100 years ago

For the week ending

Feb. 24, 1924

New resting place made for Bend dead

Realization that practically no lots remain unsold in Pilot Butte cemetery with the exception of plots where heavy blasting would be required for grave opening has prompted the purchase by C.P Niswonger and Dr. H.G. Winslow of a 17 acre tract extending south from the old cemetery to Greenwood avenue. This has been surveyed by R.G. Gould and will shortly be opened under the name of the Greenwood cemetery, Niswonger states.

While much of the platting remains to be done, with the new tract not yet formally opened, one lot has already passed into private ownership. The body of E.M. Thompson, pioneer Bend merchant who died recently, was the first to be laid to rest in Greenwood cemetery.

Interest in Bend centering on first annual motor show

Anxiously awaiting their first opportunity to view in their home city a colorful and up to date panorama of the automobile world, the people of Bend and vicinity, which includes all of Central Oregon, are turning their interest this week toward the automobile show, the first of its kind ever held here, which opens Friday in the Whittington-Vandevert garage building. Probably no public enterprise ever launched in Bend has attracted so much attention and it is safe to say that the crowds which will attend the show will be the biggest which have ever turned out for a single exhibition in Central Oregon.

Among the cars which will be on display, including at least 14 separate makes and about 35 cars in all, will be found only the more popular of the strictly new models. At least six of the models shown have never appeared in Bend until this week, while one is of an absolutely new make which has appeared at only three automobile shows before coming here. Toy balloons will be presented to the children attending.

Reports required of rural teachers

Teachers in the rural districts of Deschutes county in the future will be required to submit to the county superintendent a monthly report of progress of classes in the text books. J. Alton Thompson, superintendent of this county, has recently mailed to teachers forms which are to be filled out each month and returned to the superintendent’s office.

The report will enable the superintendent to keep close check on the progress of the classes, it has been explained. Teachers will also be asked to mark in the report sheet the subjects classes are having the most difficulty with. Thompson explains the system will enable him to keep in touch with all classes in the county. He will make frequent visits to schools where pupils are having difficulty wit their work.

75 years ago

For the week ending

Feb. 24, 1949

Stranded deer ‘Transplanted’

Deschutes national forest officials reported today that “Operations Buck Removal,” believed to be the first of its kind in the history of the forest, had been completed. The work was undertaken when two deer were found stranded in deep snow near Chemult. Newell Cory, Crescent district ranger, was notified of the plight of the animals by Shevlin-Hixon crews, and with F. A. Holly, state officer stationed at Crescent, undertook the rescue.

Traveling on snowshoes, the two men soon cornered the deer, a mature buck and a younger buck, as the animals floundered in the deep snow. Legs of the deer were tied, and they were placed in a garage overnight. The next day, they were taken to the Horse Ranch area, near Fort Rock, where they were released on high desert pasturage.

Wickiup Reservoir holding 177,000 acre feet of water

Central Oregon’s largest man-made lake, the Wickiup reservoir on the upper Deschutes river, today held 177,000 acre feet of water, and is rapidly nearing its estimated capacity, 180,000 acre feet, bureau of reclamation engineers reported.

Water is pouring into the big basin, source of storage for the North Unit project of Jefferson county, at the rate of about 550 acre feet daily. Aside from the water being stored, about 100 second feet is being released into the Deschutes channel. The huge lake is now spread over most of the Wickiup basin and has flooded the area once occupied by the CCC camp.

The big “lake”, engineers report, is still covered with ice. Bureau of reclamation officials report that when the level of the reservoir is lowered during the coming irrigation season, the area will be closely inspected for any minor cracks. These will be filled.

50 years ago

For the week ending

Feb. 24, 1974

Six amendments to downtown plan receive approval

Bend city commissioners last night approved six of nine amendments to the city’s downtown redevelopment plan. About 150 persons crowded into the commission room and overflowed into the hallway for the four-hour meeting at city hall.

At their regular meeting Wednesday night, commissioners will make their decision official by passing a resolution adopting the six amendments.

One amendment was flatly rejected. It called for the creation of new commercial property between Brooks street and the Deschutes river — the C.J. Rademacher property. Mayor Rod Smith did not vote on the motions. As chairman of the commission, Smith votes only on ordinances, resolutions or to break a tie on a motion, he said. Commissioners agreed with the planning commission that a super-block development would provide adequate commercial locations. The super-block, a large commercial block to be located between Newport and Portland avenues, was approved unanimously. Another amendment — widening Brooks street and making it two-way — was deferred until the commissioners’ instructed the city engineer to prepare a plan indicating how much private property would be needed for the widening.

The relocation of Highway 97, amendment number nine, also failed to gain approval last night. Commissioners wanted to await results of traffic studies before supporting the concept of an expressway west of the railroad tracks that pass through Bend.

The vote on the super-block amendment was 5-1 in favor. The other five amendments approved last night are: realignment of Newport and Greenwood avenues; conversion of Bond street to two-way traffic and elimination of on-street parking there; creation of off-street parking on Bond street; conversion of Wall street to a parking mall with diagonal parking; and creation of pedestrian way from Wall street to the river.

25 years ago

For the week ending

Feb. 24, 1999

Coming: Redmond- San Francisco flights

SkyWest Airlines will launch nonstop flights between Redmond and San Francisco beginning April 4, the company announced Thursday.

The regional air carrier, which provides United Express service between Redmond and Portland, plans three daily flights to the Bay Area on a 30-seat Brasilia turbo-prop aircraft. Central Oregon customers can reserve seats on the new flights beginning Saturday.

The move brings much-coveted southbound air service back to Redmond for the first time since September 1995.

“We’ve been very pleased with the demand we’ve seen in Central Oregon for our United Express service,” said Steven Hart, vice president of market development for SkyWest. “We believe additional flights to San Francisco will benefit the market.”

Even though Horizon Air flies for daily nonstop routes from Redmond to Seattle, local officials contend that San Francisco — a United Airlines hub — offers better connecting flights. In addition, southbound air service pries open the large and lucrative Northern California tourism market for Central Oregon.

“From a tourism industry perspective, it’s huge,” said Kathy DeGree, vice president of marketing for Mount Bachelor.