Replacing a flag atop the tallest structure in Bend is no small task.

Several weeks ago, the American flag atop the center smokestack on the REI building in the Old Mill District was brought down after the cable that holds it to the pole broke.

Noelle Fredland, marketing director for the Old Mill District, said the pole holding the 23-foot-long flag tops out at 245 feet off the ground.

Fredland said the Old Mill District hasn’t yet come up with a plan for how to replace the broken cable. Friday, a climber ascended the pole to get a closer look, but it’s still possible a helicopter may be needed to make the necessary repairs.

The three smokestacks date to when the Brooks-Scanlon Mill operated on the site, and the building served as a powerhouse that burned sawdust and shavings to power the mill. When first constructed in 1923, the powerhouse had four boilers and two smokestacks. Additional boilers and a third smokestack were added in about 1929. The then-state-of-the-art power plant heated Deschutes River water to create steam, turning turbines that generated the electricity required to mill millions of board feet of lumber every year.

The building was rehabilitated and opened as home to REI in 2005.

An American flag has flown from the smokestack since shortly after 9/11, according to Fredland.

— Reporter: 541-383-0387, shammers@bendbulletin.com