One-man solution to small town's woes fails

Read William Yardley's New York Times story about Shaniko, Oregon, population 26, on the state's central high desert. It is about a wealthy newcomer's efforts to revive the tiny town, perhaps eventually to stage re-enactments of pioneer days. Ultimately, the story features two themes familiar in rural places: (1) tension between newcomers and oldtimers and (2) conflicts over water.