Wallowa County Chieftain
wallowa.com
News/Obituaries
September 2, 2015
Stockgrowers honor
Bob and Terri Morse
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Bob and Terri Morse of
Lost Prairie were named
Stockgrowers
Honorary
Members this year.
Bob was unable to attend
the awards banquet, Aug.
15, but he gave an abbrevi-
ated version of his “life as a
rancher in Wallowa County”
story to the Chieftain.
Longtime residents will
enjoy the history of this ac-
count and recognize many of
the old names. New Wallowa
Countians will enjoy learn-
ing about how much work
outside the ranch goes into
being a rancher.
These days, Bob and Ter-
ri Morse live in Lost Prairie
north of Flora where they
still run a few cows in their
“retirement.”
They came to the area in
1981 from Pomeroy, Wash.,
where Bob met Terri. Both
come from long lines of
ranchers, Terri from a fifth
generation farm family and
Bob as a grandson and neph-
ew of ranchers in Montana.
Bob graduated from
Washington State Universi-
ty veterinary school in 1969
and went to work in Hermis-
ton, moved to Lewiston, Ida-
ho, from 1970-74 and then
went to Pomeroy. There, he
and Terri (Teresa Ann) com-
bined their families and set
about raising three kids and
living out their collective
dream.
“For me living in Lost
Prairie was a lifelong
dream,” Bob said. “I’d made
the decision to be a ranch-
er when I was 5 years old.
When the opportunity came
up in 1981 we just went for
it.”
They bought the Max
Roberts place and leased
and farmed the George Botts
place and the Nedrow place
and ran a few cattle (200).
They began building up
their cowherd (400 cow-calf
pairs) and had to add some
land to run those.
“Our summer grass was
across the Grande Ronde
where we leased the Nel-
son Howard Estate place on
Grouse Flats,” Bob said.
Along the way they
picked up a few cows be-
longing to neighbors who re-
tired. When Chet and Harve
Hafer retired, the Morses
bought their cows and start-
ed running them on the Eden
Bench. They kept up that al-
lotment on the bench from
1986 to 2009.
“We always had some-
thing to do,” Bob laughed.
Bob recalls that when
they bought the Hafer cows
they also rented the Irvin
Hafer place.
“It was just an oral agree-
ment and we leased that
place for years and years,”
he recalled. “It was import-
ant to both of us that this was
just on a handshake.”
Ranching kept him plenty
busy, but as most ranchers
know, being involved in the
political workings is also es-
sential if one wants to con-
tinue ranching.
During those years Bob
served on many boards and
committees, driving an hour
out of Lost Prairie to get to
Enterprise, and several hours
to meetings in LaGrande or
Pendleton.
“Sometimes it was a chal-
lenge,” he said. “It meant a
little sacrifice. If I left, then
Teresa Ann was doing the
work.”
Bob served as past presi-
dent of the Stockgrowers As-
sociation in 1992 and 1993,
troublesome years as he re-
calls.
“That was a time when
the Wallow-Whitman in-
junction threatening logging
and grazing came along, and
it required a lot of meetings
and time. It was quite a thing
to go through,” he said. “The
environmental groups had
a saying at the time, ‘Cow-
free in ’93,’ meaning they
intended to halt all grazing
on Forest Service land.”
In 1996 local ranching or-
Courtesy photo
Bob and Teresa Morse, Stockgrowers Honorary Members for 2015
”
I’M SURPRISED I GOT THIS AWARD. I DON’T THINK I’M QUITE THAT
OLD YET. I STILL THINK THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO’VE BEEN HERE A
LOT LONGER THAN ME THAT SHOULD HAVE GOT THIS.
ganizations raised the funds
to allow Bob to go to Wash-
ington, D.C., for the “Fly-
in For Freedom” to lobby
against the Wallowa-Whit-
man injunction.
He was then asked to be
on the Access and Habi-
tat Board with ODFW and
after that the Snake River
Resource Advisory Council.
And the Interior Columbia
Basin Ecosystem Manage-
ment Project. “I was there as
a permittee (grazing permit
holder). It came along when
there was going to be a lot
of cuts to the Forest Service
budget.”
His final nomination was
for the district vice president
of Oregon Cattlemen’s Asso-
ciation but poor vision made
that difficult and he let it go
to another man.
Terri also served, repre-
senting agricultural interests
on the Environmental Jus-
tice Advisory Board in Sa-
lem and serving on the Com-
mission for Children and
Families. “She took that to
heart,” said Bob. “She made
a lot of new friends on that
commission.”
“Serving became almost
a full-time job,” Bob said,
but his cattle-raising job saw
some great moments as well.
“In the late ’90s we were
fortunate enough to be part
of Oregon Country Beef,”
Bob said. “At that time it ex-
panded from 14 to 28 ranch-
es and we marketed our own
beef and pulled ourselves up
by our own bootstraps, fi-
nancially.”
All during that time they
raised those three kids.
“They were a good baling
team even when they were
little,” Bob said.
Bob Morse
The Morses sold their
cows in 2009 and the Anchor
Ranch (Burns Ranch) took
over the Eden Bench permit.
Bob and Terri were sort
of relaxing into “ranchers’
retirement,” still running a
few cows and were aston-
ished to be honored by the
Stockgrowers.
“I’m surprised I got this
award,” Bob said. “I don’t
think I’m quite that old yet.
I still think there are people
who’ve been here a lot lon-
ger than me that should have
got this.”
He’s only half joking.
There are, indeed, ranchers
of advanced age, still ranch-
ing.
Joking aside, Bob is
touched by the award. But,
like a lot of guys used to big
country and plenty of hard
work, he keeps it simple
when he expresses himself.
“I appreciate it,” he said.
“I appreciate it.”
A3
O BITUARY
Wayne Johnson
April 13, 1929 – Aug. 20, 2015
Wayne Johnson formerly of Wallowa died Aug. 20,
2015 in Walla Walla, Wash. Wayne was born April 13,
1929 in Wallowa to Charlie and Edith Bechtel Johnson.
The oldest of three children Wayne was raised in Elgin
and graduated from Elgin High School in 1947. Wayne
worked for Fred Davis in his grocery store as a teen-ager
and continued there full time after graduation.
On Dec 12, 1953 Wayne married Karrel Stowe in
Elgin. He was Fire Chief of the Elgin Fire Dept. and
very actively involved with the Elgin Stampeders. In
1956 they moved to Prairie City and opened “Wayne and
Karrels Food Market.” A few years later they moved their
young family to Wallowa where Wayne started work at
Shells General Store as meat cutter and grocery manager.
Wayne became a partner with Stan and Tory Shell in Shell
Mercantile Inc. and eventually he and Karrel became
sole owners of the store. In 1996 Wayne retired from the
business.
Wayne was chairman of the Wallowa School Board
for many years. He was a 4-H leader, a member of the
Wallowa Volunteer Fire Department, and active In Search
and Rescue. He was a member of the Elks Lodge, Masonic
Lodge, and the Eagles Lodge. Wayne was a mentor to
many young people in the community, giving them work
opportunities and guidance. He enjoyed raising sheep and
cattle, Arabian horses, and ornamental pheasants and game
birds on the family ranch in rural Wallowa. He loved to
hunt and fish, and enjoyed spending time in the outdoors.
Wayne and Karrel were honored as Grand Marshals of
the Elgin Stampede Parade, and in 2012 he was inducted
into the “Legends of the Stampede” an honor he was very
proud of.
Wayne was preceded in death by his parents Charlie
and Edith, his brother Wade Johnson, and his wife Karrel.
He is survived by his sister Dolores Smith of Wallowa,
son and daughter-in-law Kerry and Darlene Johnson
of Wallowa, daughters Karin Nix of Union and Kristi
Johnson of Umatilla, and son and daughter-in-law Karl
and Guinevere Johnson of Bend. Two grandchildren Sage
and Sterling Nix, great-grandson Liam Ramirez, son-in-
law Chris Nix, one niece, two nephews and many cousins.
Wayne spent the last several years traveling to Texas
and Hawaii with his companion Susan Hartleip. He
currently lived in College Place, Wash.
Funeral Services were held Aug. 27 at Bramlet
Cemetery in Wallowa. Bollman Funeral Home entrusted
with arrangements.
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