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Contributions from Mary Burrows Wallowa History Center

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Wallowa Christian Church

By Rev. R.N. Olson  Wallowa Sun April 14, 1927

(Edited version)

     The Christian Church of Wallowa had its beginning in Lower Valley during the pioneer days of the county. It was in 1885 that an effort was made to assemble the scattered disciples, living in this wonderful valley into an organization. Rev. J. M. Jones ministered to the congregation which at that time met in the schoolhouse. The charter members were:
 

    
     For some years the church was continued at the school but later moved into Wallowa.  The services were held in various places in Wallowa one was the old Sprosten building.  Marvin Hall was also used for the traveling preachers.  The Bible School was held in the Wallowa Sun building.

Rev. L. F. Stevens came to town he held meetings which resulted in large number of additions. When a building was proposed Wm. Sherod donated four lots for a building. A great deal of free labor and different people helped with the building.  On March 1909 the building was dedicated. At this time the church was incorporated and the board consisted of:
 

     Rev W. S. Crockett served as the first pastor in the new building. During this time the parsonage was built.

     Mr. and Mrs Robert Palmer were the first couple married in the new parsonage.

Wallowa to have Sawmill

Sept 26, 1907

      The town of Wallowa is to have a big sawmill which is to be in operation as soon as the railroad now is extended from Elgin, reaches that place. The Company which will put in this big plant is known as the Nimbley-Mimnaugh Lumber Co.  Articles of Incorporation have just been filed and the capital stock is $150.000. The gentleman principally concerned is residents of Perry although some local people in the town of Wallowa are among the list of stock holders. The list includes C. W and J. H. Nimbley, Patrick, James and Charles Mimnaugh of Perry; E. A. Holmes, Charles A. Hunter. H. K. O’Brien, John McDonald and L. Couch of Wallowa.  --Wallowa Sun--

Dr G. W. Gregg ~ First City Council for Wallowa 1 year term

     Dr G. W. Gregg, was born in London, Ohio in 1865. He graduated  Ohio Medical College in 1888.    
     We have not established when he arrived in Oregon but was elected to the Wallowa City Council in 1899.  He later served as Mayor. He  attended the birth of  at least 13 registered births in 1907 and 19 in 1908.
     He left Wallowa about 1912 and moved to Ashland. He practiced Medicine  for 60 years retiring in 1942. Thirty of the years were in Ashland.
     G. W and Minnie Gregg had two children, Marian (Mrs I. A. Smith ) and Dwight Gregg MD of Portland.
      We are interested in obtaining a picture of the Gregg family.

Henry (Ben) Gerber ~ First City Council for Wallowa

     Henry Gerber was born February 8, 1859   in Alleghany Co, Pennsylvania. He   came to Oregon in 1877 locating  first in the Grande Ronde Valley. He was known as Ben Fowler while living  there.
     He came to Wallowa and located on a preemption claim  which forms part of the A. J. Harris place. This home he sold to Nancy J. Whitton on January 9, 1883 and she later  sold it to her brother, John J. Standley.  The name of Ben still clung to him and he was known as Ben Gerber to most of his friends. He conducted a Blacksmith  shop in Wallowa for many years. Four years ago he moved out of town on a ranch east of  Wallowa. He married Lizzie Johnson (Pernula widow of Matt Johnson) on April 7, 1889. They have one son Clifford. 
     Mr Gerber was a Master Mason. He was the first to take the degrees in the Wallowa Lodge  No. 82 at Enterprise when it was instituted and he later became a charter member of Stadley Lodge, No 113  at Wallowa. He was past master of both lodges. He was also a member of the East Star.
     Henry  Gerber died    April 13, 1910, at the McCrae Hotel where he was  boarding while his wife was ill  in a hospital in Portland. --Wallowa Sun April 15, 1910--

E. A. Holmes ~ Councilman

E. A . Holmes came to Wallowa from La Grande to become the manager of the Island City Mercantile and Mining Co when John McDonald quit the position in July of 1893. He was born December 4, 1868 in Walla Walla, Washington.
     Mr. Holmes began working for I. C. M. & M. Co in 1890 at Island City. He worked as the manager  from 1893 to 1897. He then formed a new company  called the Wallowa Mercantile Co which purchased the old company.  He was the manager and President of the new corporation. The establishment was a success and it handled goods with a good margin that has been  beneficial to the residents of Wallowa.
     He was affiliated with the Masons, Standley Lodge, No. 113. He was a member of the K. O. T. M., Lowland Tent No, 38 and of the O. E. S., Chapter No. 68.

First Automobile

     E. A. Holmes  bought the fist automobile to be owned by a Wallowa resident. The July 5, 1908 Wallowa Sun reported that a 5 passenger Studebaker was delivered last Friday to Holmes.

Charles A Hunter ~ Wallowa City Council

     Charles A Hunter was born June 11, 1876 four miles east of Island City, Oregon. He was the  third in a family of eight of W. G. and Eliza Mitchell Hunter. His boyhood was spent on the family farm. 
     He attended Iowa School 2 miles from his home and then at La Grande High School.  After graduation from high school he attended OSC in Corvallis, Oregon.  Charles then went to  Gem City Business College  at Quincy, Illinois.  Following graduation he came to Wallowa as book keeper for Island City Milling and Mercantile Co. a position he held for 14 years. He then became a part owner of the newly formed Wallowa Mercantile Co. with E. A. Holmes and  Edward  Goodenaugh. The store was later sold  to T. T. Shell. Mr. Hunter started   ranching and stock growing an occupation he followed the remainder of his life.
    On September 16, 1903 he was married to Patti McLean at the home of  her Aunt and Uncle John McDonald.
     There were two children in the family, Virginia Hunter Edwards and Elvin K. Hunter.  The grandchildren were Charles Hunter, Sally Hunter , Peggy Hunter, Charles Edwards, Duncan Edwards, Nancy Lee Edwards, and Bill Hunter.
     Mr. Hunter died of a heart attack on June 25, 1950 while riding  for cattle  with his grandson Charles Hunter. He was survived his wife, children and grandchildren. Also a brother Albert Hunter of La Grande, his sisters  Mrs Floyd Jones, Baker Oregon.
     A sister  Mrs Wilber Zubrick of La Grande died 1 month ago.
     Mr. Hunter was elected three times to the Oregon State Legislature. He served as Mayor of Wallowa, City Council and District 12 School  Board. He was a member of the Standley Masonic Lodge.
     His funeral services were held at the Wallowa Methodist Church and is buried in the Wallowa Cemetery. --Wallowa County Chieftain, June 29, 1950

C. T. McDaniel

     C. T. McDaniel, the son of Mr. and Mrs Dempsey McDaniel was born  February 14, 1868 in Colusa County, California. His family migrated to Oregon in 1872, first to Baker County then to Union County. He attended Leighton Academy in Cove and taught in Malheur County.  He attended the University of Oregon for  three years. 
     In 1893 he returned to Union County were he was elected the Recorder  for Conveyances. He also edited the Grande Ronde Advocate of La Grande.
     He married  Miss Julia Tulley on July 22, 1896 of Wallowa. Three years later he came to Wallowa on March 3, 1899  and started the Wallowa News, the first newspaper for Wallowa. He sold the newspaper to Leonard  Couch  and started a real estate and loan business.
     The McDaniels moved to Ontario in 1904 but came back to Wallowa to establish a bank . He was associated in business with Ex Governor of Idaho Frank Steunenberg of Caldwell. Mr. McDaniel was the cashier and the bank was  chartered and opened  on November 23, 1905. It was called the Stockgrowers and Farmers National bank. It had an original  capital of $20,000, but soon acquired a surplus of $60,000  making it the largest bank in the county.
     He served as bank cashier for 28 years, 3 months and 13 days.  He then continued in real estate and insurance until his death.
     He was active in service clubs and community activities and was willing to serve for a worthy and progressive cause.
     The McDaniel’s had three sons  Donald,  Raymond and Lawton.
     Mr McDaniel wrote an early history of Wallowa which is buried with the Time Capsule at the Methodist Church. During the depression he wrote more material which is available.  --Wallowa Sun, June 11, 1942.

John McDonald ~ Wallowa's First Mayor

     John McDonald was born to John and Jane (Grant) McDonald, on September 27, 1859 in Stark County Illinois. The family came to Union County Oregon in 1863 in a covered wagon. There were 6 children in the family. 
     They were Hector, Peter, Duncan and John who formed the firm of McDonald Brothers. There were 2 daughters Anna and Christina.
     John first came to Wallowa as the manager of the Island City Mercantile and Milling Company in 1889. He was elected Mayor of Wallowa in 1899. The McDonald Brothers bought land in the Wallowa area owning an estate of over 4,000 acres at one time. A Company in Scotland financed the purchase of this large estate.  The McDonalds acted as agents for the US and British government in buying cattle and horses. In the depression of 1893 due to credit policies of the I. C. M & M. C. he terminated his employment. He could not refuse credit to the local people who had been his customers for the past 4 years.
     He married Miss Maggie McLean on January 31, 1894. She died in 1918. They did not have children but helped rear Patti McLean Hunter and Howard McLean who were the niece and nephew of Mrs. McDonald. The McDonalds were responsible for building many homes and businesses in Wallowa. He had a dairy, meat market, livery stable, meat market, and a real estate business during his lifetime.
     John McDonald was a very generous person financing many people in the area.  He was a member of the Masons, Master of the local Standley Lodge No 113, Chapter 9 of the Royal Arch Masons in LaGrande, IOOF Lodge of Wallowa and other local organizations.
     He was active in Wallowa Civic affairs for many years in different capacities.
     He related this story about the first meeting of the Masons in Wallowa. They held their meetings in the upstairs of the post office, which stood where the residence of 498 Hwy 82 now stands. The stairs were on the outside of the building and in time they became so rickety they were considered unsafe and the lodge moved its quarters to the present I.O.O.F Building (located on the site of the present SR Center or SE corner of Pine and 2nd St) which had been erected by Mr. McDonald. John was active in forming the Standley Lodge No. 113 in 1893 and received its charter on July 12, 1894.

Wallowa Sun, February 24, 1941

James P. Morelock ~ First Treasurer for Wallowa City Council

    The Justice of Peace for the Wallowa District in the formation of the incorporation and the first election.
     James P. Morelock was born in the Grande Ronde Valley September 23, 1872, the son  E. B and Rebecca Harris. He received his education in the schools of Union County and at the age of 16  was ready to start out on his own. He started out as a salesman and in 1897 came to Wallowa where he opened a confectionary and cigar store. He purchased the property where his store was located to help establish himself.
     In February, 1898 he married Mary A Logan who was a resident of Elgin. Their first child was born December 15, 1898  but  died  as a child.  They had two other children who were raised in Wallowa, James Edward and Martha Eileen Morelock  Andrews.
     J. P. Morelock opened a barber shop and then an Opera House.   Many of the social functions of the town were held in the Opera House where there were dances, roller skating, home talent plays, traveling plays and concerts. He served  as a the Mayor of Wallowa also. The Opera House burned and then he built a brick garage and sold automobiles this was in 1916. The garage was where the Wallowa Food City is now located.
     Mr. Morelock was also a member of the Standley Lodge and the IOOF. Along with other fraternal organization that were popular at the time.
     Mr. Morelock is buried in the Summerville Cemetery.  --Wallowa County History and Morelock Web site.

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