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COVER STORY PAGE 22 • GO! MAGAZINE THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 • THE BULLETIN The 1990s in Central Oregon BY MAKENZIE WHITTLE The Bulletin I n one Bulletin end of year column writ- ten by former publisher John Costa in 1998, he described the year before as “hard to remember a recent time when our political culture was so uncertain, or our se- curity in the world so hard to gauge.” Read- ing that with 2020 freshly in the rearview mirror may give you a chuckle. Though it certainly doesn’t feel like it, the 1990s concluded two decades ago. Defined through fashions of flannel and frosted tips, bubble gum pop and grunge music and the beginning of the information age, the ’90s lept society into the new mil- lennium with a hefty dose of optimism. Here’s a look back at some local news from that decade with some of the defining and sobering moments, new horizons and some interesting events that stood out. Fires The summer of 1990 in Bend saw one of the most devastating fires blaze right up to the city limits. On Aug. 4 the Awbrey Hall Fire ignited west of Bend near Shevlin Park scorching more than 3,350 acres in just 12 hours. Though the amount of land burned is a fraction of what we saw last summer, the fire destroyed 22 homes. that dotted Central Oregon. When the A similar story came six years later when Brooks-Scanlon mill (at the time owned by the Skeleton Fire scorched 19 homes in the Crown Pacific Ltd.) closed down in 1994, it Sundance subdivision and more than 17,700 marked the end of timber processing in the acres of juniper and ponderosa forest south- area. But no sooner had the saws quit buzz- east of Bend. That year was the ing, developer Bill Smith had a vision for worst fire season the state had the area to be revitalized into the Old seen up until that point. Mill District we know today. Now, it seems like ev- But at the time, many wondered ery few years Oregon if the town could sustain “two has a record fire sea- downtowns” as one 1999 Bulle- son, but these two that tin article stated. hit the closest to home Turns out it can. and stand out vividly Growth in residents who lived Bend grew up in the ’90s. The through them. town transformed from the sleepy Another fire story that mill and mountain town to one of hit close to home took Bulletin file photo the top destinations and places to place hundreds of miles The Awbrey Hall Fire roared live by the mid-’90s. away in Colorado. In Deschutes County was the fast- 1994 the Prineville Hot- past Skyliners Road shortly shots traveled to Glen- before sunset Aug. 4, 1990. est growing county in the state during the 1990s, a trend that has wood Springs to help continued, with Bend taking the with the fire fighting ef- lead in population booms, starting with forts on Storm King Mountain. But the fire around 24,000 people and doubling by the progressed quickly and they were trapped by the flames. Fourteen firefighters died, in- end of the decade. With all that growth, infrastructure and cluding nine from the Prineville crew. the county itself had to adapt for the influx Mills of people. In 1991, U.S. Highway 97 be- tween Bend and Redmond was widened to The ’90s also saw the closure of the mills four lanes — which at this point seems hard to imagine any other way now. In Bend, new plans were laid with the building of the Bend Parkway in 1997, a new downtown library was built and the Deschutes Public Library District was formed in 1999, which expanded access and unified the libraries throughout the county, as well as the cre- ation of a whole new fairground and expo center in Redmond (1999). From the depths of the archives Of course, no look back would be com- plete without some of the more … unusual stories that garnered at least an article in The Bulletin. In one truly “only in the ’90s” story from 1994, angry Star Trek fans flooded the phone lines to a local TV station, The Bulle- tin as well as Bend Cable (now BendBroad- band) when the first hour of the series finale of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was blacked out. The two-hour episode “All Good Things” was originally broadcast on May 23, but the Eugene station KEZI, which the show aired on, delayed it a week to May 28. Eventually, local Trekkies got to see the episode in its entirety two weeks after its original broadcast date. e e Reporter: 541-383-0304, mwhittle@bendbulletin.com The test of time: How well do you know the ’90s? Even by today’s standards, the 1990s were an eventful decade, with plenty of scandals, early iterations of reality TV, forbidden dances and more. But considering 1999 was 21 years ago, it’s been a while. How well do you remember the details? Take our quiz and find out! Bend’s boutique medical spa... û nding beauty in the details. 20% OFF ALL SERVICES IN DECEMBER WITH PURCHASE OF $100 GIFT CARD d ller an Fi F ro e WINTER SPECIAL wn lin Text xt inquiries to 541-209-00 541-209-0075 www.bendaesthetics.com 1. What was the name of Ross’s pet capu- chin monkey, which appeared in eight epi- sodes of “Friends”? A. Chandler B. Morgan C. Marcel D. Paulo 2. The first season of MTV’s “The Real World” aired in 1992. In which of the below cities was it set? A. San Francisco B. New York {C. Los Angeles D. Miami 3. When it came to the physical move- ments of the titular character in 1999’s “Tar- zan,” the animators took inspiration from the movements of what great athlete? A. A-Rod B. Michael Jordan C. Kelly Slater D. Tony Hawk 4. Before she went solo and became known as a judge on “The Voice” and the fiancée of Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani was the lead singer of what 1990s band? A. No Doubt B. Some Doubt C. Reel Big Fish D. Creed 5. What 1990s film spawned the bestsell- ing soundtrack of all time? A. “Home Alone” B. “The Bodyguard” C. “Armageddon” D. “There’s Something about Mary” 6. With which fellow Britpop band did Oasis have a well-known rivalry? A. Suede B. Pulp C. Elastica D. Blur 7. What was the name of country great Garth Brooks’ rock ‘n’ roll alter-ego? A. Chris Gaines B. Chris Gentry C. Sam Rockwell D. Paul Ramon 8. In what year did ESPN hold its inaugu- ral X-Games? A. 1991 B. 1994 C. 1995 D. 1997 9. What dance form is referred to in the title of 1990’s “The Forbidden Dance”? A. Lambda Lambda Lambda B. The Urkel C. The Lambada D. The Carlton 10. Who drove the infamous white Ford Bronco during law enforcement’s low-speed pursuit of O.J. Simpson in June 1994? A. Al Cowlings B. Kato Kaelin C. Robert Kardashian D. Mark Fuhrman If you answered nine or all correctly, con- gratulations, you’re a ’90s maven! If you answered six to eight correctly, we’ll call it passing. If you answered five or fewer cor- rectly, it’s time to go back to school like Billy Madison. ANSWERS: 1) c, 2) b, 3) d, 4) a, 5) b, 6) d, 7) a, 8) c, 9) c, 10) a BY DAVID JASPER The Bulletin David Jasper: 541-383-0349, djasper@bendbulletin.com