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| Wasco county attracted international attention in the 1980s, when Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh came to the United States and settled for several years at a marginal ranch called "The Big Muddy", but later known as Rajneeshpuram. Disagreements over zoning rules and building codes in the beginning continued to escalate between not only his followers and the inhabitants of Wasco County, but eventually with the rest of the state. His followers, known as Rajneeshes, settled en bloc in Antelope, Oregon and were able to elect a majority of the town councillors. Acerbic, if not hostile comments by his spokeswoman, Ma Annand Sheela, only increased tensions, and were not helped by Rajneesh's vow of silence. When the Rajneeshes subsequently recruited homeless people from across the United States to settle at Rajneeshpuram, it was widely seen as an attempt to use the ballot box to seize control of the county. But perhaps the most bizarre turn of events was when an outbreak of salmonella in a salad bar at a restaurant in The Dalles was traced to the acts of his followers. About this time, Sheela was removed from her post in the Rajneesh's service |
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