Growing up in Lakeview, Oregon with grandparents in the Portland area, my family drove through Bend on many, many occasions during the late 1970s and early ‘80s. Bend served as our halfway point as we traversed the state, a chance to stretch and have lunch. A couple of times a year, if our schedule allowed, Dad would announce that we had time for a ‘treat’—which meant a detour to The Tumalo Emporium’s buffet. As a little kid, it was a big deal to have a server slice roast beef straight to my plate. I then made a beeline for the macaroni and cheese.
The Tumalo Emporium began life in 1964 as a new location for Marshall and Mary Katherine Swearingen’s antique and used furniture business, which had outgrown the Bend Woolen Mill building on Division. They designed and constructed the building themselves, styled to evoke the late 19th century frontier. Marshall’s son, Will Swearingen, remembers working on the construction in 1964 before joining the army. In addition to the antiques, they installed a small soda fountain with just six stools and three small tables, plenty for the Tumalo of 1964. By the time Will returned home in 1967, it had transformed into a thriving restaurant.
The Swearingen’s antiques background gave the restaurant its feeling and unique appeal. Antique dining tables, chairs, Kitchen Queen cabinets, repurposed stained glass windows, and even a Mahogany bar salvaged from a Nevada ghost town were all put to use again in the building and décor. The Emporium’s first stove, an antique itself, came from Elk Lake Lodge. Named Black Mariah, the stove baked the bread, cooked the roast beef, and more. If it felt like stepping into the past, it was with good reason.
The Tumalo Emporium was a labor of love, imagination and creativity. Mary Katherine’s recipes drew newcomers and locals alike, with the occasional dish featured in the pages of The Bulletin. Friday and Saturday nights in the Bonanza Room, where drinks were served at the Navada bar, Marshall played mandolin, Duke Warner played banjo, and Ginny Lincoln—owner of Donner’s Flower Shop—played piano, and led customers in sing-a-longs.
The restaurant stayed a family affair for nearly 25 years. Marshall’s daughters, Sue AuCoin and Ann Maudlin, took on early jobs. Sue was the first soda jerk and learned how to prepare ice cream desserts from Laura Wonser at Bend Dairy. In 1970, Ann and her then-husband Dave Rasmussen took over management of the restaurant. After Marshall retired in 1980, Sue joined Ann in managing the restaurant for a year and their younger sister, Timi Ringstad, often pitched in. Adding their teenage children to the staff made the restaurant a three-generation affair. Later, the neighboring outbuilding became “The Gallery” and supported many local artists.
In 1986 the family sold the business. The restaurant changed ownership several times between 1986 and 1991 when it was renamed The Tumalo Feed Company. Since then, the restaurant has taken on mythical origin stories. As the restaurant reinvented itself over the years, so, too, has its history been reinvented. Stories that the building was constructed in 1910 and served as a general store are simply that -stories. Perhaps Marshall and Mary Katherine’s Old West building design and attention to detail were a little too good, or the desire for Old West history too strong. The false legend made it to the menu of the restaurant and recently incorrectly printed in The Bend Bulletin’s recent review. The Old West theme is a powerful one, and hard to overcome.
Today, new owners Mitch and Jen Thisius are bringing new energy to the restaurant, renaming it The Historic Tumalo Feed Co. Steakhouse. Their love for the history of the restaurant led them to inquire about its history, which is how the urban legend about the building’s real age came to our attention. Reaching out to Ann, they have gotten personal stories and history straight from the family. While the history of the building may not be as long as they thought, for those of us who remember, the real history does not need embellishment. The memories of gatherings at The Tumalo Emporium or a special lunch with your family provides the warmth of nostalgia that Marshall and Mary Katherine always intended. Jen and Mitch stand ready to carry on that tradition, allowing for new memories and cultivating the real history of a community-gathering place.
Finally, those in the know can still snag a piece of Lemon Velvet pie, made by Ann during the DCHS annual chili feed each November. If you’re quick enough, the Emporium lives on in that slice of lemony goodness, if only for one more lunch.