Most people don’t know that Aurora, Oregon has a hero in its midst. This Memorial Day, we remember one forgotten, heroic man from a town where history is held close.
Most people don’t know that Aurora, Oregon has a hero in its midst.
This Memorial Day, we remember one forgotten, heroic man from a town where history is held close.
That veteran is Fred Ehlen, buried in Aurora’s tiny Keil Cemetery. Fred’s surname is pronounced differently, depending on whom you ask — some say “Eel-en,” others “Ellen.” But how his name is said matters far less than his sacrifice.
World War I ended in November, 1918. That same month, newspaper reports reveal 19 year old Fred Ehlen was killed after fighting in France. Fred was gassed and wounded multiple times before he died.
Fred had a direct connection to Aurora’s earliest history. He was the only son of his mother Aurora Keil Ehlen, who was the last surviving granddaughter of Aurora founder Dr. Wilhelm Keil. Dr. Keil established the Aurora colony in 1856, three years before Oregon became a state. Aurora’s Ehlen Road still carries his family name.
Fred rests in Keil Cemetery. Sometimes called the Old Colony Cemetery or Keil Family Cemetery, it sits quietly off little-used Cole Road near the western edge of town. With only about two dozen marked graves, the cemetery is largely unknown. Established in 1856, the same year as the colony itself, the cemetery sits on private property and can only be reached by crossing private land — one reason so few people know it exists.
Buried not far from Fred Ehlen is Dr. Wilhelm Keil, along with members of his family, including his daughter Aurora, for whom the town was named. She died in 1862 at just thirteen years old to smallpox.
There are no Memorial Day parades in Aurora, Oregon. Remembrance here is quieter and reflective.
This Memorial Day, we honor World War I veteran Fred Ehlen, who made the Supreme Sacrifice for his country — and whose story we remember.
