Ekalaka is a quiet, little town at the end of Highway 7. I had traveled to Ekalaka every year when I was growing up to visit my grandparents who lived there. I fell in love with it. I have always loved the sweet smell that it has in the summer, the way it smells after a rain, and the excitement of a summer storm.
Today a lot of the buildings are gone. The stores have closed, the buildings empty and eventually torn down. There used to be a grocery store, bar and restaurant, and hardware store at the end of the green patch on the left.
Each summer when we would come to visit we would make at least one trip to town from grandmother's ranch. Part of the town visit involved going to the Super Valu grocery store, through the back door. Being from a larger town this was a novelty for us. We only had grocery stores where you entered through the front door.
From here you can see the blue building which used to be called the Mainline and was green, it is now NAPA. There is a restaurant in the middle and a bar on the end of this block.
The Mainline was another place we loved to visit. Grandma would buy us candy, a lot of candy so we would have a supply back at the ranch. I always bought a candy necklace. They were my favorites.
The Old Stand Bar and Wagon Wheel Cafe, used to be one building but they burned down over 20 years ago. These are new buildings for Ekalaka.
The Old Stand Bar and Cafe was one of the places I hung out after we moved to Ekalaka. It was while I was in high school that the building burnt down. It was sad, the old buildings had a lot of character. The new Old Stand was built with a dance hall in the back, it is now a restaurant. I loved the dances in the back. The restaurant is good though. My favorite treat there is the corn nuggets. I miss the corn nuggets. So far I have only found one place in Oregon that has corn nuggets and that is in Bandon.
The Main Street Market. Now the only grocery store in town.
The Guest House Motel, owned and operated by my dear brother and sister-in-law
Scott and Denise Elmore.
It is a great place to stay if you are every in Ekalaka. Scott and Denise have worked hard remodeling and updating the hotel since they bought it in the 90s.
The local firehouse.
At the other end of town stands the courthouse. I think this is my favorite part of town. I love how the trees surround it and make it cozy and inviting.
This is a small tour of my favorite little town. It may not be growing, have great shopping, but if you want to visit a nice quiet, relaxing place try Ekalaka. It is full of history, has a great museum, and a lot of points of interest to visit.
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