01/31/2009

By ERIC FLORIP  / Associated Press

Ask Joe Garlitz what he thinks of living in Elgin, and he offers this old saying:

"The good thing about a small town is that everybody knows your business. The bad thing about a small town is that everybody knows your business," laughed Garlitz, Elgin's city administrator and resident for the past 35 years.

The phrase seems to suit Elgin, a town of 1,705 people tucked into the Blue Mountains north of La Grande. Throughout the snow- and ice-covered streets on a recent winter day, people offered friendly first-name greetings to each other.

After 35 years, Garlitz holds a unique perspective on Elgin — though admittedly not as deep as some old-timers who have lived their entire lives here. He said one of the things that strikes him now is how little things have changed during those 35 years. Population stays fairly stable (1,701 people lived here in 1980), the Elgin Stampede rodeo remains an annual staple, and several historic buildings keep the same look as when they were first constructed.

But at least one thing has changed, Garlitz said. The city's economic health — driven largely by the Boise Cascade Elgin Complex mill outside town — lacks the prosperity it used to.

"There's not nearly as many outside jobs as there used to be," Garlitz said.

Incorporated in 1891, Elgin started with a history of farming, ranching and logging — a tradition that still continues. Boise Cascade cemented much of that identity by opening a large timber mill here in the 1960s. The facility still employs about 300 people, Garlitz said, which is less than it used to. But many residents still point to the mill as the gel that holds Elgin together.

Garlitz views it as a blessing, but with one reservation. He noted while the mill provides a lot of jobs for the area, that only translates to heavier consequences if it were to shrink further or close.

"It does cast a big shadow across the community, or lights the community depending on how you look at it," Garlitz said.

Several residents agreed. Pepsi distributor Patrick Stein, who used to live in Elgin, stood in the Elgin Corner Market discussing the mill with market employee Jeana Moodenbaugh. Neither hesitated in noting the Boise Cascade mill as the engine driving the city of Elgin. But with the increasingly uncertain state of Oregon's timber industry, that's becoming more of a concern, Stein said.

"If it wasn't for the mill, this town would probably be up a creek — way up a creek," he said. "If they ever shut that mill down, Elgin would be in a lot of trouble."

Stein lived in Elgin when he was in grade school, but has lived in La Grande since 1982. His job brings him to Elgin a few times a week. Looking back on his childhood, Stein said Elgin remains much the same as it was then, save for the departure of several businesses.

"The mill is pretty much all we have," Stein said.

Just down the street from the market lies another Elgin landmark: the Elgin Opera House. The formidable edifice bears the words "CITY HALL" on its front brick facade, as it has since 1912. That's because the building was constructed originally to house Elgin City Hall and the town's stage theater. City hall later moved next door.

Thanks to resident Terry Hale, the arts haven't yet left the site. After he moved to Elgin with his wife in 2006, Hale took on reviving the city's theater program. In addition to the first-run movies shown at the theater regularly, a dedicated group of dozens of volunteers now perform at least two live shows each year. Next up is "Annie," scheduled for May.

"For an area like this it's fantastic because none of the schools in the area have a theater arts program," Hale said. "We've become the de facto theater arts program for Elgin, Imbler, Cove and all those surrounding areas."

Hale walked through the historic building recently before a rehearsal for "Annie." Many of the building's features still maintain their original form, including chairs, walls and several rooms backstage. The floor creaked as Hale walked up a set of wooden stairs to the main stage. A single, uncovered light bulb flickered overhead.

Despite its charm, parts of the theater show their age, Hale said. During last month's production of "A Christmas Carol," Hale said one of the building's furnaces "blew up," leaving one functioning furnace to heat everything. A short time later, a plumbing mishap flooded much of the downstairs area.

"There are so many things that are just on the verge of collapse," Hale said.

Still, the historical significance of Elgin's opera house is not lost on Hale or the others who keep it running.

"This is such a gem," he said. "To have a building like this smack-dab in the middle of such a rural area is amazing."

Hale and Elgin City Councilor John Stover now lead an effort to restore the opera house to its original form. Several renovations helped the building in the 1980s, but plenty more remains to be done, Hale said. The group hopes to raise $1 million for its cause and aims for a 2012 grand reopening — just in time for the building's 100th anniversary.

The money will likely be gathered through grant applications, Stover said. That process has already begun, and Stover said he's optimistic about its chances to save an important Elgin landmark.

"It's a historic building in our area, and a lot of people in our area have been raised going to shows and going to plays," Stover said. "We'd hate to lose it, because it is an important building to Elgin and to Union County."

Hale also said he's encouraged by the support he's seen so far.

That kind of support and unity is something many Elgin residents take pride in. Moodenbaugh, the corner market employee, pointed to an example that happened recently when a young child went missing one afternoon. Help was not in short supply, she said.

"Everybody just stopped what they were doing," Moodenbaugh said. "It was really nice."

Residents eventually found the child unharmed after a couple hours.

Moodenbaugh holds a good view of the town from behind the market counter, seeing dozens of faces every day as she works. Of all the places she's lived over the years, she said Elgin's residents make it her favorite. And her job allows her to take advantage of that.

"I'm a person that stays home a lot," Moodenbaugh said, "so it's really good for me."

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On the Net:

Elgin: http://www.eoni.com/ 7/8elgin1/