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The Nugget
IDE S N I E GUID UT P U L L AOV E &S
POSTAL CUSTOMER PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Vol. XLVII No. 32
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Trail shuttle services approved
Parade of classics…
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
The Central Oregon T-Bums, all with 1926 or 1927 Fords, made a safety and navigation stop in Sisters before traveling historic Highway 242 to Dee Wright Observatory. The group stopped again in Sisters on their return journey, bringing out scores of curious onlookers as they paraded through town.
Power outage hit area north of Sisters Some 300 Sisters-area households north of Sisters Eagle Airport experienced a power outage for approximately three hours on Wednesday, July 31. According to Central Electric Cooperative (CEC), the outage was impacted by safety precautions in place during the height of fire season. The majority of CEC members in Sisters area north
of the airport had their power restored at approximately 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. “Due to CEC’s system being set to sensitive settings because of wildfire season, line crews had to visually inspect overhead lines before re-energizing the power lines,” CEC reported. “Once re-energized, crews were able See OUTAGE on page 13
Firefighters bracing for challenging August Firefighters as of last week had harnessed a temporary break of cooler weather and no new lightning fires to add miles and miles of new containment lines across large wildfires on national forests in Oregon and Washington. But after just a short 72-hour reprieve, wildfire
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conditions across much of the Pacific Northwest came roaring back. “August is showing us nothing but hot, dry, windy conditions and dry lightning all in the first week,” said Ed Hiatt, Pacific Northwest Assistant Fire Director See FIREFIGHTERS on page 20
The Forest Service plans to issue permits to allow recreation shuttle outfitter and guide services to bring hikers and cyclists to Sisters trails for a year. Sisters District Ranger Ian Reid announced the decision in a letter to stakeholders on August 2. The permits will include some mitigations to address concerns raised by the public about the proposals. “We used public comments received to build in appropriate mitigations where possible and will make those mitigation terms and conditions of the permit,” Reid told The Nugget. “We eliminated certain trails from the proposal that may See SHUTTLE on page 9
New leadership for cemetery By Sue Stafford Correspondent
Within the confines of the 2.1, acres known to most locals as Camp Polk Cemetery, lie hundreds of clues regarding the history of Sisters and its inhabitants. There are no well-manicured lawns, paved walking paths, or orderly rows of gravestones. Rather, there are bird houses, horseshoes and other cowboy paraphernalia, a variety of personal memorabilia, and more than a little humor as well as sentimental pathos on display. The land the cemetery inhabits was originally part of the Samuel Hindman homestead which was established after a single winter encampment in 1865-66 by soldiers from Polk County, Company A, 1st Regiment of Oregon Infantry. The soldiers built eight log cabins in which they spent the winter but returned to the Willamette Valley the following spring. Hindman homesteaded the meadow in 1873 and established a post office called Camp Polk in 1875. The
PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD
Some headstones at Camp Polk Cemetery are vivid and “Western.” The cemetery is historic. Hindman homestead became Polk. an important stage stop on The current number the wagon road between of gravesites is a movethe Willamette Valley and able figure with some estiPrineville and the first com- mates being 170-200 and munity in the Sisters area. As FindAGrave website listing the number of settlers grew in 340 names of people interred the area, a place was needed there. About 324 is probably to bury their dead. In 1880, the most accurate. the Hindman family set aside The oldest known grave is a portion of their homestead that of Thomas Summers who as a two-acre cemetery on was interred July 8, 1880. No the top of a nearby hill which See CEMETERY on page 5 also took the name of Camp
Letters/Weather ............... 2 In the Pines........................7 Entertainment .................12 Tight Lines.......................16 Crossword ...................... 20 Meetings .......................... 3 Announcements...............10 Roundabout Sisters .........14 Obituaries .......................19 Classifieds..................21-22