Deschutes Historical Museum and Society

Black History Month Celebration Dinner
2025-02-25 17:00 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Central Oregon Community College, 2600 NW College Way, Bend, Oregon, 97703
“Building a Community of Belonging”
Tuesday, February 25, 5-7:30 PM
COCC Bend Campus, Coats Campus Center, Wille Hall

Come celebrate the richness of African American culture and honor the trailblazers who shaped our world.
An exhibit featuring research findings from Allyship in Action and The Deschutes Historical Museum will be on display.
The Black History Month dinner celebration will include food, educational components, and other cultural activities.
Registration is required for this event. Scan the QR code or email mlegrand2@cocc.edu to register.

Holiday Gelatin Salad Show
2024-12-14 13:00 - 15:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
Does your family have a weird holiday gelatin salad? Let your freak holiday salad SHINE in our
HOLIDAY GELATIN SALAD SHOW
Saturday, December 14
1 pm
Join the Deschutes Historical Museum in a celebration of weird vintage salad recipes.
Enter a salad in one of four different categories:
Best Presentation — Knock our socks off with a molded creation Grandma would be proud of!
Most Savory — Gelatin isn’t just for dessert!
Your Family’s Salad Recipe — Let’s face it, there is always that one salad that has to be at every family holiday. Maybe it’s pink, maybe it’s green. Whatever it is, we need to see it. (Bonus points if you have a family photograph with the salad in it.)
Nailed It! Best Ooops You Tried — Just because you bought the mold doesn’t mean you can get it out of the mold. But we don’t care! You gave it your best.
HOW TO ENTER:
1. Print the entry form to bring with your salad. 2024 Holiday Gelatin Salad Show Entry Form
2. Bring your entry, including recipe used, to the Deschutes Historical Museum on Saturday, December 14 beginning at 12 pm. Registration closes at 1 pm for judging to begin.
3. Judging for each category starts at 1 pm with our celebrity judges. Only judges will be allowed to sample salads at their discretion.
4. There will be one winner and one runner-up selected for each category.
5. Judges will then select a Best in Show winner from the four category winners.
Check-in for salads begins at 12:00, judging at 1 pm.
Salads will not be accepted prior to the day of the event.

Mischievous Creatures: The Forgotten Sisters Who Transformed Early American Science with Catherine McNeur
2024-11-26 19:00 - 20:30 | McMenamins Old St Francis School, 700 NW Bond St, Bend, Oregon, 97703
In her new book, Mischievous Creatures, historian Catherine McNeur uncovers the forgotten lives and work of the sisters Margaretta Hare Morris and Elizabeth Carrington Morris, who were at the center of scientific conversations and debates in the nineteenth century. Margaretta, an entomologist, was famous among her peers and the public for her research on 17-year cicadas and other troublesome insects. Elizabeth, a botanist, was a prolific illustrator and a trusted supplier of specimens to the country’s leading experts. At this talk, McNeur will discuss the research involved in recreating the Morris sisters’ lives and the many ways that they have been erased from the history of science in the centuries since.
Catherine McNeur is the award-winning author of Mischievous Creatures: The Forgotten Sisters Who Transformed Early American Science (Basic Books, 2023) and Taming Manhattan: Environmental Battles in the Antebellum City (Harvard University Press, 2014). She is a Professor of History at Portland State University where she teaches courses on environmental history, public history, and the history of food.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Presentation begins at 7:00 p.m.
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS
A Limited number of tickets will be available at the door.

Annual Chili Feed and Raffle: Saturday, November 9, 2024
2024-11-09 11:00 - 15:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
Friday and Saturday November 8 & 9
11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
For over 35 years the Deschutes County Historical Society has been serving up “Millie’s Chili” over Veteran’s Day weekend. This fundraiser supports programming year-round at the museum. But why is it called Millie’s Chili? Who is Millie?
This story goes back to the opening of the Deschutes Historical Museum in 1980, when several women from the historical society were looking for ways to fund the newly opened museum. Millie Rastovich Chopp was one of the original organizers. After a not-so-successful attempt with chicken soup, the answer was found in Millie’s family chili recipe and, as they say, history was made.
Millie’s daughter, Susie Chopp Penhollow, kept the “Rastovich Recipe” and carried on the tradition of the chili in the Chili Feed. Susie was born and raised in Bend and has fond memories of her time spent playing on her grandparents’ farm. When her mother, Millie started the Chili Feed, Susie started volunteering at the Deschutes Historical Museum. When Millie passed away in 1994, Susie stepped in to keep the tradition going. Susie passed away in May of 2024, and we carry on the tradition. The Chili feed has become the Museum’s longest running fundraiser to date.
Although a tightly kept secret, the recipe does have another family connection. The locally raised Barley Beef used in the chili comes from the Rastovich Family Farms, the only official working Century Farm in Deschutes County. Here’s a fun fact: the farm which started operations in 1919 has a barn cellar which was once used to store alcohol during Prohibition. Today the farm’s cattle are feed with spent grain from breweries across Central Oregon.
This year the Annual Chili Feed and Raffle is held November 8 and 9, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Chili, pie, and hot beverages will be sold to enjoy on-site and are available to go. Admission to the museum is free during the two-day event, with available off-street parking.
In addition to lunch, tickets for our raffle are available with a chance to win gift baskets, selected from local businesses. Tickets are $1 each, 6 tickets for $5, or 25 tickets for $20,
The winning Raffle Ticket will be drawn at the end of Saturday’s event. Winners need not be present.

Annual Chili Feed and Raffle: Friday, November 8, 2024
2024-11-08 11:00 - 15:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR

History Pub: Mt. Bachelor's Nordic Center and the History of Cross-Country Skiing in Central Oregon
2024-10-29 19:00 - 20:30 | McMenamins Old St Francis School, 700 NW Bond St, Bend, Oregon, 97703
Stuart Craig former Bachelor XC instructor.
In 1976, Mount Bachelor’s founder, Bill Healy, approved a one-page proposal creating a cross-county ski area at the resort. What began with a seven-kilometer loop on Dutchman Flat evolved into one of the nation’s premier Nordic ski areas and a training ground for numerous Olympians.
Join Mount Bachelor’s first Nordic director, Bob Mathews, and local author Glenn Voelz as they discuss the history of cross-country skiing in Central Oregon and Mount Bachelor’s Nordic Center.

Bob Mathews moved to Bend in 1973 and worked as a ski instructor at Mount Bachelor. In 1976, he presented a one-page memorandum to the resort’s founder, Bill Healy, proposing to create a cross-country ski area. Over the next twenty years, Mathews led Mount Bachelor’s cross-country ski program and developed it into one of the premiere Nordic ski areas in the United States and a training ground for numerous Olympians.
Glenn Voelz is a professional ski patroller at the Mount Bachelor Nordic Center and the author of Mount Bachelor: A History. He specializes in Oregon’s outdoor recreation history. Glenn served for 25 years in Army intelligence at NATO, the Pentagon, the White House, and abroad.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Presentation begins at 7:00 p.m.
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS
A limited number of tickets will be available at the door.

Historical Haunts of Downtown Bend walking tour
2024-10-12 16:00 - 21:00, 2024-10-11 16:00 - 21:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
HISTORICAL HAUNTS OF DOWNTOWN BEND RETURNS FOR ONE LAST SEASON
OCTOBER 11 – 12, 2024
TICKETS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE THROUGH EVENTBRITE (click here for tickets)
for additional dates and tour times click “More Options” on the event site.
For TWO-NIGHTS ONLY Celebrate the 15th season of Historical Haunts of Downtown Bend walking tour, Friday October 11 and Saturday October 12. As Bend’s original haunted tours since 2010, this will be the final season for the museum’s classic haunt walk tour. Over the years the museum shared the history and paranormal stories of more than fifteen locations, businesses, and sites to over 6,000 locals and visitors.
Want to join the fun before the final curtain call? There is still time to “Get Your Haunt On”! Escorted by a museum guide you will stroll through Bend’s historic downtown stopping at the Museum’s favorite locations, where the past is brought back to life. It is an eerie hour of history meets paranormal mystery for a freakishly fun outing. Twenty-six one-hour tours over 2-nights. Tours leave every 20-minutes, with the first tour leaving at 4:00 p.m. and the last tour leaving at 8:00 p.m. Featured locations are operating businesses, tours do not enter any buildings.

Event space is limited and does sell out!
Tickets are not refundable.
While waiting for your tour, wander the halls of the museum to find this year’s Creepiest Doll contestants and stop in the research room to view footage of the “Brosterhous Ghost.” Admission to the museum is included with tour purchase. Not yet a member of the Deschutes Historical Museum? Purchase four (4) or more tickets and receive one (1) Household Museum Membership FREE. Receipt required.
For more information about this event or other happenings at the museum, call 541-389-1813 or email info@deschuteshistory.org

History Pub: The Sewells of Canyon City
2024-09-24 19:00 - 20:00 | McMenamins Old St Francis School, 700 NW Bond St, Bend, Oregon, 97703
Columbus Sewell and family were the first permanent Black settlers east of the Cascades. Join Zachary Stocks of Oregon Black Pioneers to learn more about their incredible story, and what it can tell us about 19th century Black life in the high
desert.
Zachary Stocks is a public historian, museum professional,
outdoor educator, and historical interpreter. His work focuses on 18th and 19th century America, with particular emphasis on African American history and the history of westward
expansion. Outside of work, he enjoys birding, sea shanties, and spicy food.
Click Here To Purchase Tickets

Little Woody Barrel-Aged Beer, Cider & Whisky Festival
2024-08-31 12:00 - 22:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
Nestled on the lush lawn of the Deschutes Historical Museum in vibrant downtown Bend, Oregon, this enchanting festival goes beyond the barrel to bring you an unforgettable celebration of craft beverages and whimsical fun.
🍺 Taste the artistry of local craft beverages: beer, wine, cider, whiskey, tequila, and more!
🎭 Transform yourself in our Gnome Costume Contest.
🎤 Express your voice at the Gnome Open Mic
🎨 Dive into Interactive Art and Games
Tickets are good for both days! Keep your wristband and tasting glass to attend both days. Click Here to Buy Tickets
The Deschutes Historical Museum is the Beneficiary of this event.

The Early Days of Bend Walking Tour
2024-08-31 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-08-17 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-07-27 08:00 - 17:00, 2024-07-13 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-06-29 10:30 - 12:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
Travel back to when the river ran wild, Ponderosa pines were plentiful, and Bend-the-Beautiful was a town in the making. The Early Days of Bend walking tour shares the beginnings of a new community through the stories of six “Bendites,” and how these residents helped transform a young hamlet into a thriving town.
All tours leave the museum at 10:30 a.m. and are led by our knowledgeable and trained museum volunteers. Tours are subject to change and cancellation.
For more information contact the Deschutes Historical Museum; 541-389-1813 or email info@deschuteshistory.org
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED as space is limited
The tour begins at the Deschutes Historical Museum and ends at Lone Crow Bungalow on Wall Street.
1-Mile walking distance
90 minutes
$15 General Public,
Deschutes Historical Museum members are free.

The Little Woody Barrel-Aged Beer, Cider & Whisky Festival
2024-08-30 17:00 - 22:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR

History Pub: The Lava Lake Murders of 1924
2024-08-27 19:00 - 20:30 | McMenamins Old St Francis School, 700 NW Bond St, Bend, Oregon, 97703
In the fall of 1923, trapper and horse packer Ed Nichols was hired by Bend logging contractor Ed Logan to tend to Logan’s Little Lava Lake fur farm through the winter. Nichols was joined by two friends, Dewey Morris and Roy Wilson, both loggers from Bend. Little did the three friends know that Charles Kimzey, a ruthless man with a grudge, had other plans for them.
April 2024 marked the 100th anniversary of the recovery of the men’s remains at Little Lava Lake. Mike Berry, DCHS Board member and local raconteur, shares the story of how these men crossed paths in a most fateful way.
Mike Berry is a retired county surveyor who has lived in Bend since attending COCC in the 1970s. The combination of his surveying skills and love of local history has inspired a curiosity about what happened in the past that leads him to dive deeply into stories and tales from history.
To register for History Pub, visit
www.mcmenamins.com/events/257170-the-lava-lake-murders-of-1924

Reflections of History: An Architectural Tour
2024-08-24 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-08-03 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-07-20 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-07-06 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-06-22 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-06-08 10:30 - 12:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
Stroll through the Drake Park Neighborhood Historic District and take a step back in time, when walking was the thing to do, and neighborhoods were all about proximity. You’ll be introduced to architectural styles represented in the neighborhood and learn how a community reflected a changing nation.
All tours leave the museum at 10:30 a.m. and are led by our knowledgeable and trained museum volunteers. Tours are subject to change and cancellation.
RESERVATION IS REQIRED as space is limited.
Tours begin and end at the Deschutes Historical Museum
1-mile walking distance
90 minutes
$15 general admission
For more information contact the museum, 541-389-1813 or email info@deschuteshistory.org

Third Annual Antique Fair
2024-08-10 09:00 - 16:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
Mark your calendar for August 10 to partake in another wonderful day on the grounds of the Museum, wandering the vendor booths with their treasures from the past (pre-1970). The Museum will also have its own booth with contributions from the community, all proceeds benefit the Deschutes Historical Museum. We welcome back Madison who will have fresh baked goods (which sold out by mid-morning last year) and the Bend Genealogical Society, offering tips for those seeking help in pursuing their family lines. A registered appraiser will be available from 12-3:00 p.m. to appraise one of your antique items. A $5 contribution will be appreciated for an appraisal.
Please investigate your garages, attics, and closets for items no longer needed or wanted, and consider donating them to the museum’s booth. Jane Williamson has volunteered her garage as a collection point. Call her at 541-390-4351 or email at jwilliamson1375@gmail.com to set up a delivery time.
We are still accepting vendor applications, visit deschuteshistory.org/antiquefair/

History Pub: "Chop Suey for All: Chinese Cooks in Oregon"
2024-07-30 19:00 - 20:00 | OR
Chinese restaurants were common in Oregon towns and cities beginning in the late 19th century. Usually advertising both Chinese and American dishes, they catered to the basic needs of single working men as well as to diners who were attracted by the exotic and the foreign. Archivist, historian, and author Richard Engeman explores the history of Chinese restaurants in Oregon.
Richard Engeman, a native Oregonian, a retired
academic librarian, archivist, and historian lives in Albany with his husband Terry and four cats. His
career with the Oregon Historical Society and the University of Washington
Libraries immersed him in the history of the Pacific Northwest. He is the author of The Oregon Companion, a personal encyclopedic view of the state, and of Eating It Up in Oregon, a cookbook that reflects his interest in regional food history. He is a frequent contributor to the online Oregon Encyclopedia, and is a member of the board of the Albany Public Library Foundation and the Albany Historic
Landmarks Commission.
Program begins at 7:00 p.m., Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
Registration is required, $5 per person: Click Here to Register

Shakespeare on The Lawn: The Merry Wives of Windsor
2024-07-19 19:30 - 21:30 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
Guerrilla Shakespeare mounts their 8th production and are glad to get back to the comedies! This year, the team tackles the classic comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor featuring Cody vanBelle as Sir John Falstaff and a cast of talented local artists.

Drunkard Sir John Falstaff conspires to seduce two married women: Mrs. Page and Mrs. Ford. But they’re no bimbos! The wives play along with the hedonist and Falstaff plays right into their trap until hilarity ensues,

Don’t miss this eclectic rendition!

Purchase your tickets online at 3Common.com

Shakespeare on The Lawn: The Merry Wives of Windsor
2024-07-18 19:30 - 21:30 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
Guerrilla Shakespeare mounts their 8th production and are glad to get back to the comedies! This year, the team tackles the classic comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor featuring Cody vanBelle as Sir John Falstaff and a cast of talented local artists.
Drunkard Sir John Falstaff conspires to seduce two married women: Mrs. Page and Mrs. Ford. But they’re no bimbos! The wives play along with the hedonist and Falstaff plays right into their trap until hilarity ensues. Don’t miss this eclectic rendition!
Purchase your tickets online at 3Common.com

Fourth of July Open House
2024-07-04 10:00 - 16:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
Join the Deschutes County Historical Society in celebrating the 44th birthday of the Deschutes Historical Museum. Admission is free from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Spend the day with us and play family-friendly games, eat ice cream, and get some hands-on history.

FREE DAY Juneteenth
2024-06-19 10:00 - 16:30 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
Historic Reid School
The Deschutes County Historical Society is celebrating Juneteenth, Wednesday June 19, with a FREE DAY at the Deschutes Historical Museum. Wander the halls of the Reid School building, exploring the not-so-distant past of Deschutes County and the stories highlighting the communities of the High Desert we call home.

Doors open at 10:00 am.
Admission is Free
For more information call 541-389-1813 or email info@deschuteshistory.org

Early Days of Bend Walking Tour
2024-06-15 10:30 - 12:00 | Deschutes Historical Museum, 129 NW Idaho Ave., Bend, OR
The Early Days of Bend Walking Tour
Travel back to when the river ran wild, Ponderosa pines were plentiful and Bend the Beautiful was a town in the making. Discover early Bend through the stories of six “Bendites” and how these residents helped transform a young hamlet into a booming community.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED as space is limited.
Led by knowledgeable and trained museum volunteer.
The tour begins at the Deschutes Historical Museum and ends at Lone Crow Bungalow on Wall St.
1-mile walking distance
90 minutes
$15 General Public
Deschutes Members are free.
For more information contact the Deschutes Historical Museum 541-389-1813.
