Yesteryear

100 years ago

For the week ending April 20, 1924

Lava Lake trappers vanish leaving guns behind them

Mysterious disappearance of three Bend men who had been spending the winter trapping at Little Lava lake was discovered through the visit of H.D. Innes and Owen Morris to the cabin which the men had occupied. Today Innes and Morris are making a further search, aided by Pearl Lynes, Tumalo superintendent.

The cabin used, one of the log buildings at the Ed Logan fur farm, was last inhabited by Dewey Morris, Ed Nichols, and Roy Wilson, the missing men, on Jan. 15, so far as is known. When the three left the cabin they had not removed the January leaf from the calendar.

Innes and Owen Morris found traps and guns undisturbed at the cabin. The trappers, judging from the dishes left on the table, ate breakfast as their last meal. Another meal was left cooking on the stove, for mildewed food was found in utensils on the range. An emaciated cat, showing many weeks’ neglect, still held home instinct of his kind. Most of the trappers clothes remained at the cabin.

All of the men were good woodsmen, and made it a rule that when two went out over the trap line, the other should remain at the cabin. What Innes and Morris found caused them to believe that an immediate and thorough search was necessary.

Robert Foley wins declamation tryout

Robert Foley of the Kenwood school won in the declamation tryout for 7th and 8th grade pupils at the school gymnasium Wednesday afternoon, and will represent the Bend schools in the county contest to be held here Saturday, April 26. He won by a narrow margin of points from Sylvia Carpenter of the Central.

Camps being moved in Shevlin Woods

Locations west of the Deschutes and several miles south of the head of Spring river are being taken by Shevlin-Hixon logging camps numbers 1 and 2, General Manager J.P. Hennessy stated today. Moving was begun Monday and is nearing completion.

Logging will be carried on in the vicinity of these camp locations during the summer, and in the fall, when heavy snows make logging impracticable west of the river, the camps will move back to the timber east of the Deschutes.

The new camp locations are near those which the camps occupied last summer. They are about 22 miles from Bend, and can be reached by going south on The Dalles-California highway and crossing the Spring river road.

Dairy herd tests may be extended

Plans for testing all dairy herds in Deschutes county for tuberculosis may be extended to Crook and Jefferson counties, according to W. T. McDonald, county agriculturist, who was in Bend today from his headquarters in Redmond. The time when dairy herds in this county will be tested has not yet been decided on but an organization for the tests is being completed, says the county agent. Practically all the larger dairy men in the county who have not yet had their herds credited by the government, favor the widespread tests for tuberculosis it is said.

75 years ago

For the week ending

April 20, 1949

Portable church made here for portable town

A church made in Bend will soon be moving south over the Deschutes line to Klamath county, but, because of snow conditions in the Chemult area, it will not make the trip before Easter Sunday.

The church, with a capacity of 60, was made by The Shevlin-Hixon company maintenance crew, at the company’s Bend plant. It will be moved south on flat cars and set up in Oregon’s portable town, Shevlin. A sight for the new community church is ready, but the spot is still covered by deep snow.

The portable church is 40 feet long and 14 feet wide, and into each of its 12 pews can be placed a maximum of five persons. The interior of the church has been finished in knotty pine, and the pews and alter are of knotty pine. The building is well lighted, and has fluorescent lights. At the rear of the church is an anteroom.

It was reported from The Shevlin-Hixon company office that the church has been so constructed that it can be “cut” in two, and moved on two flat cars. It’s outside has been painted white, and eventually a steeple will be erected.

Mainliners use Roberts Field in serving interior country

Redmond, busy Central Oregon town that had its beginning in a homesteader’s tent set up in the sage brush 45 years ago, finds itself in this year of 1949 squarely planted on important highways and skyways of western America and served by three railroads.

But, old timers recall, Redmond even in early days was known as “The Hub,” with dusty roads crossing then dusty streets. Now Redmond is at the intersection of highways that span Oregon north and south, east of the Cascades, and east and west on a route that spans the continent.

Through the skies daily cruise big airliners, with stops at Roberts field, one of the big army airport installations of world war II days. This is Central Oregon’s busiest airport. A flashing beacon that lights night skies and a CAA station bespeak the importance of the field, with its miles of paved runways. Operating from the Redmond field on a coastwise schedule, are mainliners of the United Air Lines.

Redmond, like other Central Oregon towns, has been suffering from growing pains the past few year, ever since the army opened its Redmond airbase in the war years. Major headache is that of caring for the ever-increasing number of school pupils, for Redmond not only serves the city, but its fleet of buses brings in children from the far-flung union high school district. Last year, Redmond opened its new John Tuck grade school, named in honor of a pioneer educator of the community.

Redmond is also rapidly extending its street surfacing program, and the entire downtown section will soon be “out of the dust.”

50 years ago

For the week ending

April 20, 1974

Water-logged dogs rescued after 3 weeks

The Deschutes County Humane Society yesterday rescued six dogs from a flooded kennel where they had been kept a year without being let out.

The animals were well-fed, according to Kerry Hold, president of the Humane Society. But there was 12 inches of water all over the large kennel. The animals found high ground in a Volkswagen bus parked inside the kennel.

The property has been flooded since the end of March, according to Fred Janzen, who complained to the society. Janzen lives across the road from the property in Deschutes River Recreation Homesites subdivision, one mile south of Sunriver.

“To the best of my knowledge the dogs are and have been in the water since March 28, 1974. I consider this cruel,” Janzen wrote.

Mrs. Hold and Mr. and Mrs. Walter Miles, other society members, contacted the owners about the problem. They agreed to turn the dogs over to the society until the water goes down, probably in about a week or 10 days.

The water comes from a spring in the area and has no place to drain.

“You never saw six happier dogs when we let them out on our slab,” Mrs. Holt said. The dogs were taken to the society’s shelter on Skyliner Road. The society will let them stay there free, but the owner of the dogs will provide their food.

The rescued dogs included one cockapoo, one Australian shepherd, two golden retrievers and two cocker spaniels. The dogs are not licensed, and the owner will receive a notice from the county that he must purchase licenses for the dogs within 10 days, Mrs. Holt said.

25 years ago

For the week ending

April 20, 1999

No Name park makes name in La Pine

A one-acre park along Highway 97 next to Newberry Station motel will be completed in time to welcome visitors to La Pine for fishing season.

For now, the park is dubbed “No Name” until someone comes up wit a better title. The park is part of the Bureau of Land Management’s “Adopt-An-Open-Space” project, a program developed in response to growing demands for use of public lands in Central Oregon.

Under the program, the BLM continues to own the property and lets the community develop and use it for an indefinite time. Construction and development of No Name Park is being managed by the La Pine Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber Executive Director Laura Klotz said the park will give visitors a better first impression of La Pine.

“The land was an eyesore. It was overgrown and full of garbage, and there was some evidence that transients had lived there,” Klotz said. “We also found some evidence of drug use going on in the area.”The idea behind creating the park was to clean the property, maintain it and make the site into a pleasant picnic area.

After the land was acquired from the BLM, the first job was cleaning. On March 9, about 50 volunteers got together for a cleanup day. La Pine resident Sylvia Shields donated $500 to get the project going, and construction materials are being donated.

Local volunteers are clearing land and doing construction work. Best Western Newberry Station has committed to maintaining the park.

No Name’s design includes a quarter-mile jogging path along the perimeter, and walking paths through the interior.

Aspen trees and some native vegetation will be planted near a cindered driveway at the south end.

Four picnic tables and several benches will be placed throughout the park. A “Welcome to La Pine” sign will be placed on a berm that will be planted and maintained by the Late Bloomers Garden Club.

“The piece of land was useless to the BLM,” Klotz said, “but it will be wonderful for us.”