This old postcard provides a broad view of the famous Woodard Flume. Casey Woodard, grandson of Walter W.A. Woodard, confirmed this is the Camp B Woodard Mill in Hebron (now underwater). He noted that the butte in the background is used to anchor the dam for Cottage Grove Lake. The[Read More…]
Author: DANA MERRYDAY - for The Chronicle
Cottage Grove’s Woodard reshapes the landscape
W.A. Woodard and Gov. Douglas McKay inspecting the Cottage Grove Community Hospital under construction on Birch Ave. Editor’s note: This is Part II of a three-part series. COTTAGE GROVE – W.A. Woodard was a tenacious, self-made businessman, and was, by nature, generous. Woodard credited his success to his employees and[Read More…]
W.A. Woodard’s legacy was built to outlast Village Green
The Village Green closes its doors this week, and will transform under new ownership. Editor’s note: First of a three-part series. COTTAGE GROVE – The current incarnation of the Village Green closes operations Friday as a new owner assumes control of the property. To help dispel rumors of what is[Read More…]
Residents plant trees in celebration of public lands
DANA MERRYDAY/CHRONICLE PHOTO Residents came out Saturday to support National Public Lands Day by planting trees and shrubs. COTTAGE GROVE – This past Saturday 35 volunteers joined U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Park Rangers to participate in National Public Lands Day at the Pine Meadows Campground on Cottage Grove Lake. [Read More…]
Dorena bridge getting facelift
The Dorena covered bridge is getting repairs. DANA MERRYDAY/THE CHRONICLE DORENA – I was out Row River Road last month and had to do a double-take as I braked when I approached the congested collision where Row River Road hits Shoreview Drive. The distinctive view of the Dorena Covered Bridge[Read More…]
You rang? Cottage Grove man’s hobby dials up memories
Cameron Reiten has a love of all forms of telecommunication. As owner of local radio station KNND, the Mighty 1400, it makes sense that someone in his position would need an understanding of electronics to keep the station on the air. This knowledge was no doubt helpful as KNND went[Read More…]
Be Your Best helps set a foundation for community success
DANA MERRYDAY First of a two-part series. Be Your Best started as a dream and has grown from a loose-knit collective into an almost formal organization about to embrace 501-c-3 status. It is another one of those “only in Cottage Grove”-type stories that involve people seeing a need and collaborating[Read More…]
DeFazio delivers $1.5M for Cottage Grove clinic
It was not an official opening, ribbon cutting, or dedication, but in the face of all the bad news connected to fires and the surge in COVID-19, last Thursday’s tour of the future site of the Community Health Clinic in Cottage Grove was just the prescription everyone needed. Invited officials,[Read More…]
A strange summer: Covid, celebrating Keaton, third streetery opens
DANA MERRYDAY/CHRONICLE PHOTOThe refurbished Buster Keaton mural at the corner of Main Street and Highway 99 in Cottage Grove is one of the features of this week’s conference. It has been a strange summer in Cottage Grove. Some things have seemed normal enough and refreshingly so. Others are not so[Read More…]
Sunset for Cottage Grove’s Sunshine General
Then … … and now Cottage Grove lost two institutions this year: The first being the little store that could, Sunshine General Store, which in May finally ran out of steam after serving the community for 45 years. The second being Gordon Beaman, one of the store’s original owners and[Read More…]