Long before it was a bustling city, the land that is now Bend was home to the Wana Łama (Warm Springs), Wasq’u (Wasco), and Northern Paiute tribes. They lived off the rich resources of the Deschutes River—hunting, fishing, and gathering for generations. This region, once boasting abundant salmon runs, served as a seasonal gathering and trade area for these tribes :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}.
In the 1820s, fur trappers led by Peter Skene Ogden first ventured into the area, followed by army survey groups like John C. Frémont’s party. By the late 1800s, pioneers traveling west recognized the strategic river crossing—a double bend in the Deschutes—and began calling the area “Farewell Bend.” This name stuck for a time and eventually evolved into simply “Bend,” officially adopted in 1886 when John Sisemore established a post office :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}.
In the 1870s, Missourian John Young Todd purchased land and founded “Farewell Bend Ranch.” Later, in 1881, John Sisemore acquired the ranch. As more settlers arrived in the 1890s, agricultural and ranching activities spread across Central Oregon’s high desert plains :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}.
The Pilot Butte Development Company launched the first commercial sawmill in 1901, kickstarting Bend’s transformation. By 1904, a fledgling community of roughly 300 souls voted to incorporate, and in January 1905, the city was officially born with A. H. Goodwillie as its first mayor :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}.
The arrival of the Oregon Trunk Line Railroad in 1911 brought connectivity, enabling large-scale timber operations. By 1916, two giants—the Shevlin‑Hixon and Brooks‑Scanlon mills—lined the Deschutes River, drawing workers and rapidly pushing population from 536 (1910) to over 5,000 by 1920 :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}.
In 1910, the Bend Water, Light & Power Company dammed the river to create Mirror Pond, supplying electricity to homes and businesses. That same year, Deschutes County was formed with Bend as its county seat :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}.
By 1950, the mills were exhausted of timber; Shevlin‑Hixon was absorbed and shuttered, leading to economic decline :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}. Yet Bend reinvented itself in the latter 20th century as a gateway to outdoor recreation—mountain biking, skiing Mount Bachelor (established 1958), fishing, rafting, and golf, turning it into both a retirement haven and tourist destination :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}.
Numerous historic landmarks remain: the Goodwillie–Allen House (built 1904 by Bend’s first mayor), the N. P. Smith Pioneer Hardware Store (1909), and the Old Mill District’s rehabilitated smokestacks and mills, now a vibrant mixed-use area :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}.
The city’s cultural fabric includes Drake Park (dedicated to developer Alexander Drake), the High Desert Museum (opened 1982), Tower Theatre (restored 2004), Pine Tavern (since 1936), the annual Roundabout Art Route, and the quirky fact that Bend hosts the world’s last Blockbuster video store—“The Last Blockbuster” at 211 NE Revere Avenue :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}.