Sisters Pioneering Spirit - Naomi Smith

Sisters Longest Continuous Resident– Naomi Smith

Sitting in Naomi Smith’s cozy seventy-four year old home in downtown Sisters, I felt as welcome and relaxed as the doe and small fawn munching grass just outside her front door. At eighty-nine Naomi continues to live a“pioneering” life while maintaining a sense of humor and optimism. (She asked for my “credentials” as I walked up to her home – then broke out laughing at the look on my face…)

Naomi Belle (Carroll) Smith has lived in Sisters since 1933. Born in 1919, in Drewsey, Oregon (a small farming community about 60 miles southeast of Burns), Naomi was one of six children born to George and Marie Carroll. “I’m pretty sure I’m the oldest continuously-living resident of Sisters,” she stated.

The Carroll’s circuitous journey to Sisters mirrors the times in which they lived. Naomi’s father, George Carroll, a WWI vet, served in Illinois as a Sergeant in the Medical Corp. After the war George was discharged back to Bend, marrying Marie Sosinsky in Dubuque, Iowa on the way home.

The Carroll’s stay in Bend was short-lived.

While visiting relatives in Drewsey, George borrowed $10,000 and bought the Drewsey Garage, which he operated from 1919 – 1923, during which time Naomi and two sisters were born. Unfortunately times got hard in the area and things had to change.The family moved back to Bend from 1923 – 1928 and George worked in a variety of trades and purchased land from his brother who owned Carroll Acres (just south of Reed Market Road at the time).

In 1928, when Naomi was ten, they moved to Burns and George purchased and operated an auto garage – and found time to play his banjo with Homer Reed’s Orchestra at dances throughout Harney County.

Life was good for the Carroll’s - until the stock market crash of 1929.With no work in Burns the Carroll’s packed up their Reo Flying Cloud Sedan and headed for Stockton, California.

“My father and his cousin, Frank Carroll, saw a “for sale” ad for a garage in Stockton so they decided to move us all there and buy it. When we got there the owner decided not to sell. We were stuck in Stockton for three years during the depression,” said Naomi.

Families survived the depression years any way that they could. The Carroll’s tried watermelon farming but it was George’s banjo playing that fed and clothed his family.

“I finally got in with an orchestra and played three years over the same radio station. I didn’t make much, but with two dances a week we managed to live,” recalled George later in life.

But by 1933 it wasn’t enough to sustain the family. George heard from family members in Sisters that new sawmills were being built. The family sold what possessions they could, bought an old four-cylinder Chevrolet and headed north in July of 1933.

Naomi, then about fifteen, recalls the road trip. “We drove over the unpaved McKenzie Pass (the Santiam Pass highway had not yet been built.) We must not have had any money because, when we ran out of gas and had a flat tire at the same time, my father asked for a dollar from my piggy bank. He walked all the way to town for gas and still had to fix the flat tire.”

The Carroll’s “squatted” on private land on the southeast edge of Sisters along an irrigation ditch, which they used for water. George built a one-room house with a separate outhouse from materials salvaged from abandoned homesteads in the area.

Unfortunately a timber company owned the land and, about two years later, the Carroll’s were evicted from the property.Again the ever-resourceful George, with the help of his cousin George Wilson who owned a team of logging horses, came up with a plan.

They hoisted and “skidded” the home on three large ponderosa pine logs a short way north along the irrigation ditch to land that George Carroll had purchased.

Today it still rests on those three ponderosa pines and is now Naomi’s home, located on the corner of South Larch and Jefferson. Over the years George added additional rooms, modernizing it for his growing family. Naomi has lived there since 1933. “My house is a cute little thing, good enough for me – I raised six kids in it,” she proudly stated.

Naomi married Ray Smith in 1940. Ray served in the army for six years and, during his enlistment, she began purchasing her home from her father – for $1,600.

“Army pay was only $100 a month and it was tough making ends meet as a homemaker. I took in ironing and we ate with my parents so I could pay $64 a month to purchase the house,” recalled Naomi.

Naomi is very optimistic about the growth and development of Sisters. “Of course I miss the old days, and the old people who lived here; the town has grown so much! But I think the Chamber is doing an excellent job for the business people,” she said.

2008 Sisters Rodeo - Outlaw Radio Interview with Organizers

2008 Sisters Rodeo - Outlaw Radio Interview with Organizers

Sisters Pioneering Spirits was an interview-style show which aired in 2008 on Outlaw Radio - KZSO 106.5 FM – Sisters' low-power student-run station located in the high school.

I was the host, Bronco Billy, and I explored the lives and journeys of “Sisters Country” people, folks who have been pioneering spirits in the community – and in their individual journeys.

This show went behind the scenes of the 2008 Sisters Rodeo – The Biggest Little Show in the World. This marked the 68th year of the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rodeo in Sisters, an event that continues to draw the top cowboys, cowgirls and stock in the country. The rodeo ran Friday night, June 13th through Sunday, June 15th.

My guests were Bonnie Malone, Secretary of the Rodeo Association’s Board of Directors; Glen Miller, President of the Board; and Billybob Bruhns, Grand Marshall of the 2008 Rodeo Parade.

Enjoy! Check back for the other 2008 Sisters Pioneering Spirits shows that ran in 2008. Here is the link to the audio file:

Are you still running Bill?

Are you still running Bill? (part one)

I get this question a lot. And, if you're also a runner, I suspect you do too. People generally ask that question, I believe, for a couple of reasons. They're either just trying to be friendly because they haven't seen me in awhile; or they've seen me running through town, visible stress on my face, and they wonder if it's worth the effort.

Later this month I will turn fifty-six and I guess, like many aging, aching athletes I'm introspective now about why I "train."

I use the word "training" to mean any form of exercise that I do on a daily basis to raise my heart rate, make me sweat, and use the major muscle groups in my body. And yes, I still train daily except for one day a week which I spend in my office in Bend, Oregon. (I work from my home the other four days.)

In my youth, growing up in a suburb north of Boston, I was an avid ice hockey player. Some would remember me as a gifted athlete who loved to skate on the rinks and ponds around Boston. But as a youth the concept of "training" is generally far removed from the pure joy of participating in your chosen activity.

You participate out of sheer joy and excitement and your youthful body responds by growing larger and stronger. Injuries are generally easily overcome, you bounce back quickly and without fear of further injury. (My wife, a long-time youth gymnastics coach, says "kids don't have ligaments and joints, they're made of rubber.")

I'll never forget my first encounter with athletes that really "trained." Entering the University of Massachusetts, my first dorm roommate was a football player, a big lineman who "worked out" in the gym everyday and did pushups every night before bed.

Kevin tried to encourage me to "work out" with him in the weight room - which I thought was unnecessary. A new hockey player at the school, I assumed my high school years had prepared me adequately for the rigors of college hockey. Wrong.

In retrospect Kevin was right. My eighteen year-old body had aged. The wear and tear of grueling hockey games was already showing up - but my youthful attitude made me believe I was invincible. In more than a few college games I got my "clock cleaned" by bigger and stronger players who had "trained" for the rigors between the blue lines.

After college I left ice hockey behind, having played since I was about seven years old. I quickly realized that lack of daily exercise, combined with an office job (my first real job, believe it or not, was in 1975 as a Group Insurance Underwriter for Liberty Mutual in Boston) makes a guy chubby rather quickly.

I remember vividly my first day on the job. My new boss walked me to my desk, one of about fifty in an open room. As I stood there surveying the sea of people sitting behind desks I thought to myself "I hate this already." I lasted exactly one year.

So, to escape the office environment, during lunch I started running along the Charles River. This was also about the time that "running" really started to catch on across the nation. And having grown up around Boston, everyone was inspired by the Boston Marathon.

This was the start of my "training," which continues to this day. Initially an escape from the reality of an awful job, I found the changes to my body (mentally & physically) to be wonderful. My body firmed-up again as my fitness level increased and I returned to the office with an improved attitude (which research would later link to increased endorphin levels.)

By 1976 "training," for me, became a healthy addiction. (And yes, I had several unhealthy habits that began in high school and continued through college...)

But it wasn't until I finally woke up and followed my passions that my reasons for "training" began evolving. In 1977 I drove my '69 VW Karmann Ghia across country (in January, no heat or defroster, wearing inflatable Air Force boots to keep my feet from freezing), having enrolled in graduate school (physical education) at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

It was there that several new friends encouraged me to train for a local 15K race. 9.2 miles at 7,000 ft. sounded like huge challenge at the time. But I had been gradually increasing my distances, challenging myself to set goals and achieve them. I wasn't a competitor in that race, I was a "participant," finishing with a sense of accomplishment - and a hunger for more.

My reason for "training" had just taken a new turn. Could I go farther? Speed was not important to me at all. Afterall, I was a former ice hockey player who simply realized that running provided me with "exploring" opportunities. And there's no better place than the forests surrounding Flagstaff.

In 1978 a teaching internship at Eastern Arizona College in Safford provided me the time and opportunity to extend my training distances. Running in the desert also taught me a few valuable lessons. One, stay hydrated or die. Two, people shot coyotes for money, piling their skinned carcasses in the desert...but we've all seen interesting things while running, eh?

A poor graduate student at the time, Eastern Arizona College took pity on me, sent me down to the local Western Hardware Store (which sold everything from tools to shoes) to purchase a new pair of athletic shoes. Desperately in need of a new pair of training shoes, the only thing the store carried, running shoe-wise, were red split-leather Converse "running shoes."

At the time I wondered how leather, thin midsoles, and the hot desert conditions would affect my feet - but this was all they stocked and, what the hell, they were free!

I'd soon find out what happens to feet when you combine those elements with white cotton socks, no vaseline, and 26-miles of warm pavement.

Encouraged by my new fitness level I entered the 1978 Tucson Marathon - simply to see if I could run that far. My goal was simple - finish the race. A gorgeous course in and around Tucson, I started slowly and kept a steady pace. By mile 18 or so I was still feeling fine, which amazed me because I had never measured my training distances, simply ran by time.

A fellow participant came alongside me and said "If you continue this pace you could break 3:30 - the qualifying time for the Boston Marathon!" He had no idea I was from Boston. But the thought of traveling back to Boston took hold as I continued my steady pace.

It was about mile 20 when I learned my first "shoe technology" lesson (there were many more to come in subsequent years.) My light-colored red leather running shoes were becoming a deeper, darker shade across the toes. My toes had all blistered and were now bleeding - profusely.

Lesson learned - your mind and upper body can feel great - but if you get a flat tire you can be in big trouble. Or, as we say in farrier-speak, "no hoof, no horse!"

I finished the race. (As many of you know, the painful part is the blister creation, once they break the pain dissipates somewhat - and you either grit your teeth and keep going - or quit.) And I surprisingly broke 3:30 by a minute or so, qualifying me for the 1978 Boston Marathon.

Excited by accomplishing my goal of finishing a marathon, my reason for training was now evolving. I knew I could finish a marathon - but could I actually go a little faster than 3:30?

I'd find out at Boston.

(Next blog: my mental evolution from hockey player to road runner begins.)

Article published in The Nugget News 5/13/09

Sisters Remains a 'Distressed' Community by Bill M.

Sisters remains a "distressed community" by the standards of the Oregon Economic & Community Development Department (OECDD.)

Sisters earned that dubious distinction last year. This year, the community can take cold comfort in knowing that Sisters shares the label with the rest of Deschutes County.

Back in March 2008 Sisters was labeled a "severely distressed community" by OECDD. Michael W. Anderson, economic analyst with the Oregon Economic & Community Development Department, based in Portland, explained, "the agency uses both state and federal data that are available annually to look at counties statewide in four areas: percentage of the population with a bachelor's degree age 25 or higher, unemployment rate, percentage of the population below poverty and per-capita income."

Sisters received the "severely distressed" designation for being below the state average in all four categories.

At that time Oregon's overall unemployment rate was 5.5 percent, slightly above the U.S. average of 5.1 percent.Fast-forward to March 2009 and the economic situation in Sisters, as in all of Oregon, has worsened. Escalating home foreclosures combined with job layoffs weigh heavily on Sisters Country residents this year.

OECDD published the 2009 "Distressed Counties" data for Oregon last week on their Web site at www.oregon4biz.com/distlist.htm - and the news is not good.Oregon's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has jumped to 12.10 percent (up from 5.5 percent a year ago). In comparison, the US unemployment rate rose to 8.5 percent (from 5.1 percent last year).

The data for the Bend/Deschutes County Metropolitan Service Area is sobering. Unemployment more than doubled, to 14.7 percent, up from 6.7 percent a year ago.Crook County also experienced skyrocketing unemployment, hitting 18.5 percent this year, up from 8 percent in 2008. Jefferson County's rate is 16.2 percent this year, compared to 8.6 percent in 2008.

Michael W. Anderson, with the OECDD, explained recently that, when Oregon's overall unemployment rate tops 8 percent, the department shifts its data generation from singling-out distressed communities to identifying "temporary distressed counties.""The temporary methodology is used when the current unemployment rate in Oregon exceeds 8 percent," Anderson said.

"To determine whether a county is distressed, the only factor reviewed is the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for that county. If that county's unemployment rate exceeds 8 percent in a month in which Oregon's unemployment rate exceeds 8 percent, the county is distressed. All places and cities within a distressed county are considered distressed," added Anderson.

So Sisters, along with all our surrounding communities within Deschutes County is considered distressed.

The only way to come off the distressed county list is to have unemployment fall below 8 percent, which is not likely to happen anytime soon. Most observers expect the rate to keep rising throughout 2009.