Wednesday, August 26, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
HISTORY: Museum
is seeking photos,
letters, memorabilia
Continued from page 3
Hodgers9 ancestral families
were among the earliest set-
tlers of Sisters.
The Taylors and Stevens
(Stevens Canyon north of
Indian Ford Road) arrived
in Oregon in 1851 coming
to Harrisburg on the Oregon
Trail and later coming over
the mountains to Central
Oregon. The Taylors had
two daughters. Etta married
William Fryrear (Fryrear
Road) and Martha married
Alfred Cobb (his roadhouse
was located east of town on
the current Lazy Z property).
Martha and Alfred9s daugh-
ter, Sarah Frances <Fannie=,
married the aforementioned
George Stevens (Stevens
Hospital).
After Cobb died, Martha
married Charlie Hindman
who had purchased the former
Camp Polk property north of
town, welcoming travelers
on the Santiam Wagon Road,
that ran from the valley to
Prineville, and establishing
the first post office.
The Thompsons arrived
in Oregon in 1852 via the
Oregon Trail. Their daugh-
ter Sarah Elizabeth mar-
ried Harrison Stevens while
still living in the Willamette
Valley. Their son George,
the aforementioned judge,
married Sarah Cobb, and
they lived in Prineville. The
Thompson9s daughter Bertha
married William Wilson. The
Wilson9s son, also named
George, married Tillie
Davidson (Tillie Wilson,
longtime Sisters teacher)
and they had a daughter
Virginia who married George
Wakefield.
All those Georges, Sarahs,
and Williams and their inter-
mingled relationships will
come to life in the new Sisters
Museum on the corner of East
Cascade Avenue and North
Larch Street when it opens on
September 18. The large fam-
ily tree will be on display at
that time with photos from the
old trunk.
The new home for the
museum couldn9t be more
appropriate. It belonged to
George and Virginia (Wilson)
Wakefield. George served
as Sisters first fire chief and
the building behind the house
was where the ambulance
was parked. He also owned
Wakefield9s garage, which
burned in June 1960. In 1935
he bought land and started
the present airport, with
the help of Forest Service
employees and Civilian
Conservation Corps men. It
had a grass landing strip. The
Wakefield house is located in
the same block as the home
that belonged to Virginia9s
parents, George and Tillie
Wilson, the brown house to
the east of Suttle Tea.
The board of the histori-
cal society would like every-
one with Sisters roots to look
around their attics, garages,
houses, and storage areas to
see if they, too, might pos-
sess some long-ago photos,
letters, or memorabilia that
could enrich the story of
Sisters history. Donations are
most welcome, and they are
also pleased to receive items
on loan for display in the
museum.
If that old trunk had never
been discovered before
Stevens Hospital was demol-
ished, and passed on to fam-
ily members, a big chunk of
Hodgers9 family history (and
Sisters history) would be
missing and never shared with
the residents of Sisters and
their visitors. The museum is
focused on not letting Sisters
history slip through their
fingers. Help them in their
search. Look around.
If old buildings are being
razed, see if there are any
items of historic value. If
unsure, contact the museum
and ask. All the lands in
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23
PHOTO PROVIDED
Martha Taylor Cobb Hindman, in her calico dress and bonnet, standing
in front of the wood-clad Stevens Hospital in Prineville, started by her
daughter Sarah. That is where she left her trunk of precious photographs.
Sisters have stories to tell and
possibly hidden bits of his-
tory. If we don9t know the his-
tory that is Sisters, it is easy to
tear it down or dig it up, with
no understanding of what is
being lost. Part of the charm
that attracts tourists and resi-
dents alike, is Sisters9 unique
character and values, passed
down from the ancestors.
The Sisters Historical
Museum is housed in the
freshly-painted white house
with black trim located at
410 E. Cascade Ave. The
phone number is 541-904-
0585. They are scheduled to
open to the public on Friday,
September 18.