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There aren’t that many people living in Sisters today that can say they were actually born here. Georgia Gallagher is one of them and, at eighty-six, her positive spirit and good health is a testament to the ranching lifestyle she was born into.
Georgia was born in 1922 on the 640-acre Edgington Ranch which was located about two miles south of Sisters, west of South Elm/Three Creeks Lake roads and south of the present-day Patterson Ranch. Georgia Edgington became the youngest child in a family of four children born to Ellis and Ellen Edgington. Oldest brother Bob was born in 1915, sister Jean in 1917, and youngest brother Jesse in 1918.
“I was closest to Jesse because we were closer in age, my sister Jean used to get irritated with me always wanting to tag along with her,” mused Georgia.
Georgia’s father, Ellis, was born in 1884 and grew up in Wasco County (Maupin/Tygh Valley area.) A single man in the early 1900’s, he traveled to Oregon State University in Corvallis to take agricultural courses. He traveled through Sisters Country on his journeys to and from Corvallis.
“Dad worked harvesting wheat in Wasco County and decided to file on a 160-acre homestead claim at the “old Tumalo reservoir” site (next to what is now the Tumalo Reservoir.) He worked that land in the early 1900’s when he wasn’t harvesting wheat in Wasco County or in school,” recalled Georgia.
In 1910 the lure of farming in the Sisters area motivated Ellis and his cousin to “partner-up” and purchase the land that would become the Edgington Ranch. “The land had been the site of one of the many saw mills in Sisters at the time, most of which burned down,” said Georgia.
Ellis also purchased parcels of land from Sam Johnson who was acquiring forest parcels in exchange for his timber work in Sisters Country. The total of Ellis’ land acquisitions eventually equaled about 640 acres. Ellis’ cousin began to lose interest in the venture and moved on, leaving the Edgington Ranch to Ellis.
Ellis Edgington met Ellen Crawford about 1912, most likely at one of the “Elocution Club” gatherings that took place at the Plainview school. Elocution Clubs were popular at the time, community gatherings where poems and writings would be learned and recited.
Ellen Crawford had moved to the Plainview area with her mother and five sisters after trading a ranch in Ashland for a ranch in the Plainview area (near the site of the present-day stone house on the Bend highway.) “My grandparents moved to Ashland (from Palouse, WA) for health reasons but sadly both my grandfather and their only son both died, recalled Georgia.
Ellen was teaching in the Plainview School when she met Ellis. “In those days teachers were not supposed to get married, if you did you had to quit,” said Georgia. So after “courting” for awhile Ellen Crawford became Ellen Edgington in 1914. Their wedding was filled with fun.
“Dad had a bunch of “homesteading buddies” who loved to play tricks on each other. With their wagon hitched to the horses, loaded down with food and supplies, and ready for the honeymoon trip to Crane Prairie (south of Bend), his “buddies” decided to unhitch the horses and scare them off to the far end of the ranch. My Dad had to round them all up while his “buddies” all had a good laugh at his expense,” recalled Georgia.
Throughout the 1920’s and into the depression era the Edgingtons ran cattle and dairy cows on their property, selling cream to a dairy in Redmond that would come out once a week to pick it up. Horses were a regular part of their ranch life as well.
“We rode horses to school, doubled-up with me behind my sister and my two brothers together. I’d hold tight around my sister’s waist when she rode faster but, one time, she didn’t tell me she was going to speed up and I fell off right in the middle of the road!” recalled Georgia.
“Mostly you didn’t ride for pleasure in those days, you either had a job to do or you had to get somewhere,” added Georgia.
The family was active with the Presbyterian Church which was located where the Church of Christ is today. Ellis Edgington was also active with the Civic Club and a member of the Sisters Rodeo Association, helping to organize the rodeo when it was held at the site where Hoyt’s Hardware sits today.
“Mom objected to Dad working on the rodeo so much. She felt he should have been home working on the farm,” recalled Georgia.
Georgia graduated from Sisters High School in 1939. The school was located at the site of the present-day City Hall and Library. She went on to college at Oregon State University to study Foods & Nutrition, graduating with her degree in 1944. Returning to Sisters she was named Sisters Rodeo Queen in 1944, an honor she remembers well to this day. “I had to go around to all the Sisters businesses and convince them I was the one they should vote for. I guess they agreed,” said Georgia.
During her senior year at OSU Georgia met a man in Corvallis, Vince Gallagher, an enlisted Army man also studying at OSU. Sparks flew but they were not destined to be together in the short term. Vince had overseas war duty and Georgia still had an internship to serve as part of her education. In 1945 Georgia took the train from The Dalles to Chicago for a year’s “Dietician Internship” at the Michael Reese General Hospital on the south side of Chicago. The entire experience was eye-opening for a young woman from Sisters Oregon.
“The hospital was basically located in a slum at the time. I had never experienced city life like that. We worked hard, cooked meals, cleaned, etc., because it was wartime and it was hard to get help in the hospitals,” said Georgia.
After the war, Vince and Georgia’s relationship blossomed and they married in June of 1946. A native of Bayonne, NJ, Vince had a good job waiting for him with the General Cable Corporation as an industrial engineer so the couple decided to move back to New Jersey. They stayed a year in the state before Vince heeded the advice of a relative “You’d better take that girl back home.”
This was just fine with Georgia, who was pregnant and it was difficult to find a good apartment anyway with all the returning veterans from the war. In 1947 they relocated to Redmond for six years, then to Salem for 22 years where Vince found a job with the highway department and Georgia worked at three different state institutions. The Gallagher family grew to five with a girl, Nora, and two sons, Dennis and Vince. All three still live in Oregon.
By the mid-1950’s Ellis and Ellen Edgington decided to move into Sisters, purchasing a home right next to the Village Green. Around 1970 the family sold the Edgington Ranch property to Don Frisbee, the present owner. After Ellis and Ellen passed away Georgia and Vince acquired the home in 1975, the same year Vince retired from the highway department. Vince passed away in 1981 and Georgia still lives in the house to this day.
Georgia served the Sisters community as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) from 1981 – 2000 and is still a member of the Garden Club, helping to beautify the various gardens and gazebos around the city. In 2006 she was named Grand Marshall for the Sisters Rodeo, a tribute to her contributions and heritage in Sisters Country.
Recently Georgia received another honor when she was named the Deschutes County Pioneer Queen for 2008 by the Deschutes Pioneer Association, a group of approximately 900 people who’ve lived in the county for over 40 years. The association researches the heritage of prospective queens very thoroughly before naming one each year. Georgia was notified of her nomination last December and is thrilled by the honor.
“We had a wonderful dinner in January and I was awarded my queen’s tiara and cape. This summer I ride in a number of parades including the Sisters Rodeo, Bend’s 4th of July, the Veterans, and the Deschutes County Fair. I was very surprised and honored,” exclaimed Georgia.
It won’t be hard to recognize Georgia in the parades this summer. She’ll be the vibrant woman sitting in a classic car with a big beaming smile and wave for everyone she passes.
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