Lu and Dale Johnson show some of the outbuildings on their century farm just west of Wallowa on Monday, June 17, 2024. The Johnsons were selected as grand marshals of this year’s Independence Day Parade in Wallowa.

WALLOWA — Continuing what’s almost a family tradition, Dale and Lucretia “Lu” Johnson will be honored Thursday, July 4, as grand marshals of the annual Independence Day Parade in Wallowa.

In the mid-1970s, Dale’s parents — Hubert and Stella Johnson — were grand marshals. Now, the honor moves to a new generation.

Century Farm

The Johnsons own and until they retired operated what has been honored as a Century Farm for five generations. Sitting across from where Lower Diamond Lane intersects with Highway 82 just west of town, it reaches back to 1883, when Albert Applegate “proved up” the farm and 1884 when he was joined by Joseph Johnson.

Under the 1862 Homestead Act, settlers could obtain up to 160 acres without cost other than certain filing fees by meeting requirements to live on the land in a habitable dwelling for five years and cultivate the land.

Dale’s great-grandfather Joseph Johnson settled in the area in 1872. His brother-in-law Albert Applegate settled around the same time and proved up by 1883, with Johnson following suit the next year.

The primary crop is hay for cattle grazed there. Now most of the land is leased out. Dale said they can graze 140-150 head that are primarily there for winter grazing. Some 300 acres are irrigated farmland. They lease out another 300 to the Baremores, their neighbors.

The main farmhouse was built between 1918 and 1921 by Dale’s grandfather and remains in fine shape. The Johnsons, who married in 1973, bought the house and the main farm from Dale’s uncle.

“It’s really, really beautiful,” Lu said of the house.

They’ve done some improvements to it, such as adding a patio, an upstairs bathroom, replacing a wood stove in the basement with a pellet stove, working on the kitchen and painting and wallpapering.

“We’ve certainly tried to keep it in good shape and remodeled it the way we wanted it,” she said. “We did all that when we moved in starting in 1979.”

In addition to being a farmer, Dale also has been an educator.

“I was born uptown on Spruce Street,” he said, referring to a house where a local physician would see patients.

He graduated from Wallowa High School in 1953 and went onto Oregon State University in Corvallis where he met Lu, who is originally from Palo Alto, California. After they married, they moved to Wallowa to raise their three sons and a daughter. He’s now 88 and she’s 84.

Family

It looks like the current generation may be the last on the century farm. All four kids are firmly entrenched in nonfarm careers. Son Lindsay is an attorney now working for Trout Unlimited as vice president for governmental affairs in Washington, D.C. He spent a couple of years working for U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and then more than 20 years as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.

The Johnsons’ other sons, Steve and David, live in Seattle and in Albany, respectively. Daughter Cindi has homes in Sarasota, Florida, and Long Island, New York. Among them, they have produced seven grandchildren.

Several years ago, the elder Johnsons gifted the farm to their four kids. Lindsay and Cindi sold their shares to Steve and David, who live in the West.

So far, none has expressed an interest in moving back to Wallowa to farm.

“We’ll just have to see,” she said.

Lu, who has worked outside the home a little, enjoys being a farm wife.

“I love it, but I’m not a farm worker,” she said. “I’m more into the home and the yard.”

She said she got some good advice when she married onto the farm.

“I was told don’t ever get on a tractor here because you’ll never get off of it,” she laughed.

For a time, she did bookkeeping while managing apartments, but mostly she’s a homemaker.

“I’m a homemaker and I love it,” she said. “We’ll just leave it at that.”

The Johnsons are expecting son Lindsay to visit over the Fourth with his wife and their two kids.

While talking with Lu, Dale was finishing up his daily “coffee with the guys,” she said.

“That’s the most important part of his day is coffee with the guys,” she laughed.

Appreciating Wallowa

The Johnsons wouldn’t want to live anywhere else and have a great appreciation for their little town. Lu can quickly list the highlights of the town.

“What I think’s important are the things of Wallowa, where we live,” she said. “The library is excellent, the Wallowa History Center is fantastic, we have a wonderful senior center, the school is great, we have the Nez Perce Homeland, we now have medical facilities and we have low-cost housing.”

Although the housing is limited, Lu sees progress on that front, as the nonprofit Wallowa Resources is working on that.

“They’ve just finished one, they have another they’re working on and they’re looking to get another lot,” she said. “That’s pretty good for a small town.”

Dale, too, is interested in efforts to increase housing opportunities in and around the town.

“It’s important not only to me, but to those who are looking for working class housing and those who are in dire straits at finding housing,” he said. “Wallowa Resources has a program, (referring to the Working Homes program) that we’ve been supportive of and I’m interested of getting that going in Wallowa.”

He’s also eager to assist Wallowa Resources Executive Director Nils Christoffersen.

“We’re helping Nils get some property here,” he said. “That’s been rewarding. They’ve had some success and I think they’ll have some more success.”

But it’s a concern not unique to Wallowa.

“Most of the housing is either too high priced for a lot of people or it gets gobbled up by somebody who can afford to buy it,” Dale said. “A lot of these people with $50,000-$60,000 a year family incomes find themselves priced out of the market. It’s the same in Wallowa as it is in Joseph and Enterprise.”

Proud to serve

The Johnsons agree it’s an honor to be selected as grand marshals. The honor is bestowed by the parade committee, made up of Mayor Gary Hulse and city employees.

“We all throw out names and do a vote,” city Recorder Carolyn Harshfield said.

She said the parade, which runs from 11 a.m. to noon on the Fourth, starts at the stop sign where Upper Diamond Lane meets Highway 82 at Goebel’s Service Station and heads down the highway east. Pine Street will be blocked off where vendors of food and other items will be for sale, with a barbecue of burgers and hot dogs at the fire hall, along with beer and pop and live music.

Dale said he’s still not sure why they were selected.

“It’s quite an honor,” he said. “I’ve got to say it was a bit of a surprise. I don’t know how much we did to earn it.”

PARADE DETAILS

Winners of the Little Miss Fourth of July and Mr. Liberty have been selected. In their particularly patriotic attire, they will be given a prominent place in the parade.

Little Miss is Kamryn Collins, daughter of Ryan Collins and Keri Reynolds.

Mr. Liberty is Koen Swedin, son of Shae and Angela Swedin.

Also in the parade, Wellens General Contractors is building a shed while going down Main Street, and the plans are to have the shed completed by the end of the parade. Tickets for a chance to win the 8-by-10 feet shed are being sold at City Hall on Pine Street; proceeds will go to the Wallowa History Center. The winner will be announced at 1 p.m. at the barbecue.