Bowman Museum - Crook County History

Crook County Historical Moments

Early Automobile to Bend Too Large for Grade in Cow Canyon
One of the first automobiles to arrive in Bend was purchased in Chicago in 1906 and shipped by rail to
The Dalles.

Color Coded Roads Guided Drivers in Pioneer Days
Early automobile travel in Central Oregon was a true adventure as there was a maze of crossing
roads and no traffic signs to identify routes All roads were narrow and rutted so it was hard to
determine which road was a main road.

Local Cascade Peaks First Scaled in 1923
The summits of two peaks of the Central Oregon Cascades, Three Fingered Jack and Mt. Washington
were first climbed on successive weekends in the summer of 1923.

Wetweather Spring, Waterhole was a Pioneer Drivers’ Haven
Wetweather Spring was located on the old wagon road south from Bend to Silver Lake and later to
Rosland and LaPine.

Arnold Cave was the Source of Bend’s Ice Supply in Pioneer Days
Pioneer settlers in Central Oregon managed to harvest ice from frozen rivers and ponds during the
winter months for storing of perishables and to keep beverages cool. But during summer months it
was often difficult to procure ice.

Forest Fires Took Huge Toll in Early Days
Central Oregon has had numerous large forest fires over the years but until recently none were of
conflagration type. Although large acreages burned the damages were mostly limited to the timber
stands and natural resources.

Lynchings Lead to Opposition of the Vigilantes
Violence reigned supreme in Prineville just before Christmas in 1882. Al Swartz was killed by a
shotgun blast in a local saloon on the evening of December 22 and early the next morning the bodies
of two men ...

Gold Discovered on Ochoco Mountains in 1871
Central Oregon had missed out on the early gold mining activity that had occurred in eastern Oregon,
but in the fall of 1871 a gold discovery was made that created a short burst of mining activity.

Early Freighting was Often a Hazardous Occupation
Early freighters of Central Oregon were hardy men that managed slow plodding horse or mule teams
over narrow, dusty, muddy and sometimes hazardous roads.

Bannock Indian War of 1878 Caused Panic in Local Settlers
The Bannock Indian uprising of 1878 created a tense situation that resulted in many outlying settlers
of Eastern Crook County moving to the safety of Prineville and other communities.

Prineville Planing Mill Provided Finished Lumber for Many Early Homes
As early as 1878 attempts were made to establish a planing mill in Prineville and included construction
of a water ditch to power a planing mill.

Prineville’s First Baseball Team
Prineville was one of the first communities to establish a baseball team in Eastern Oregon in 1890.

First Football Game in Central Oregon Played in 1911
Football was relatively unknown in rural Oregon in the early 1900’s but on a clear, cold and
crisp day in the Fall of 1911 the sport was introduced to the frontier country of Central Oregon.

The Great Land Rush to Central Oregon
One of the last great land rushed for homesteading occurred in Central Oregon shortly after
the turn of the century.

Christmas Tragedy at Silver Lake 1894
A large monument in the cemetery in the small community of Silver Lake, Oregon is a grim reminder
of one of the worst tragedies in the State of Oregon.

Murder at Nicholson & Burmester’s Saloon in 1882
It was a cold night in Prineville on December 22, 1882 when a single gunshot fired through the
window of Nicholson & Burmester’s Saloon ended the life of Al Swartz.

Sheep and Cattle War
In the year 1898 the Cascade Forest Reserve was created and during the first two years of its
existence this Reserve was closed to grazing.

The “Ill-Fated” Cattle Drive of 1880
Cattle drives were not uncommon in Central Oregon prior to the turn of the century when the
areas major industry was stock raising.

A.R. Bowman Memorial Museum