Articles
A Tribute to Braceros in Central Oregon: From the Potato Harvest to our Community’s Success
By LeeAnn O’Neill First published in the September, 2025 Homesteader Mexican Laborers Pick Potatoes, 1943. Photo courtesy of the Oregon Historical Society September 15th marks the beginning of Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month, which invites us to explore and honor...
The Civilian Conservation Corps in Central Oregon
First published in the July, 2025 Homesteader newsletter Amid the depths of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt formulated a bold plan for putting millions of unemployed Americans to work on the nation's public lands. Between 1933 and 1942, over...
The Tumalo emporium: legendary restaurant meets urban legend
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...
The “New” Redmond Hotel
This article was first published in the May, 2019 issue of The Homesteader. In 1905 Redmond consisted of a few tents, a land office, a proposed canal, a promised railroad, and a lot of enthusiasm for the future. That year William Wilson and Frances...
Mt. Bachelor’s Last Sale
Excerpted from Mt. Bachelor - A History, by Glenn Voelz This article was first published in the December, 2024 issue of The Homesteader. The recent Powdr Corp. decision — since called off — to sell Mt. Bachelor was big news for many Deschutes County residents,...
The Church, the pub, and the engineer
This article was first published in the September, 2018 issue of The Homesteader. One of the services of the Deschutes County Historical Museum is researching the many requests we receive on a daily basis: family backgrounds, events, historical homes and sites. One...
Rex Barber: The Central Oregon pilot who brought down Pearl Harbor mastermind
This article was first published in the November, 2023 issue of The Homesteader. 2023 marks the 80th anniversary of one of the most remarkable and daring military missions in World War II: A 400 mile low-level flight of 16 U.S. Army P-38 “Lightning” fighter planes...
Evelyn Ishmael: Lady Logger of La Pine
This article was first published in the August, 2017 issue of The Homesteader. Evelyn Elaine Holmes was only 15 years old when she married Lynn George Ishmael. As the daughter of a logger, Bud Holms of La Pine, it seemed only natural that she would follow in his boot...
Lava Lake Murders
This article was first published in the April, 2024 issue of The Homesteader. A Rough Character - In the early days, The Bend Bulletin would list the out-of-town guests staying at the various lodgings in the city. These “At the Hotels” columns indicate that in the...