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Deschutes County Celebrates 100th Birthday

BEND, OR -- Deschutes County officially turns 100-years-old, Tuesday. County Commissioners, last week, read a proclamation recognizing the Centennial, which says in part, "Whereas, after years of heated debate, Deschutes County was created on December 13, 1916 and Bend was established as the county seat. Whereas, on December 19, 1916, leaders convened to select the first officers of Deschutes County. Appointments included Judge William Barnes, Commissioners A.L. McIntosh and Lou Smith, District Attorney Harvey DeArmond, Sheriff S.E. Roberts and many others."

 

Also at the meeting, Deschutes Historical Museum Executive Director Kelly Cannon-Miller thanked Commissioners and volunteers for organizing a year of events. "I’m very pleased that, as the Historical Society for the county, that we’ve had such an amazingly successful year in making history real for a whole lot of people. And, that wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Commissioners and the Board."

 

Elected six years ago, Tony DeBone is Deschutes County's 49th Commissioner. He served on the Centennial Committee which organized a number of events over the past year, including a tour of the county’s first car. Commissioner DeBone tells KBND News, "We are the youngest county in the state of Oregon. There are 36 counties and we are the last one, by the vote of the people, that was created from Crook County. So, we basically split Crook County in half in 1916." He adds, "It’s kind of important just for citizens in the county and in Central Oregon to understand ‘hey, this was a significant event – 100 years. Where were our ancestors 100 years ago; what’s the history from a hundred years ago; how were people getting around, feeding themselves, making a living – so, just learning the history of it."
 
A birthday party, complete with cake, will be held at the Deschutes Historical Museum in downtown Bend, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is invited to attend. 
 
To hear more of our conversation with County Commissioner Tony DeBone, click HERE or visit our Podcast Page

 

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