Yesterday’s news
Published 6:00 am Saturday, July 8, 2023
- Construction of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church, on Fourth Street between K and L avenues in La Grande, stops momentarily while workers pause for a photo circa 1914. The cornerstone of this "very beautiful brick building and landmark," as Robert Bull described it, was laid Oct. 25, 1914, and the finished church was dedicated on Jan. 30, 1916. "I am amazed that it only took about a year to build this magnificent church, so the construction crew must have been very good at their trade and were true craftsmen," Bull noted. This church replaced the wooden Catholic Church that sat on the corner of Fifth Street and K Avenue (next to Sacred Heart Academy). The spire of that old church is visible in the background on the right, and at the left you can just see part of the old courthouse.