Century Drive with South Sister and Broken Top in the background at Mt. Bachelor. 

Mt. Bachelor Egan Lodge

The James Egan Memorial Lodge at Mt. Bachelor ski area was dedicated Jan. 3, 1959. The lodge officially opened December 19, 1958, when 822 skiers in 10-degree weather took to the slopes. The Egan lodge was a 30-by-50-foot, two-story structure, which cost an estimated $35,000 to build. A ski shop run by Olaf and Grace Skjersaa, a first aid station and restrooms were located on the ground level.

A snack bar operated by Omar Summers, owner of Bend’s downtown Skyline Restaurant, and a lounge with a circular fireplace were on the second floor. An all-day lift ticket on the Poma Lift cost $3, tow rope rides all day cost $1.50, and a family season pass was $85 in 1959.

James Egan, the Deschutes National Forest supervisor, headquartered in Bend from 1956-58, was credited as a “moving force” behind the establishment of the Mt. Bachelor ski area.

West Village Lodge

Skiers rushed to the opening of the Main Lodge in the mid-1960s. The $250,000 lodge contained overnight rooms, a bar, a ski shop, indoor restrooms and a restaurant. The rooms ranged from $16 to $25 (with a kitchenette). A three-day ski, stay and eat package was $110. The lodge has been renovated and renamed West Village Lodge.

Century Drive

Century Drive opened July 30, 1921, originally 110 miles, and formed a circuit route. The name of the drive derived from its almost exactly 100 miles, a century, from Bend through the Deschutes National Forest.

“From Bend to Lost Lake (Todd Lake) the scenery is well worth seeing, but the drive beyond that point disclosed the most beautiful views of the Cascades,” as reported in the Bend Bulletin Aug. 4, 1921. The drive started seven miles from Bend, crossed the shoulder of Bachelor to Todd, Sparks, Devil’s, Elk and Lava lakes, and back by way of Crane Prairie, the head of Fall and Spring rivers, connecting to The Dalles-California Highway for the return journey back to Bend. Today it is now part of Cascade Lakes Highway.