Verle Judith Bechtel of Carman Ranch heard the story of this unusual photograph from her grandmother, a member of the Weinhard family.
Weinhard family photo courtesy of Carman Ranch
Every week, Oregon Experience shares a photo highlighting the state's diverse, exciting history.
Logging in Oregon's northeast corner got underway after the railroad was extended into its remote, forested hills. The tracks between the sawmill in Wallowa and the nearby community of Maxville ran through the property of the Carman family. Carman women were – and still are – active in every aspect of its farming and ranching business. Here's how Verle Judith Bechtel describes this photograph today:
"As I remember (from talking with my mother), the photo was taken during a lunch break. The women had taken the noon meal to the field. Before the men returned to plowing, the women took off their aprons and held the reins for the picture. The woman on the right is Nina Weinhard (Mrs. F. H. "Fritz" Weinhard), my grandmother, and the woman on the left is her sister-in-law, Carrie Weinhard (Fritz Weinhard's sister). Carrie lived in Dayton, Washington, but came to the ranch to help with household chores. I believe this photo was taken in the early 1920s, no earlier than 1918."
To learn more about the history of Maxville and logging in Wallowa County, watch the Oregon Experience documentary "The Logger's Daughter."
This series is in partnership with The Oregon Historical Society