroad Depot and the dedication of the new Ontario  Basque 
Center. Participating in the activities will be Oregon Gov. Ted  Kulongoski.

The Nov. 10 events will begin with the parade, starting at 1  p.m. The parade 
route takes off at Alameda Drive, next to West Park Plaza,  follows down 
Southwest Fourth Avenue to South Oregon Street, continues to First  Avenue, where 
it will circle back to the depot and then end at Southeast Fifth  Avenue. 
Following the parade, in which he will ride, Gov. Kulongoski  and other 
dignitaries will participate in a ceremony honoring veterans and the  anniversary 
of the depot.

Frank Yraguen, Basque Club member, who is  coordinating events at the depot, 
said there will be a ribbon-cutting,  refreshments and an open house for the 
public to see the refurbished  depot.

The existing depot, which features Edwardian-style construction,  was built 
in 1907, at a cost of $45,000, to replace the original wood-built  depot 
constructed in 1883 through 1884, according to a history of the depot,  provided by 
Joe Mollahan, who started working on the depot project when he  served on the 
Ontario City Council in 1993.

Because of the connection to  the Transcontinental Railroad near Salt Lake 
City via the Oregon Shortline  Railroad, Ontario became a commercial hub, as the 
depot handled freight and  livestock from around the region as well as 
passengers.

The depot was the  stop off point for many notable people, including 
presidents Franklin Roosevelt  and Harry Truman. The late Sen. Robert Kennedy also 
held a campaign rally in  front of the building.

During the first and second world wars, the depot  saw its zenith as a center 
of activity, but following those conflicts, highways  and airplanes began to 
replace passenger and freight travel.

Union  Pacific Railroad ended passenger service in 1970 and eventually 
stopped handling  freight customers through its local depots. Amtrak provided 
passenger service  for a limited time, but the depot was not utilized.

As the depot began  falling into disrepair, the Union Pacific Railroad 
considered  demolition.

Through an effort by group of volunteers and the Ontario City  Council, the 
railroad agreed to donate the depot to the city, and the volunteers  were 
organized to manage the restoration and its operation.

“In 1993, we  started communicating with the railroad,” Mollahan said.

“The restoration  committee was formed in 1996,” he added, noting the group 
is now getting  smaller, as members have died or moved away.

Many thousands of hours went  into this project, Mollahan said, and a grand 
opening of the restored building  was held in 2000. Many small groups make use 
of building and a users fee has  help fund its minimal upkeep.

Union Pacific Railroad employees continued  to use the northend of the depot 
until recently, when the Ontario Basque Club  provided them a new office near 
the depot, so the club could turn the north end  room into the Basque Center.

Dedication of the Ontario Basque Center,  scheduled for about 4 p.m., will be 
the third event of the day.

Also  participating will be people attending a meeting of the North American 
Basque  Organization, which will be holding sessions that weekend in Ontario. 
About 36  Basque clubs are represented in that group.

“For years and years the  Basque Club has wanted a central place to call our 
own, as a meeting place.  Things just came together,” Yraguen said, commenting 
Ontario City Manager Scott  Trainor suggested to him the Basque Club use the 
north wing of the  depot.

“It’s owned by the city,” Yraguen said, adding the center will be  available 
for public use.

“We’re going to be responsible for rest the  depot. We have a 99-year lease 
with the city,” which includes a provision the  club is responsible for the 
building’s care.



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