[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 19840-19841]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         NYSSA 100TH CENTENNIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2003

  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to pay tribute 
to the community of Nyssa in eastern Oregon's Malheur County and to 
commemorate the passage of an important milestone in the history of the 
town. This weekend the people of Nyssa will commemorate the centennial 
anniversary of the incorporation of their community. This is an event 
that symbolizes the endurance of the eastern Oregon way of life and the 
continuity that exists between the earliest settlers of our state and 
the people who proudly identify themselves as Oregonians today.

[[Page 19841]]

  There is some debate about the origin of the name Nyssa. Some say it 
is an acronym for the New York Sheep Shearing Association, which sounds 
plausible enough given the tradition of shepherding throughout the 
town's history. Others insist that the town was named by the daughter 
of a railroad engineer who was reading a book on ancient history and 
named the town after St. Gregory of Nyssa. Whatever the source of the 
name, this much is clear: Nyssa stands for the small town values that 
still echo in the hearts of the people who call it home.
  Known as the Gateway City to Oregon, Nyssa is located on the banks of 
the Snake River on the Idaho-Oregon border. Nearby the historic Oregon 
Trail, which brought thousands of settlers across the continent to the 
West, remains visible to this day. Nyssa's history as a town began in 
1883 with the arrival of the Oregon Short Line Railroad, though the 
area was familiar terrain to the fur traders who operated along the 
Snake River in the early 1800s. The town's first Post Office was 
established in 1889 and the incorporation of Nyssa occurred in 1903, 
when the town had gained enough residents to merit elected city 
officials. In the generations that have followed the founding of Nyssa, 
the community has been home to hardworking farmers and ranchers who 
have made their homes in the high desert of Oregon.
  The community was immeasurably enriched by the revival of federal 
irrigation projects in the area, such as the Owyhee Dam which was 
completed in 1932 to provide water for 120,000 acres of arid land 
surrounding Nyssa. The miracle of irrigated agriculture made the high 
desert of Oregon bloom and made possible the way of life that continues 
today. In the 1930s, many citizens of the Great Plains relocated to the 
area, drawn by the warmth of the people and the quality of life offered 
by the community. By the late 1930s, the number of acres being 
irrigated had attracted the sugar beet industry, and Nyssa saw the 
opening of the Amalgamated Sugar Company, a sugar processing plant that 
came into operation in Nyssa in 1938. Agriculture remains the base of 
the local economy, and most businesses cater to farm production and 
marketing of products, which include sugar, onions, potatoes, corn, 
mint, and wheat.
  Like many communities in Oregon, the growth in agriculture during the 
first half of the century brought immigrant families to Nyssa to work 
the land. Many Hispanic families traveled to the area, where they 
raised their children and established roots that endure to this day. 
Nyssa also became home to many Dutch immigrants and later a number of 
Japanese-Americans who were interned during World War II. Many of these 
internees remained in the area after the war ended, where they continue 
to add to the richness of the town's history.
  Despite the ups and downs of the Oregon farm economy and the need for 
many townspeople to find work outside of town, the people of Nyssa have 
remained loyal to their community. The town has maintained an excellent 
school system and the population remains stable at 3,100.
  Mr. Speaker, since Nyssa was founded it has been home to hearty, 
self-reliant people who are proud of their history, loyal to their 
families and community, and representative of the rural way of life 
that still means as much to the people who live here as it did a 
hundred years ago. It is both a privilege and an honor to represent the 
good people of Nyssa in the U.S. House of Representatives. I 
congratulate them on the occasion of the Centennial of their community, 
and I look forward to traveling to Nyssa this weekend to share in the 
celebration with my good friends.

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