100 Years Ago

For the week ending

Dec. 17, 1922

Pilot Butte used for skiing party

Pilot Butte was the scene of Sunday’s skiing party, the winter sports enthusiasts going there after finding it difficult to get to Lava Butte. After trying the recently constructed road on Pilot Butte and finding it not steep enough for skiing, they found a fair slope on the west side. Twenty pairs of skis were in use most of the day.

Journey from Lakeview hard

Father Thomas J. Brady, pastor of St. Patrick’s church at Lakeview, arrived in Bend yesterday over the Silver Lake road; but he is not advising anyone else to attempt the trip. He took the Silver Lake stage from Fort Rock, and with William Burton, the driver, and R.E. Burton who also made the trip, was 36 hours in reaching Bend.

The first part of the trip was easily made, Father Brady says; but after passing Summit station drifts piled up in front of them until they were forced to shovel their way; they were four hours going 5,000 feet, and finally both rear wheels of the stage were broken and they had to abandon the car. They walked nine miles to the nearest ranch toward Bend, over a road which the car could not have traveled if it had not broken down. Then they telephoned for a car to come from Bend, and when it came made the rest of the journey. Further trouble was experienced at Lava Butte, and abandoned cars, stuck in the drifts, were seen at several places along the road.

35 horses loose in city

Thirty-five horses which have been running at large in the city, causing considerable damage to private property, have been taken up and impounded since Sunday by city officers, later to be released to the owner., Harry Weber, on payment of $35. Weber promised to keep his stock under closer supervision in the future.

Most fires caused by man

Campers and smokers caused 53 fires in and adjacent to the Deschutes national forest during the season of 1922, and damaged 799.61 acres of timbered land, figures compiled at forest headquarters show. The total acreage of man-caused fires was 2,079.61 acres. This acreage as compared with the total acreage of the entire forest is small, but the fact remains that out of a total of 74 fires, which burned a total of 2,173.19 acres, 54 fires which burned 2,079.61 acres were man-caused and therefore preventable. Lightening caused 14 fires with a total acreage burned of 7.38, and six fires of unknown origin damaged 23.1 acres. The promptness with which these fires were controlled is responsible for the comparatively small acreage burned.

75 Years AgoFor the week ending

Dec. 17, 1947

Jaycees to erect large yule tree

The big Junior chamber of commerce Christmas tree, which will be the center of “Hello Santa” activities next week end, will be erected on Oregon avenue west of Wall street this afternoon and will be decorated Sunday.

The big tree was cut for the Jaycees by A.W. Guddat, an independent logging contractor, who hauled it into Bend Wednesday afternoon. The tree was selected by Ed Parker, ranger for the Bend district of the Deschutes national forest. Pacific Power and Light company pole equipment has been called to hoist the tree into place.

Oregon skiers pay tribute to Jere Gillis

Several hundred skiers from the wide area served by Hoodoo bowl gathered at the north side of the vast snow-clad arena yesterday as members of the family of the late Jere Gillis unveiled a memorial to the man who gave much of his life to the development of skiing in the Central Cascades area.

In conjunction with the ceremony was held the first annual boys and the top times in both races of the meet were posted by Phil Gillis, son of Mr Gillis. Two other Bend skiers, Sam Brick in third place and Don Simerville in fourth, gave Bend three out of the first five places in the meet and attested to the fact that the work of training young skiers in Bend started by Mr. Gillis is still continuing.

Mr. Gillis was one of the moving forces in changing the Hoodoo area from an isolated mountain slope used by few skiers to the popular modern bowl available to thousands of people.

Milk Control Board Holds Bend Hearing

Milk producers and distributors, appearing at a milk control hearing at the Deschutes county courthouse yesterday afternoon, presented evidence of high costs that have carried the price of milk to an all-time high in the Deschutes county marketing area.

The hearing was held to investigate costs and other factors in the Deschutes area to determine whether the existing minimum prices, which are considerably below the present buying and selling prices, should be advanced.

Eben Ray, of Powell Butte, a large producer for the Bend market, gave production cost figures indicating his herd of 35 cows was barely paying expenses under the present milk price. Ray said feed now costs $80 a ton, hay $30 a ton, and dairy labor is figured at $200 a month in addition to providing living quarters for the workers’ families.

Carl Erickson, of Bend, retail groceryman, said the present two-cent difference between retail and wholesale prices of milk made the handling of milk unprofitable to grocerymen. He said operation costs in stores have advanced as much as any other business, yet the margin of two cents per quart on milk is the same as it was in the 1930’s. He classed the handling of milk at the present time as a service to customers, rather than a profit item.

Yesterday’s hearing lasted more than four hours. It is hoped to have a new milk control order for the Deschutes area drafted before January 1, the milk control men said.

50 Years Ago

For the week ending Dec. 17, 1972

‘What’s My Line?’ panel stumped by Bend woman

Harriet Langmas of Bend stumped the panel and narrated a showing of her original patchwork garments when she appeared on a “What’s My Line?” segment filmed last week in New York City. The program will be seen in the local area at 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 18, on Channel 8, Portland.

“It’s a lively show,” Mrs. Langmas said today. “And the trip was one exciting experience after another.” She received $90 for stumping the panel.

Unexpected fringe benefits were an invitation to write a patchwork article for Betty Crocker publication to appear in the spring, and a possible “how to do it” piece for the McCall Pattern Co.’s craft magazine.

“I was busy with my tape measure,” Mrs. Langmas said. “I took orders for several patchwork skirts. Every time I’d sell one I’d buy another couple of play tickets for Sam (her husband) and me.” Skirt purchasers included both producers of the “What’s My Line?” show. One , a “Mr. Gross,” is the husband of the former Barbara Walker, a Rose Festival princess from Grant High School.

The Langmases watched the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza. “We stood beside a couple from New Jersey who donated the tree,” Mrs. Langmas said. “Before it was over, they had a thousand spectators singing along with the Christmas music…Everyone was so friendly-not at all like we expected New Yorkers to be.”

Panelists for the show were veteran Arlene Francis; Gene Rayburn substituting for “regular” Soupy Sales; Phyllis George, a former Miss America, and Henry Morgan. At the end of the program Mrs. Langmas presented each panelist a patchwork pillow. Six of her patchwork outfits were modeled in the style show.

The couple returned yesterday by plane to Portland and drove home last night.

Collision wrenches engine from train

The mammoth diesel engine of a northbound Burlington Northern train was wrenched from its casing and set askew Saturday when a siding switch apparently froze and the train collided head-on with the southbound train.

The engineer at the controls of the northbound, traveling about 20 miles per hour when impact occurred, stayed with his engine and did not jump. He was released from the hospital Sunday after suffering chest and back injuries in the accident.

25 Years Ago

For the week ending Dec. 17, 1997

Deliveries near Christmas crunch

The busiest day of the year is fast approaching, and the Postal Service is moving into high gear. More than 200,000 letter and packages are passing through the main Bend post office each nigh and the numbers will probably increase as the Christmas rush builds. Shifts of workers are shorting mail 24 hours a day and carriers are getting psyched up for the last hectic weeks.

The Postal Service expects Monday to be its busiest day, when outgoing and incoming mail will both be at near-peak levels. Although the post office and many shipping services offer last-minute deadlines, the most common advice to holiday mailers is “the sooner the better.”

Those with presents to mail can help themselves by packaging their parcels securely and affixing clear address labels. UPS recommends at least two inches of packing to be placed between merchandise and the package wall, and that fragile or pre-wrapped gifts be double-boxed. Stings and outside paper are not good ideas; sturdy packing table and peanuts are.

One bundle of letter is also growing, but may take a more roundabout route to its destination. These envelopes are marked for “Santa Claus, North Pole.” Many sport hand-drawn Christmas trees or colorful crayons.

Postal workers keep an eye out for the neediest families and try to make sure they or a charitable group can bring some Christmas cheer. But some of the letters bear more difficult wishes. “P.S.,” reads the outside of one envelope with a shiny hologram of a spaceship for a stamp. “Please read this letter out loud to my brother in heaven.”

Water blamed for phone outage

About 500 businesses and residences in southwest Bend lost phone service Wednesday for several hours when water got into equipment, according to US West.

Gary Miller, US West district services manager, said the outage was caused by a crack in a cabinet that held signaling equipment, allowing water to get in. Phone service was disconnected from about 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., when repairs were completed.

Elk Meadow Elementary School was in the affected area. The school’s principal has a cellular phone in case of emergencies if phone lines are unavailable

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