Andy Nelson, Photojournalist

Wheeler County, Oregon - Wide Open Spaces with No Covid Cases

Wheeler County, Oregon was one of the last counties in the contiguous United States record a case of COVID-19. Health officials acknowledged that the sparse population of the county - 1,400 people spread over 1,700 square miles - and a little luck helped them avoid having a case for more than 8 months. 

Click Here to Read the Story that was the 2021 winner of Best Enterprise Reporting in hte Oregon Newspaper Publisher's Association contest. 

  • The John Day River courses through Wheeler County as the sun sets near Mitchell, Oregon. Wheeler County covers more than 1,700 square miles in north central Oregon and has a population of about 1,300 people. It is one of 10 counties in the United States that has yet to record a coronavirus case.
  • Dima Anglin, a seventh generation cattle rancher at Wilson Ranches in Wheeler County and a senior at Oregon State University, leads a horse back to a barn on Sept. 4, 2020, in Fossil, Oregon. “I saw this deal on Facebook that was saying people in Eastern Oregon have been social distancing since long before it was cool.”
  • Men talk on Main Street Sept. 3, 2020, near Fossil, Oregon. Fossil is the county seat of Wheeler County and has a population of about 450. When the state went into lockdown, the town’s mayor called all of its residents.
  • Tourists visit the Painted Hills in the John Day Fossi Beds National Monument Sept. 4, 2020, near Mitchell, Oregon. The monument attracts about 200,000 visitors a year with the Painted Hills being a top attraction after being named one of Travel Oregon’s Seven Wonders of the state.
  • Health care officials in Wheeler County have met the challenge of keeping the coronavirus in check. But it has required hard work and consistent communication with the community. From left, Wheeler County Public Health and Asher Community Heath Center liaison Joan Field, Wheeler County Public Health Administrator Dr. Robert Boss, Wheeler County Public Health Program Coordinator Karen Woods and  Wheeler County Public Health Nurse for their Covid-19 response Sharen Milligan
  • Students in the combined 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classes at Spray School wait for their turn to take school pictures on Sept. 2, 2020, in Spray, Oregon. The 48 students in grades K-12 are attending in-person classes at the school as are kids in the other two districts in  in Wheeler County.
  • Blake Newton waits to take his school picture on Sept. 2, 2020, in Spray, Oregon. The 48 students in grades K-12 are attending in-person classes at the school as are kids in the other two districts in  in Wheeler County.
  • “We're very fortunate that the kids are here. The energy is here, and the kids are excited to be back. The parents are over the moon for them to be back,” said Spray School District Superintendent Larry Johnson, who stood masked up at the school Sept. 2, 2020, in Spray, Oregon.
  • Spray School students Sophia Rey and Amelia Mertens help Destiny Blasch with her hair as they prepare for school pictures Sept. 2, 2020, in Spray, Oregon. Students returned to classes at Spray in late August.
  • Sixth grader Katie Newton in her classroom in Spray, Oregon. Newton has been a Spray student her whole life. “We actually get to go to school and, you know, we get to play outside and actually get to interact and stuff,” Newton said.
  • Wheeler County has the distinction of being one of ten counties in the United States without a case of coronavirus. The Wheeler County sign on Highway 19 greets visitors on May 3, 2020, near Fossil, Oregon.
  • Marvin Mabe pause while returning from the Fossil Mercantile  in Fossil, Oregon.
  • The late evening sun casts light and shadow on the Painted Hills in the John Day Fossi Beds National Monument Sept. 4, 2020, near Mitchell, Oregon. The Painted Hills are a top attraction in Wheeler County after being named one of Travel Oregon’s Seven Wonders of the state.
  • A George Strait cutout with a mask stands in the Fossil Mercantile reminding customers to wear a mask in Fossil Mercantile on September 4, 2020, in Fossil, Oregon.
  • Fossil Mercantile owner Joe McNeil at his store on September 4, 2020, in Fossil, Oregon. McNeill was on the forefront of the mask-wearing policy in Wheeler County. He had his employees wearing masks before it was mandated and also had a implemented a required mask policy for customers.
  • A vehicle drives north on Highway 207 outside of Mitchell Ore., Sept. 4, 2020. Wheeler County is 1,700 square miles of rugged country.
  • Dima Anglin, a seventh generation cattle rancher at Wilson Ranches in Wheeler County and a senior at Oregon State University, leads a horse Sept. 4, 2020, in Fossil, Oregon. “I saw this post on Facebook that was saying people in Eastern Oregon have been social distancing since long before it was cool.”
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