High Desert Heroines: Maida Bailey

In her later years, Maida Bailey liked to cruise in her 1958 green and white Chevy Coupe. She drove around her ranch to check the irrigation, to visit friends in Camp Sherman or Bend, or just around town in Sisters, handing out friendly waves and smiles although she was almost hidden behind the steering wheel. She was famous for easily making friends with every kind of person, from university presidents, to teachers, ranchers, homemakers, store keepers, socialites, mill owners, loggers, and the folks at the gas station.

Her friend Martin Winch described her appearance as a gentle, white-haired...