Craig and Liza Jane Nichols
As one of the photographers for OFG, people always ask me “where’s your favorite place in Oregon”. There is never a great answer because I have so many favorites. Overall, I always love going to the ranches of eastern Oregon. The ranchers are always so friendly and hospitable. At the top of that list has to be Craig and Liza Jane Nichols of the “Six Ranch” on the Wallowa River. They are featured in an upcoming segment about a restoration project on the Wallowa River where it runs through their ranch. From the moment we met them to the moment we left, they were both incredibly hospitable people, and as genuine as they come. Their story is scheduled to air Thursday November 12th, 2009, repeating Sunday November 15th 2009.
November 13th, 2009 at 10:26 am
This was a great segment, my family has lived in the area since the 1880’s, came the last 100 miles via wagon. My Dad, the best steelhead fisherman I ever knew, grew up fishing the Grand Ronde, which the Wallowa River is tributary of, before there were any dams on the Columbia system. He thought these were the best Steelhead and Salmon streams in North America. Alvin Josephy wrote in “The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest” that the Wallowa at one time ran bank to bank with Salmon. were we to see that today, many kudos to the Nichols.
And yes, the Wallowa county is the most beautiful in the state.
November 13th, 2009 at 10:28 am
And read Josephy’s obit here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2005/oct/27/guardianobituaries.books
November 16th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Liza Jane and Craig are genuine people, even if working with them seems almost too good to be true. As noted during the Oregon Field Guide segment, there was talk of them acquiring adjacent land downstream of the 6 Ranch project. Well, they did, and it shouldn’t be too long before we’re developing another re-meander project on that property. Thanks to Vince Patton and the rest of the crew at OPB for a wonderful job of portraying these fine people.