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December 19, 2014
Volume 5, Issue 50
www.TheCanyonWeekly.com
He does exist!!
Santa’s former sleigh now on display at the Gates Post Office Free photos for kids - with the world’s most famous elf - on December 20
Santa Claus will be stopping by Gates Post Office this Saturday afternoon to check in on one of his retired sleighs that is stored there for good keeping. He also, of course, is planning on visiting with some of his local fans to hear their last minute Christmas wishes before heading back up to the North Pole. The Gates Post Office has been one of Santa’s favorite stopping off places for years. So much so that he left one of his former sleighs in the care of one of his biggest fans, Postmistress Sandra Ruppert. She displays the treasure each December. Last year, Santa was remembered as saying, “I love visiting this old post office. They don’t make them like this any more.” Stepping through the doors of the Gates Post Office is a true step back in time, where an actual bell rings when you enter and antique combination postal boxes are still in use. Locals file in to check their mail and chat a bit, while somewhere in the back corner old time Christmas music plays on a radio. The Gates Post Office was established in 1892. In those days there were multiple small post offices dotting the Santiam Canyon with names of communities familiar but forgotten. The first one in the vicinity was located on the south side of the river and named Henness, for the family that settled there. Other area Post Offices had names such as Rock Creek, Minto, Elkhorn, Berry and Niagara. None of those still exist today, (cont’d on page 2)
Postmistress Sandra Ruppert(right) talks with Jeannine White.
Online school may soon call Mill City their home base Oregon Connections Academy is in contract negotiations with the Santiam Canyon School District - which could mean more jobs, more money, more class options - and more students based in the North Santiam Canyon
The Santiam Canyon School District has officially announced they will be moving forward with negotiating a contract with the Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA), an online based school system that was formerly located within the Scio school district. ORCA's contract with Scio expires July 1, 2014. The district went to court challenging the move and sought to extend a contract through 2025, but was denied when negotiations between SSD and ORCA failed. “I am unsure if any court appeals will happen, but at this point, I am beginning to prepare for sponsoring a new
charter school next year. We will continue to move forward and plan for the coming year as though they are coming to Mill City,” said Todd Miller Superintendent of the Santiam Canyon School District. Miller worked as the Executive Director of ORCA for 2 years during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years where he led a large fo- (cont’d on page 2)
50 years of memories for the Lichlyters Congratulations to Joe and Carolyn Lichlyter, long time Santiam Canyon residents, as they celebrate 50 years of marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Lichlyter were married on August 24, 1964 in Salem, Oregon. They have been blessed with two daughters and seven
grandchildren. An open house, hosted by the couple’s family, will be held Saturday, December 27, 2014 from 1- 4pm at the Gates Fire Station. Share our joy as we celebrate love, loyalty, and faith. 1