Nancy Zopf

Nancy Ward Zopf grew up on a ranch near Boyd, Oregon, on land settled by the Wards in 1859. She returned to Wasco County in 1996 and began writing. Her books include A Road, a Railroad, and a Country Store: The Story of Boyd, Oregon (2001), Damascus, Oregon: The Place of a New Beginning (2003), God's Footstool: Dufur, Oregon (2005), Dallesport, Washington: The Paris of the West (2006), and Hospitals of The Dalles (2009).  The Wards have been active in the Wasco County Pioneer Association since 1922. Nancy wrote a history of that organization and was its historian. She passed away in September 2023.

Author's Entries

  • City of Boyd

    What remains of the town of Boyd can be seen by driving south from The Dalles nine-and-a-half miles on U.S. 197. The few homes, some outbuildings, and an abandoned grain elevator are reminders of the once-vital community of 150 to 200 people. By 1854, Daniel Bolton had settled in the …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Dufur

    Dufur, located thirteen miles south of The Dalles on U.S. 197, is a farming community of about 600 people. The name was originally Fifteenmile Crossing, but with the establishment of a post office in 1878, the name was changed to Dufur. The town was named for the DuFour family, who …

    Oregon Encyclopedia