Author: Tor Hanson

Books

Images of America: Sunriver

Tor Hanson

Golf has always been one of the highlights of Sunriver. The practice green is located just off Sunriver Lodge with the Meadows first tee off slightly to the south. The course meanders along Sun River with the ninth hole back at the lodge. Depending on your game, you could easily visit the Twisted River Tavern to drown your sorrows. Photo courtesy: Deschutes Historical Museum. The idyllic community of Sunriver sits at the crossroads of Central Oregon. The region was inhabited as early as 11,500 years ago by native tribes. The first non-native explorers filtered through the area in the early … Continue reading Images of America: Sunriver

Books

Images of America: Camp Abbot

Tor Hanson

The deck of the pontoon bridge was constructed with either wooden or aluminum trestle balks laid on top of the pneumatic or aluminum pontoons. Depending on the load-bearing requirements of the bridge, the engineers could lay either trestle balks or fir flooring. The trestle balks were laid lengthwise across the pontoons while the fir deck, or “chess,” was laid diagonal. Photo courtesy of US Army Signal Corps. Today, Sunriver is an idyllic community in Central Oregon, but during World War II, it was the site of Camp Abbot, the westernmost engineer replacement training center of the US Army Corps of … Continue reading Images of America: Camp Abbot

Books

Images of Aviation: Central Oregon Aviation

Tor Hanson

This photo is taken east of Bend with Pilot Butte, a familiar landmark, barely visible to the left. Photo courtesy: Deschutes Historical Museum Aviation has a long and storied history in the U.S. Wilbur and Orville Wright perfected the first heavier-than-air, motorized airplane in the late 1800 and early 1900. Their first flight took place on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The 120-foot jump started an unprecedented development of a technology that continues to this date. The first recorded Central Oregon showing of an airplane took place in 1912 at the Crook County Fair Grounds when pilot … Continue reading Images of Aviation: Central Oregon Aviation

Bend Magazine

Paul Hosmer, The Bard of Bend

Tor Hanson

Paul Hosmer in his favorite surroundings. Photo courtesy, Deschutes Historical Museum Originally published in Bend Magazine, March/April 2018 edition. Paul Hosmer was a master of words. More than anyone else, he took the pulse of Bend’s millworkers and painted their tough world in vivid details. He was their champion. Hosmer was an enigma. He was the scribe of the community, but left few cookie-crumbs behind to explain his upbringing and life before moving to Bend, according to his son Jim Hosmer. Read more… Continue reading Paul Hosmer, The Bard of Bend

Bend Magazine

A Century of Sailing at the Elk Lake Yacht Club

Tor Hanson

Elk Lake Yatch Club “flatties” with Mt. Bachelor in the background. Photo courtesy, Deschutes Historical Museum. Originally published in Bend Magazine, July/August 2019 edition. With the wave of a flag, the twelve sailboats were off. The flatties picked up speed as the mountain winds came rushing down from Mount Bachelor. Searching for the best angle of attack, Ray Peoples steered his sixteen-foot Typhoon toward the buoy on the other side of Elk Lake. The first annual Elk Lake regatta of 1938 was off to a good start. Read more… Continue reading A Century of Sailing at the Elk Lake Yacht Club

Bend Magazine

The Deschutes Railroad War

Tor Hanson

Originally published in Bend Magazine, March/April 2023 edition The Deschutes River Railroad War in the early 1900s shaped the future of Central Oregon. Without railroad tycoons James J. Hill’s and Edward Harriman’s animosity towards each other, the area would look different than today. The battle royale played out along the steep river banks of the Deschutes and in the courtrooms of Portland. Read more… Continue reading The Deschutes Railroad War

Bend Magazine

The Legacy of Bend’s Skyliners Ski Club Lives On

Tor Hanson

Bend Skyliner skiers Nels Skjersaa (No. 5) and Emil Nordeen (No. 1). Courtesy of the Emil Nordeen Collection Originally published in Bend Magazine – January/February 2021 Two dollars was all it took to create one of the most enduring legacies in Bend’s ski history. Paul Hosmer, the newsletter editor for Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company, claimed the cash prize after suggesting the winning name—Skyliners. Founded in 1927, the club and its name still carry weight in the community. Read more… Continue reading The Legacy of Bend’s Skyliners Ski Club Lives On

The Bulletin Special Pubs

Courageous Aviation

Tor Hanson

“Jigger” Endicott in a P-51 Mustang. Photo courtesy of the Endicott family. Originally published in Ageless Magazine – Winter 2015 Innately adventurous, Everett “Jigger” Endicott has spent a lifetime in the air as a civilian pilot and as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corp. Everett “Jigger” Endicott pointed to a photo of a young air cadet in front of his P-51 fighter. “That’s me,” he said. For the second time during the 20th Century the world was at war and he was one of millions of Americans serving their country. Today, Endicott is more at home in his … Continue reading Courageous Aviation

Bend Chamber of Commerce

Safety Improvements Slated for Downtown Bend Area

Tor Hanson

Originally published in the Bend Chamber Business Edition – August 25, 2017 At the last council meeting, several downtown Bend business owners expressed frustration when it comes to the safety of the business core area. Due to an influx of transients and homeless people, the area has become less safe for visitors and business owners alike. In the following weeks since the last council meeting, the city of Bend has brought together members from the Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA), Bend Police, and the District Attorney’s office to work on a Downtown Public Safety Improvement Plan. City Manager Eric King … Continue reading Safety Improvements Slated for Downtown Bend Area

Homesteader

Father Luke, The KKK, and the doctrine of Americanism in Bend

Tor Hanson

Originally published in The Homesteader (Deschutes County Historical Society newsletter) on May 2017 If you have attended a History Pub at McMenamins Old St. Francis School in Bend, you may have seen an illustration of an audience of white-clad KKK members seated in front of a Catholic priest. You may have surmised that the incident happened elsewhere. After all, history books tell us the Klan was a racist movement in the southern part of the United States – far away from Bend, Oregon. The event actually took place in Bend, almost 100 years ago, when Father Luke Sheehan stepped onto the … Continue reading Father Luke, The KKK, and the doctrine of Americanism in Bend