May at the Museum Lecture Series with Steve Lent, Historian Author
The Rise of the Timber Industry in Central Oregon
Thursday May 25, 2023 - 6:30PM
(Doors open at 6:15)
Admission is Free
“Retired” Bowman Museum historian Steve Lent will present a visual program and lecture on the rise of the timber industry in the region. From the time the first settlers arrived there was a need for mill operations to provide lumber for building homes. Over 100 small mills began operating at scattered locations to provide lumber on a local basis. Eventually larger mill operations arrived after the turn of the twentieth century and production of ponderosa pine lumber by mega mills like Shevlin Hixon and Brooks Scanlon in Bend established a major industry in the region. Other big mills followed, and Prineville began large mill operations in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Central Oregon’s economic emphasis became focused on the logging. milling and shipping of lumber to a large market. It was a booming market for several years until it began to decline in the 1990s.
Steve Lent, native of Prineville, has a keen interest in local history and has avidly researched the past of central Oregon and re-photographed rare photos for the Bowman Museum. He has published books on Central Oregon Place Names and the photographic history of our area. In 2001, he was awarded a commendation award from the National Association of State and Local History for contributions to local history. He is a member of the Western Writers of America.
Come learn about the Rise of the Timber Industry in Central Oregon!