100 Years Ago

For the week ending

June 2, 1923

Memorial Day plan complete

Memorial Day, 1923, promises to be the most impressive observed in Bend. At 10 o’clock Wednesday morning all ex-service men in the city will march into the legion building, where Father Luke Sheehan will deliver the invocation. The Shevlin-Hixon band will follow with the playing of “America,” after which the legion quartet will give a selection. W. Foley will read Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. An overture, “American National Airs,” will be played by the band, following which Mrs. E.E. Grey will give a vocal solo. H.H. De Armond will deliver the address of the day, the band to play the “Star Spangled Banner” at the end of his talk. Rev. A.E. Hall will give the benediction, after which the audience will remain standing while the G.A.R. veterans leave the building.

The line of march will form in front of the legion building and proceed to the intersection of Greenwood avenue and down Greenwood to the Pilot Butte cemetery. The program at the cemetery is in charge of Rev. F.H. Beard, post chaplain. Graves of all veterans will be decorated and a firing squad will give the last salute, while bugles will sound taps. Spanish-American and Canadian war veterans will participate in the program.

The public is invited to attend the entire ceremony. Poppies will be on sale at the legion building by the ladies auxiliary of the American Legion.

New addition to Bend is on market

Bend’s newest residential addition has been placed upon the market by John Dubuis and George Paddock, owners of a tract bounded by Hill street, Wall street, Portland avenue and the Deschutes river. Seventeen home sites are made available.

75 Years Ago

For the week ending June 2, 1948

Vanport flood floats homes; dead hunted

The Columbia today sent new torrents of floodwater through the muddy debris and splintered houses which hide the fate of those believed killed in the Vanport City disaster.

Authorities were mystified because not a single body had been found thus far in the wreckage of the nation’s largest housing project.

Red Cross disaster workers said, however, that it would be nothing short of miraculous if the flood which smashed the city of 19,000 residents had failed to take a victim. Reports were numerous of men, women and children swept away by the water or trapped in their homes. Hospitals took care of more than 100 injured persons but none was hurt critically. Only Mabel Powell, 54, definitely was reported dead but she succumbed to a heart attack en route to a hospital.

The search for bodies today was hampered by houses that bobbed in a topsy-turvy fashion against each other and by splintering debris floating over the watery grave of the city. “We haven’t located a single body yet,” Sheriff Martin Pratt said. “There undoubtedly are many inside the houses, but we don’t know. We’re gradually reuniting families and the list of missing is dwindling. We don’t know what to think.”

He said it might be two weeks before the flood subsides enough to make a thorough check. A diver went into the debris late yesterday and made a cursory search of automobiles but found nothing.

Ex-Bend people lose homes in Vanport flood

Many relatives and friends of Bend people were residing in Vanport when it was struck by the flood Sunday afternoon. A number have arrived in Bend to make their homes temporarily and several others are expected in the next few days.

Among those who arrived in Bend from Vanport were Mr. and Mrs. V.R. Posvar, Jr., and their one-year son, Roney, and Mr and Mrs. Charles Anderson and two daughters, Carolyn and Linda.

The two women and children of the two families, neighbors at Vanport, barely escaped the flood waters. Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Posvar and the three children were among 14 people who escaped from the flood area on a Model A Ford. They got out of the flood area less than a block ahead of the surging water the only possessions saved were the clothes they were wearing.

Redmond studies daylight saving

Up until this morning, Redmond had taken no action for the adoption of a daylight saving schedule, with no requests for such a change coming from citizens. However, Mayor Jack Elliott reported today that inasmuch as both Prineville and Bend will change their clocks Tuesday morning, the Redmond city council will give the matter consideration.

50 Years Ago

For the week ending June 2, 1973

Business-like Lava Bears massacre District 7

If a prep track team ever dominated a district meet more than Bend High did Saturday at Bruin Field, it should be charged with first-degree murder. The cool, talented Lava Bears calmly dismantled the other six teams in the District 7-AAA. And the slaughter was perfomed with malice and aforethought.

Now, the Bears weren’t mad at anyone, they just had a job to do and they didn’t waste any efforts in accomplishing it.

They totaled a whopping 181 points, compared to 93 for runner-up Ontario. Redmond, paced by Lance Wright and Ron Baltzor, placed fifth with 43 points.

The Bruins ran away with their sixth consecutive district title by winning 12 events. They lost in only the 880 and mile, and both the hurdle races. Bend qualified 14 places for this weekend’s state meet at Eugene’s Hayward Field. That’s exactly the number the other six teams combined to qualify.

And counting both relays, 13 Bears will compete in the meet. That’s almost as many as the amount representing the other six teams in the district.

Now all that’s left is to run in and steal the state championship away from the favorites. It has been a good year for the Bears, free of injuries and full of victories. And it can be climaxed beautifully with a strong performance this Friday and Saturday. The Bears; thoughts about a state title were just dreams two months ago, but the crown is definitely within their grasp now.

If there is a chance for it becoming a reality, however, the team’s mainstays must perform at least as well as they did Saturday. The foundation of the team, of course are sprinters Les Keele, Mark Garrison and John Powell. Plus, a solid group of field event performers lead by Tim Fox, Leif Larson and John Baehr.

25 Years Ago

For the week ending June 2, 1998

Sun comes too late for 400 Prineville households

A murky river several feet deep flows through the vegetable garden and flower beds outside Jim and Betty’s Dhaenens’ Marmot Lane home.

Inside, 3 inches of water covers every room of the house, damaging nearly everything except the chairs and furniture that were stacked on top of each other. The drenched carpet bubbles as the owners walk across it. “We don’t have a dry spot in here,” said Betty, surveying her home of five years. “I don’t know how much of it we can save.”

Sunday’s break of sunshine gave the Dhaenens and about 400 other families evacuated from their homes the first chance to view the aftermath of the weekend flooding. Although water had receded about eight inches in many areas, most houses were still unlivable Sunday.

All manny people could do was gather more of their belongings. They are not allowed to return permanently until their houses are inspected.

“What can you do?” Jim Dhaenens asks, than answers himself. “Wait till the water goes down and then go to work.”

Houses along Ochoco Creek on both ends of town were surrounded by gray, knee-high water, while several streets and bridges were still unpassable. The only open north-south route through town was Main Street.

At Ochoco Valley Homes near Ochoco Reservoir, nearly all 19 homes were damaged. Flower pots, ceramic lawn decorations, children’s plastic toys and even lawn mowers were submerged in water.

Harold Dilling, who lives in the subdivision said his children’s play area and his work area inside his house were both soaked. Everything around his house was wet and most of his fence was gone; he had taken many of the boards out to let the water flow through. “There’s my garden over there,” he said as he pointed to more water.

Dilling said many people in the subdivision are worried about how the flood affected all the individual septic systems.

Down the road from Dilling, Laurie Solisz and her twin sons carted more sandbags to their house.

The family was worried about getting more water as a collapsed bridge was being lifted out of the creek. Her husband has a lot of collectibles in the home. “You try to say your things don’t matter,” she said. “It does matter.”

Some of the worst damage was down the highway at Prineville Golf and Country Club. Golf course employees and members used a canoe to get across the parking lot to assess damage and retrieve golf clubs. Water was nearly waist-high.

The country club lounge was filled with two feet of water. Poker chips and playing cards floated amid submerged tables and chairs. Club Manager Tracy Mills was busy picking up liquor bottles from behind the bar.

The floodwaters hit before anyone had a chance to save anything. “It was too late by the time we got here,” she said. The club has its big Northwest Pro-Am tournament this weekend, but it’s doubtful it will go on as planned.

Further downstream in town, the flooding swamped the greatest number of homes. Most families seemed to be staying away until the water level drops. Only a few flood victims muddled through the mess Sunday afternoon.

At a mobile home park near Stryker Field, one house floated while several porches drifted away, one resident said.

On the west end of town, Ruth Shukle and her daughter-in-law ventured through the water by Ochoco Elementary School to get her prescription medicine from her home at City Trailer Park. Shukle was relieved to find out the water hadn’t seeped inside her home. “I was getting real depressed,” she said.” I feel a whole lot better.”

Bev Hudspeth, continued to live at her home near the golf course. Hudspeth, who didn’t realize her place was flooded until she woke up early Saturday, said she at first was scared the dam had broke, which has always been her nightmare. “It could have been a lot worse,” She said.

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