She was quick-witted and ethical and it ran in the family. Grace Cyrus Aitken came from a long line of pioneer innovators who believed in new ideas and working well with others. Her grandfather William was a County Commissioner, Oregon State Senator, and early adopter of new farming approaches in Scio.

In 1882, her father Enoch migrated east with his wife Mary and five sons to a sparsely settled area near Gray Butte, northeast of Terrebonne. Daughters Grace and Annie were born in 1886 and 1889 and the large family workforce built a successful ranch with three apple orchards and gardens full of...