BEND, OR -- They say you can’t stop progress. But a group from the University of Oregon is working to make sure a piece of Bend history isn’t lost in the process. Archeologist Brian Lane is leading a dig at the Nels and Lillian Anderson Homestead site, which is directly in the path of the future Highway 97 North Corridor Project, "We’re really mitigating the work that will be done with the highway construction because there’s not really much wiggle room in terms of the planning on the ODOT side, as I understand it," he tells KBND News, "So, that kind of necessitates the work here to record and preserve as much information about this site as possible."
The team from from the University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History is digging up an old trash dump, "We’re finding a lot of household materials that’s coming out, like glass and bits of metal and ceramic plates and cups that have been broken and discarded through use, over time," says Lane, "And what’s really nice and unique about this site, in particular, is we’ve got such a nice story and such a nice connection with Nels and Lillian Anderson’s house, and their story in the history of Bend, in general." Nels and Lillian Anderson operated one of the area's first dairy farms on 800 acres. The house was built in 1930, but the patent on the property dates back to the teens. Lane says, "It coincides quite nicely with the construction of the Swalley Canal, which is just adjacent to our site. In the past, it was an open canal that ran right next to the property. They were probably dumping their trash right next to the canal. And then, another 20 or 30 yards beyond the canal, we have railroad, as well. So, there’s a lot of very important infrastructure in Bend’s history that’s right adjacent to where this farmstead, this homestead was built."
The home is just north of Empire, at the south end of what's now Nels Anderson Road. Currently, Instant Landscaping runs its business from the location. Lane says there is hope that building will be saved and moved to another location before highway construction begins next year.
