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Our next two weeks in the Beaver State were spent in the Bend area of Central Oregon. While in Bend we learned why Oregon is called the Beaver State, and why the Beaver is also the state animal. The fur of the busy rodent was the area’s first lucrative export long before Oregon even became a state. The flourishing trade in Beaver pelts also explains why the area was coveted by five countries: Spain, France, Great Britain, Russia, and the U.S. In an effort to establish an American presence (and to dominate the western fur trade) Oregon’s first permanent settlement, Astoria, was founded in 1810. The American presence was short-lived—the small fort was taken by the British during the War of 1812.

If you are a geography buff you are probably wondering what connects Astoria, located on the western side of the Cascades, to Bend on the other side of the mountains. Technically, the Columbia River does. Astoria was purposely established near the mouth of the northwest’s largest river in an effort to provide the resident trappers with access to all of Oregon Country’s waterways. Waterways were the highways of the era and many of America’s modern cities were conveniently located along them. Bend was no different.

The town, originally called Farewell Bend¹, was laid out along the banks of the Deschutes River in 1900 by a forward-thinking Alexander Drake. Drake chose the spot since it was one of the few places that the river could be forded easily. The Deschutes River, which starts as snow melt draining from Little Lava Lake on the shoulder of Mount Bachelor, flows north through town before eventually emptying into the mighty Columbia. Though not settled until late, the Descutes River Valley had been crisscrossed by trappers and explorers for over 100 years. Early French Canadian trappers were responsible for naming the Rivière des Chutes, the “river of falls”, which was later modified to Deschutes River.

Oregon Country was popularized in the American imagination by trapper’s tales and the 1805–1806 Lewis and Clark expedition. Americans were intent on living in this distant land and claiming it for the good of the nation. The land wasn’t theirs though; by mutual agreement the area was to be shared by the Americans and the British, namely the Hudson’s Bay Company. In an effort to deter Americans from moving to the area, HBC forced its trappers to virtually eliminate all the desirable fur-bearing animals (beaver, mink, otter, and marten) in the region. Though the British eventually lost Oregon Country to the U.S., the HBC plan worked fairly well since early settlers largely ignored Central Oregon.

That population trend continues today with the high desert region of the Great Basin ranking as one of the least populous areas in the U.S. With 80,000 residents, Bend is the largest city in Oregon east of the Cascades. With its gorgeous surroundings and mild climate, it is easy to see why people flock there. The city which has grown to straddle the Deschutes lies at roughly 3,500’ in an area shaped by volcanism. Just east of downtown, Pilot Butte, a 188,000-year-old cinder cone, rises 500’ above the valley floor. The only two cities in the continental U.S. to have extinct volcanoes within their limits are Bend and Portland, both in Oregon.

We participated in a Bend tradition by walking up to the top of Pilot Butte one cool, yet sunny, afternoon. The Butte afforded us a 360-degree view of the city and the surrounding area. Our eyes were first drawn to the tall, white-topped peaks of the Cascades to the west. To the south many of the four hundred distinctively-shaped, dark cinder cones were visible to the naked eye, while to the east the high desert stretched into the distance. The peaks in the Cascades are the remains of some of the oldest volcanic activity in the area. It is rather fitting that the Cascade Range, which stretches from British Columbia to California, got its name from the Columbia River since it is the only river to cut through the mountains. The Cascades Rapids were the last hurdle on the Columbia River that the Lewis and Clark expedition faced. Their name for the rapids became the name for the mountains, although they did not name them. The only Cascade peak they named was Mount Jefferson after President Jefferson, who sponsored their expedition.

Dominating the western skyline are Mount Bachelor, the Three Sisters, Mount Washington, Three Fingered Jack, and Mount Jefferson. The shortest of these at just under 8,000’, Mount Washington and Three Fingered Jack, are also the oldest, forming at least 200,000 years ago. Both have been dramatically sculpted by glaciation, creating their rugged, jagged appearance. The tallest in the area—and second highest in Oregon—is Mount Jefferson at 10, 497’. The Three Sisters follow right behind with the youngest, South Sister at 10,358’, Middle Sister at 10,047’ and the North Sister at 10,085’. The Three Sisters rank as Oregon’s 3rd, 4th and 5th highest peaks and between them they have fifteen named glaciers on their flanks. Mount Bachelor rounds out the peaks with a meager 9,065’. Of the peaks, Mount Bachelor is probably the most famous, since it is home to a popular ski resort of the same name.

Though it doesn’t have an imposing peak, the Newberry Volcano south of Bend arguably had the most affect on the region. Active for millions of years before it finally collapsed, the Newberry volcano covered over 500 square miles with volcanic material. The lava from Newberry flowed as far north as Bend, while fissures in the sides of the volcano led to the creation of hundreds of cinder cones. Both Pilot Butte in Bend and Lava Butte south of Bend are reminders of Newberry’s underlying activity. With unusual features like the Lava Cast Forest, Big Obsidian Flow, Lava River Cave, and its prolific cinder cones, Newberry earned protection as Newberry National Volcanic Monument in 1990.

We took advantage of the few non-rainy afternoons and explored several sections of the Monument. The Lava Cast Forest was easily the oddest volcanic feature I have ever seen. 6,000 years ago molten lava flowed from a vent through an ancient forest. As you can imagine, many of the trees instantly burned up while others were toppled and pushed downhill. Amazingly, some of the trees withstood the heat long enough that the lava began to cool around their trunks, leaving behind rock-solid evidence of their existence. The name should be changed to “Lava Mold Forest” to be technically correct, but somehow it just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.

My favorite excursion was the cold afternoon that we spent hiking through the Big Obsidian Flow, which formed only 1,300 years ago. Our short hike was supposed to wander through the hardened rock waves of the flow, but since it had been such a wet winter the trail was completely snowed in. We hiked through the area anyway and the stark contrast of the blindingly white snow with the glossy black rock was impressive.

Vast sections of the flow were so devoid of life that it seemed like a landscape from a different planet. Apparently we weren’t the only ones to think that, since astronauts in the Apollo space program trained here in 1964 and 1966. We would have had a great view across the valley to the Cascades, but it was such a cloudy day we couldn’t even see Paulina Peak (the highest point of the Newberry caldera rim at 7,985’) which towered right above us.

Though the most recent eruptive activity took place over 1,000 years ago, the Newberry volcano is not extinct. Not far underground water reaches 540 degrees Fahrenheit, which means that there is a really hot magma source nearby. The Davenport Power Company is currently drilling and testing for reliable geothermal activity to generate electricity. The company has preliminary estimates that suggest the hot water could create enough energy to power 80,000 homes.

Bend is a beautiful city with miles of urban trails, a walkable downtown, a lovely river, and boundless outdoor activities nearby: downhill skiing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, biking, fishing (both fly-fishing and regular), boating, camping, rafting, hiking, horseback riding, and rock climbing. As you might imagine, Bend is a popular city. Perhaps a bit too popular? In 2007 Bend earned the dubious distinction of having the country’s most overpriced housing market. The upturn was driven by the rapid development of huge retirement and vacation resort communities which have sprung up outside the city. While growth and change can be good things, Bend was recently called “the new Boulder” in an article (see USA Today, May 26, 2008), a pronouncement that not all the residents are happy with.

Of all the things we expected of Bend: a great brewery, nice people, outdoor activities, et cetera, we did not expect to find Hawaiian culture. First, we stumbled across a Hawaiian restaurant (which was very good by the way), then we walked by a small Hawaiian boutique downtown, next we read about a popular Bend musician that plays Hawaiian tunes, and finally the Islanders were mentioned by our guide at the High Desert Museum. Apparently, the fur trade was responsible for bringing Hawaiian islanders to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

As early as 1785, ships involved in the fur trade were sailing around Cape Horn into the Pacific. The ships first stopped in Hawaii to trade for sea otter pelts and pick up willing workers. Then the ships sailed up the Columbia River to purchase bales of pelts from Astoria or Fort Vancouver. With holds full of pelts the ships would then sail to China to exchange the pelts, which were highly prized for use as hats², coats, and blankets. In return the ships would fill their holds with items that buyers in New England craved: spices, tea, silk, and porcelain. Through the years several hundred Hawaiians stayed in Oregon Country working for the trapping companies and eventually settling down. The Owyhee River in southeastern Oregon was named after a group of these early “immigrants.”

And I guess that is one of the things we like most about our RV lifestyle: we learn new things about this amazing country, and about ourselves, along the way.

Photos: View our photographs from Bend, Oregon.

Notes: We stayed in the Bend area (La Pine, Oregon and Bend, Oregon) from 05/25/08 to 06/06/08.

¹ Lance feels like we need to explain the title “Farewell Bend.” It might seem like it would be more correct to say “Farewell, Bend” with a comma. But, the title is a play on the original city name as well as a the act of leaving Bend behind as we headed over the Cascades to the Portland area. ↩

² As I mentioned, beaver pelts were used for hats. In the old days hatters would soak the hides in mercury to remove the hairs. The hairless “felt” was then shaped into fashionable hats. The constant exposure to mercury affected the minds of many of the hatters, hence the phrase “mad as a hatter.” ↩