The Cyrus Family Interview - May 2008

(Full audio file at the bottom of the article)

The Cyrus Family Interview took place in KZSO FMLP's studio in Sisters on May 13th 2008. Part of the Sisters Pioneering Spirits radio show, Keith, Grant, and Matt Cyrus spoke about their family roots, community spirit, and recent development activities surrounding Aspen Lakes.

(Pictured above, bottom row, left to right: Keith, Grant, and Matt Cyrus; back row, left to right: Thomas Arends, Bill Mintiens)

The Cyrus family have roots here in Central Oregon that go back to the 1880’s, having homesteaded land in the area of the National Grasslands near Prineville before moving up to the Sisters Country. The family even has ties to the tragic Donner Party, a group of California-bound settlers caught snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the winter of 1846–1847.

The Cyrus’ are perhaps best known for their development of the Aspen Lakes Golf Course and accompanying home site development. But long before Aspen Lakes the Cyrus family were very involved in agriculture, early school re-districting in Sisters (pulling away from Redmond), and the creation of a local fire department.

The program also explored the more recent family business activities including the opening of the Brand 33 restaurant and their recent efforts to develop their property into a destination resort.

The Sisters Pioneering Spirits radio show explored the lives and journeys of “Sisters Country” people, folks who’ve truly been “pioneering spirits” in the community and in their individual journeys. The show was designed to entertain, educate, and inspire Sisters residents and visitors by introducing them to a range of people – musicians to civic leaders to families who have lived here for many generations.