Tag: Bend

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

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

The Bulletin Special Pubs

Maren Gribskov – Against All Odds

Tor Hanson

Originally published in UMagazine – February 2017 Maren Gribskov is synonymous with Pine Tavern. Her business acumen and audacity made her a woman to be reckoned with for almost half a century. Even though she would never admit to it, Gribskov was a pioneering force in Bend. And she did it all because her mother told her that she could do anything she wanted, even if it meant being a single woman doing business in a man’s world. The story of Maren Jensen Gribskov and Pine Tavern started in June 1894. Born to Danish immigrants, Gribskov spent her first 11 … Continue reading Maren Gribskov – Against All Odds

Bend Chamber of Commerce

Citizen Group Recommends Changes to Bend City Charter

Tor Hanson

Originally published in the Bend Chamber Business Edition – February 2, 2017 With support from Bend Chamber of Commerce, Bend 2030, and the City Club of Central Oregon, a group of Bend citizens have explored the city’s current governance model. Based on input from two citizen meetings last year, the Bend City Governance committee presented their findings in front of the city council last night. According to the report, the citizen’s input group favors a publicly elected mayor as well as the creation of a ward system to give all citizens in Bend fair representation in city council. Presented by … Continue reading Citizen Group Recommends Changes to Bend City Charter

Bend Chamber of Commerce

City Council Float Public/Private Partnerships at Financial Strategy Meeting

Tor Hanson

Originally published in the Bend Chamber Business Edition – March 23, 2017 If three words could some up the Bend City Council’s Financial Strategy Meeting Wednesday, it might be Money, Money, Money… With the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) approved last fall, Councilors are in the midst of how to move forward with the “opportunity” and “expansion” areas identified in the plan. In total, more than 90 procurement decisions will fall in the Councilors lap within the foreseeable future. But according to council and staff, there’s not enough funds in the city coffers for all the projects. Bend City Councilors and … Continue reading City Council Float Public/Private Partnerships at Financial Strategy Meeting

Pioneer Gazette

The Finest Little Hotel in America: Pilot Butte Inn

Tor Hanson

Originally published in the Deschutes Pioneer Gazette – January 2017 Author Irving Cobb called it “The Finest Little Hotel in America.” Former presidents, movie stars, skiing legends, local dignitaries, lumber buyers, and even a sitting First Lady walked through the doors of Pilot Butte Inn during its storied past. Gone from Bend since the demolition of the Swiss Chalet-style hotel in 1973, just mention the Inn by name to an old-time Bendite and stories about weddings, birthday parties, and all-night dancing celebrations are recalled. Visitors and new Bend residents may not even know the hotel ever existed. Today, a modern … Continue reading The Finest Little Hotel in America: Pilot Butte Inn

Bend Chamber of Commerce

Transportation Issues and Potholes Loom Large at Council Meeting

Tor Hanson

Originally published in the Bend Chamber Business Edition – March 2, 2017 Transportation issues loomed large at last night’s city council meeting. The future of the upgraded 14th Street Corridor and approval of Uber and Lyft-type transportation options were approved. And the issue of potholes weaved in and out of the discussions throughout the evening with public frustration topping the visitor section. Uber/Lyft Ride-hailing Services Approved After weeks of heated debate, amendments; and long-winded discussions about horse-drawn carriages and pedicabs, the council finally approved the repeal of the Bend city code regulating taxicabs with updated language that factor in ride-hailing … Continue reading Transportation Issues and Potholes Loom Large at Council Meeting

Bend Chamber of Commerce

Local Liquids: Bend’s Beer Scene

Tor Hanson

Originally published in Bend Business and Lifestyle Magazine – 2017 Craft brew has been flowing in Bend and Central Oregon since 1988 when Gary Fish’s Deschutes Brewery started production in a small brewpub on Wall Street. Twenty-nine years later, Bend holds the title for the most breweries per capita in Oregon. There are 22 in town, another eight outside the city limits, and more are on tap. Bend’s beer craze started with the establishment of Deschutes Brewing in 1988 and Bend Brewing Company in 1995. Also worth mentioning is Cascade Lakes Brewing in Redmond that premiered in 1994. The fledgling … Continue reading Local Liquids: Bend’s Beer Scene