Compiled by the Deschutes County Historical Society from the archived copies of the Bulletin at the Deschutes Historical Museum

100 years ago

For the week ending

Jan. 11, 1920

New shop to open on Greenwood soon

With preliminary blasting practically finished, A.J. Tucker will begin work in the next few days on a $4,000 one story stone building, 35 x 60 feet, on the corner of Greenwood and Harriman, which when completed will be used by Mr. Tucker to house workshops for several allied trades, including blacksmithing , carpentering, and cabinet making, all to be under his own supervision. A specialty will be made of automobile top and body work.

Mr. Tucker expects that the building can be completed within 30 days, and once the establishment is opened he plans to employ from eight to 10 men. In addition to the equipment which he now has in his shop on Irving, he will install several pieces of new machinery.

High schools compete for shell from German battleship

The Redmond, Burns, and Prineville high schools have entered the navy essay writing contest which provides as a prize a three inch shell taken from a German battleship. The shell will be nickel plated, and will be engraved with the name of the winning school. “Aviation” is to be the subject for essay writers, announces Recruiting Officer Warner, and the length of essays is limited to 1,000 words. The Bend high school was unable to enter the contest because of lack of time.

School cost set at $50,000

That the completion of the Bend high school will cost in the neighborhood of $50,000 was the statement made by Architect Lee A. Thomas when he appeared before the school board at its regular meeting last night with tentative plans for this work should it be authorized by the board. Other school construction discussed was in regard to small portable buildings to meet the need for two more rooms, which City Superintendent Moore stated should be available to take care of the increase of pupils during the second term.

Much liquor thrown into river

Portland — The only reason the Willamette river didn’t get on a beautiful jag during the year 1919 is that it has unlimited capacity.

Forty thousand nine hundred sixteen quarts of liquor was thrown into the Willamette in the past year by the police. Some of it was wine and beer, but most of that quantity was whiskey — the real red article and the “bootleg” variety.

75 years ago

For the week ending

Jan. 11, 1945

Fiery meteor races across sky

Eugene, Ore., — Prof. J. Hugh Pruitt of the University of Oregon meteorology department, today reported sighting a meteor of unusual brilliance about 9 p.m. Sunday.

Sighted by residents of Oregon and Southwestern Oregon, the meteor left a trail of blue flame and set up a sheet of light in the southwestern sky when it struck. Pruitt said he believed it landed at sea after going over southern Oregon or Northern California.

Bend skiers plan practice outing

Plans were made for a practice trip into the high regions of the Cascades when members of the Bend Ski patrol met last night in the offices of the Deschutes National Forest, it was reported today. The practice jaunt will be made this month if there is sufficient snowfall, it was said. The ski men planned to begin their hike from in the vicinity of the Hoodoo bowl near the Santiam summit toward Three Fingered Jack peaks.

Gas shortage results in new church in Carroll Acres

The story of how a housewife and mother of the Carroll Acres community, seeking the need for religious culture in the district founded a small church which now has a large attendance, was revealed here today.

The woman is Mrs. Zelma Kirkpatrick, mother of two sons, and the wife of Waldorf Kirkpatrick, an employe at the ordnance shops. The Kirkpatrick reside at 455 East Burnside street.

Never has there been a church or Sunday school in that part of Carroll Acres, and with the rationing of gasoline growing severe, many of Mrs. Kirkpatrick’ neighbors were going without religious training. “Something must be done,” Mrs. Kirkpatrick told some close friends.

So she scoured the neighborhood and found a small, abandoned house across the highway from the Bend Golf club sign. She rented this house for $9.00 a month. Working, for the most part alone, Mrs. Kirkpatrick put the little structure in order and proceeded to establish a Sunday school, and church for any persons who were interested, regardless of denomination.

Mrs. Kirkpatrick then found it necessary to not only teach Sunday school, but also to conduct regular church services where she preaches no particular faith, just reading from the Bible and reciting verses to the children.

Calling her little church “The Community Chapel,” Mrs. Kirkpatrick has been able to furnish it with additional seating capacity and other needs from the nickels and dimes brought to the Sunday school by the children. Now nearly every child in the neighborhood attends.

Describing her “discovery” of the little church, Mrs. W.M. Loy, a resident of Carroll Acres, told The Bulletin: “Our boy, aged 10, goes regularly, but we were inclined to let it drift and not take much interest until they had a Christmas play. Then the family turned out, and we were surprised to find about 40 other people there, jammed into a small space and sitting on wooden benches. They just had blankets on wires to use for curtains between the acts, and we prepared to be miserable for our 10-year-old.

“When the play got under way we were amazed. We attended three other Christmas plays this season, one of which I put on myself, but none was as good as that little play. You could see someone had surely done some hard work training those actors. We sat through it all and never even noticed the hard benches.”

Headlines

Five man board to study changes in football rules — Congress expected to back drafting of nurses & 4F’s — U.S. casualties reach 646,380 — Germans believed pulling out of bulge; tank battle rages — Japanese fall back before impact of Yank blows on Luzon isle — Navy seeking 17 year old boys

50 years ago

For the week ending

Jan. 11, 1970

Panel agrees Bend has drug issue

in discussion that draws 600

Members of a special panel agreed last night that Bend has a drug problem, but there was some difference of opinion as to its extent and what should be done about it.

The discussion, which continued for two hours in the auditorium at Bend High School, attracted some 600 persons, many of them young people. The program was sponsored by directors of the Bend School District.

Following statements by each of the seven panel members, moderator Mike Hollern, chairman of the school board, opened the program to questions from the audience. Much of the ensuing discussion and the nature of questions being asked indicated a sharp conflict in attitudes toward the use of drugs.

The conflict was most pronounced as between some members of the older and younger generations, with the former taking a hard line and the latter a more permissive one toward the use of drugs.

Several of the young people who spoke faulted their elders for their acceptance of alcohol and tobacco, while at the same time criticizing young people for using milder forms of drugs such as marijuana.

Among members of the panel was Neil McNaughton, Eugene, director of the Alcohol and Drug Division of the State Department of Mental Health. In his opening statement McNaughton noted that the subject of drugs has become “tinged with much emotionalism” and compared the situation with the one which developed earlier in the century over the prohibition of alcohol. In considering drug use and abuse, he said, it should be recognized that there are a number of problems involved, rather than a single one, Among these he mentioned the legal, social, physiological and psychological consequences related to drug use.

From his experiences in other communities, McNaughton suggested that residents of Bend attempt to determine the nature and extent of the problems related to drugs and seek the “total involvement” of the community in finding solutions. As a starting point, he suggested a survey of drug use.

Another panel speaker, Louis L. Silken, Deschutes County district attorney, said his files showed that his office in the past two years had handled 17 drug cases. Silken said he felt this indicated that Deschutes County does have a “significant” problem.

25 years ago

For the week ending

Jan. 11, 1995

Commissioners hammer out the new order in style

Steve Stenkamp pounded a shiny new ball-peen hammer, not a gavel, to end the meeting at which he was elected Bend’s mayor for 1995. But his choice of hardware had nothing to do with his home remodeling business.

Instead, it harkened back to his early days as one of four new city commissioners, elected in 1992 under the “Men Without Ties” moniker. During a long, frustrating debate over the Riverfront Connection project, Stenkamp, the project’s lone foe, showed why he has become known as a commissioner of few, but often choice words. “Sometimes I feel like running down the street and hitting myself repeatedly in the head with a ball-peen hammer,’ Stenkamp said in a much-recalled moment of frustration.

Still, Stenkamp claimed surprise when he unwrapped a gift from City Manager Larry Patterson after his six fellow colleagues elected him mayor at Wednesday night’s annual meeting. “The only problem, Larry — it’s a little small,” Stenkamp joked, hammer in hand.

“We were afraid to arm you too much,” Patterson replied. It was a night for such levity, as well as to look at 1994’s accomplishments and the problems lingering into 1995. Commissioners also bit a bittersweet farewell to John Wujack, another 1992 newcomer who lost to Bob Nipper last fall in a late fill-in-run for Deschutes County commissioner.

Wujack said the 1992 foursome — all wearing ties on this special night — outgrew their rookie mistakes last year to begin work on an update of the city’s comprehensive plan, wrestle through the Bend Parkway debate and sign off on an $11 million upgrade of Bend’s fire engine fleet that won’t require new city taxes.

Stenkamp’s father, John Stenkamp, was mayor of Bend in 1970 and again in 1976. Patterson said it’s only the second time in Bend’s 90-year history that a son has followed his dad to become mayor. W.E. “Bill” Miller served in 1960, 46 years after his father, H.A “Ham” Miller, held the post. “There gets to be some interesting discussions around the old dinner table, when I get to hear, ‘That isn’t the way we used to do it,’” Stenkamp said. “But change is good, the perspective is welcome, and I’m glad to hear it.”