By LISA BRITTON

When the property known near and far as Radium Hot Springs goes up for auction, Alice Cantrell says it will be andquot;the end of an era.andquot;

andquot;It’s sad to see those things end because it was so good for the community,andquot; she says.

Radium Hot Springs operated from 1926 to 1986 in a site north of Haines that offers majestic views of both the Elkhorn and Wallowa mountains.

After closing the pool, owner Jack Stevens allowed a few residents of Haines to continue swimming in the waters that ran about 92 degrees.

Stevens died Aug. 27, 2006, and his son and daughter-in-law, Randy and Carol Stevens, have been taking care of the Haines property and inventorying Jack’s possessions with the help of Sherry Stevens, Jack’s daughter.

To settle the estate, Stevens’ personal and real property will be auctioned Sunday, May 6. Viewing of items begins at 8 a.m., and the personal property auction will start at 9:59 a.m. The auction for real property 13.9 acres with a house, pool, etc. will begin at 1 p.m.

Radium’s history

Radium’s history dates back to 1865 and the homestead of Fred. C. Coles.

The hot springs provided soothing relief even back then when bucketfuls of the water were used to fill bathtubs for a soak, Carol Stevens said.

Here’s the rest of the story, as Alice Cantrell recorded in andquot;The History of Baker County, Oregonandquot;:

In 1905, a part of Coles’ 160 acres was leased to a Dr. May to build the 100-room Haines Hot Springs Sanitarium. That burned down in 1906, and was rebuilt as Radium Hot Springs Sanitarium, which burned in 1915.

Eleven years later, a man named Lloyd Carter thought he spied smoke rising from a field near Haines, and after investigating discovered the hot springs and the site of the former sanitariums. He and partner Jonas Weimer leased the

land from Coles and began constructing a swimming pool.

The pool opened July 4, 1926. Highway 30 was still under construction, so swimmers had to walk from Haines through ranch pastures.

The pool closed for two years during World War II.

Raymond and Ethel O’Dell operated the pool from 1947 to 1969, when a corporation formed by Jack Stevens, Doug Nichols and Bob Goss bought it. Stevens became owner/operator in 1985.

Radium Hot Springs closed to the public Sept. 1, 1986, due to issues with insurance and health department requirements.

But Radium’s water which flows in one end and out the other so the water is always replenished was never still for too long with the dedication of local residents.

Stevens, too, took his swims in the pool right up to his death at the age of 91.

andquot;People would ask how it was out here, and he’d do deep knee bends,andquot; Randy Stevens said with a laugh.

Jack Stevens had moved to Haines to operate Radium in the early 1970s.

But the pool wasn’t his only hobby.

He was a collector.

andquot;Guaranteed he didn’t throw away one thing in 32 years,andquot; said Carol Stevens, his daughter-in-law.

andquot;He had our report cards from elementary school. I wasn’t a very good student,andquot; Randy Stevens said.

Over the past months, Randy has been researching the worth of memorabilia Jack had collected, such as authentic Coca-Cola products and all sorts of gas station collectibles.

Oil cans on eBay, for example, have sold for $20 to $300.

But there’s still a lot of stuff, and everything antique cars, gas station signs, Norman Rockwell posters and much, much more will be part of the auction.

Though the Stevenses had planned to participate in the auction for the real property, early inquiries have forced them to change their minds.

andquot;It’ll be beyond our pocketbook,andquot; Carol said.

The property has been appraised for $419,000.

The Stevenses can only wonder what the new owners might do with the property, and the pool.

andquot;They’re not buying a business,andquot; Carol said.

andquot;They’re buying a beautiful site,andquot; Randy said.