More on Pallette's post-WWII paranoia...

Eugene Pallette (1889 -1954) is probably known now mainly by old movie buffs. He was a heavy-set character actor, whose movie career started in 1913 the silent era and survived the change to talking movies, where his distinctive fog horn voice proved an asset. His most famous role was probably that of Friar Tuck in Robin Hood in 1938; his last movie was Silver River in 1948.

In 1937 when Germany was conquering Europe and rumors were flying about the eventual involvement of the United States, Pallette decided to build a retreat in one of the most remote areas in the country ‚ along the Imnaha River in Wallowa County.

"It'll take a war or a revolution a long time to get up into Imnaha Canyon," he was quoted as saying.

Pallette bought 3,500 acres 29 miles upriver from Imnaha, and built a fortress-like ranch, complete with its own sawmill, power plant, and 18-man bunkhouse. In a concrete storehouse he stockpiled huge quantities of supplies, including two tons of canned goods, 20 sacks of coffee, 125 smoked hams, 50 kegs of nails, for example. A cold storage plant was sunk in the ground, and a separate building held a steam canning plant for the produce from a vast garden.

Pallette controlled nearly 11 miles along both sides of the upper Imnaha, where he grazed a herd of registered Herefords. He paid his hired hands well, $60 a month and keep. He wanted complete privacy and received few visitors. Pallette traveled back and forth between Imnaha and Hollywood frequently.

In 1949 he started selling off parts of the ranch, evenly divided among several buyers. A big auction in 1951 though he maintained interests here until about 1951. Eugene Pallette died of cancer in 1954.

The Pallette Ranch, in reduced form, still exists along the upper Imnaha, as a cattle operation.

From: www.wallowa.com/chieftain/vg02/famouswpd.html