I wrote the piece below just a couple of years ago in hopes of having it published. As I inquire, what if, I feel I should also examine what is and has been. I am trying to remind myself why I have lived and loved Prineville for so many years.
My Kind of Town-Prineville,
Oregon
“It’s hard to make a living here… but easy to
make a life.”
Eleven years ago I loaded up what
little possessions I owned and drove thirteen hours to what I thought would be
my temporary home, Prineville, Oregon. Located
in the heart of Central Oregon near the well-known town of Bend, Prineville is
a small, old-fashioned town with a unique charm and intimacy. People in this part of the country have a set
of values different than you would find in a big city. We smile at each other, talk to strangers,
wave at each other when we pass on the street and we spend much of our time
outdoors. We cherish the outdoors. We are a community of ranchers, fishermen,
hunters, snowmobilers, boaters, hikers and bikers. There are towns close to us that boast larger
populations and certainly higher income levels but none are as friendly. Our population of cattle is larger than that
of the people, and that is a good thing. We buy our beef from local ranchers or
raise it ourselves. Calving season is
one of the best times to see our valley, coming upon a new baby being licked
clean by a mama that has just pushed it into the harsh winter winds while the
bald eagles swoop down to snack on the after birth.
The scenery is filled with stark contrasts. Dry sagebrush and juniper-covered mesas drop
suddenly into spacious green ranch and farmland. High Cascade mountain peaks with year-round
snow serve as the western background while pine-forested smaller mountains
grace the East. High rimrock buttes
jutting skyward greets visitors at all six gateways into town.
Prineville is like one of the
junipers that cover its hills, its roots are deep but only because it seeks the
simple necessities of life. It clings
tightly to those roots and yet dwells in the modern age as well. It grows and shrinks, as most small towns do,
with the booms and busts of the business cycle.
We have an economy that has depended at times on cattle, lumber and
tires. Currently it is a mix of the
three. The sheep and cattle wars were
big in these parts. Now many people
raise both, a compromise based on the usefulness of each.
Nature at its finest exists in our
sunrises and sunsets, as they blaze red, yellow, purple, pink and blue. Our town is laid out along the convergence of
Ochoco Creek and the Crooked River. Both
have been dammed and the reservoirs that have resulted provide endless water
recreation and fishing. The water system
of canals pouring from these reservoirs feeds the farm and ranch lands and is
one of the geniuses driven by man’s desire for a better life, taking a once dry
desert landscape and turning it green.
At Christmas time the town adorns
the streetlights of Main and Third with lighted candy canes nestled inside cowboy
boots and cowboy hats overflowing with presents. The courthouse, grey stone with a domed white
clock tower, is one of the oldest in the state, built in 1909. Ivy covers the front reaching the third story
as it meanders along the stone walls. A
fountain greets visitors and leads to a large staircase and twelve foot tall
double oak doors. We have a bike path
which follows Ochoco Creek through town and is frequented by young and
old. Our library is located close to the
river, inviting you to check out a book and stroll along the rippling
water.
On the Fourth of July, our fire
department puts on a fireworks display from the top of the viewpoint which
overlooks our quaint town. We sit
nestled under our blankets watching the colors blaze in the sky while the temperature
drops 20 degrees. Everyone waits in eager anticipation for the hill to be lit on fire. Town members are disappointed if this part of the tradition is missing. Our summers are hot,
as you would expect from a desert, but not too hot. We tend to only have a few days in the 90-100
degree range. Most of our summer is spent in the comfortable 80’s. If you are
uncomfortable with the heat on any given day you can climb high enough to see
that temperature drop into the 60’s or plunge into a local lake to cool off. We see sunshine almost 300 days per year
which improves the attitudes of most of us.
Our winters are cold, sometimes snowy and windy. It’s hard to make a living here… but it’s
easy to make a life. On any given day we
could hike a Cascade mountain, canoe a local lake, climb Smith Rock, snowshoe
an unknown trail, or simply sit in the peace of a slow, quiet, sun-filled day
and warm our souls. Mt. Bachelor is less than an hour away for skiers and
snowboarders. Bend, a 45 minute drive,
offers the best shopping for the necessities of life and wonderful places to
eat. You can drive the Crooked River
Canyon as it winds gracefully through the high jagged rimrock cliffs, and
caresses grassy fields and imagine how it carved this area with its once fierce
waters, now dammed, tamed. Hawks and
eagles patrol the river and I have once witnessed the quick grasp of a trout
out of the rippling river by a majestic eagle that took off to savor its kill
with the fish flopping in its talons.
When nature has satisfied, town
offers the Pine Theater, a restored single-screen theater from a forgotten
age. The county rodeo and fair are the
two biggest events of the year and draw visitors from all over the state. Everyone turns out for the parade and cattle
drive through town. The grandstands
during the rodeo are filled with cowboy hats, brand new Wranglers and stiff,
starched shirts. On Sunday afternoon
there is a stick horse race for all the kids.
They are rewarded with ice cream cones for their effort and the winner
receives a buckle. Our fair might be
small on rides but it is big on animals.
Future Farmers of America and 4-H are well represented in our community
as youngsters learn how to make a living through the proper care and feeding of
their animals.
We now have five stoplights which
sometimes feels like too many. Our
biggest traffic jams are during hunting season when it seems as if the whole
state passes through to the surrounding mountains on a quest for meat to fill
the freezer and possibly a trophy set of antlers. A large percentage of students in our schools
take the time off to hunt as well.
Providing our own food is goal many of us share. We can grow a nice garden here but always
have to be prepared to cover it, even in July, if the frost hits. We still know how to cook for ourselves from
what we grow, gather, fish and hunt. The
Native Americans loved this valley for all it provided. I imagine the settlers were encouraged by our
fertile river bottom soil, the abundance of animals and the long sunny summer
days.
I have been a visitor of Prineville
my whole life. I moved to Prineville
from Montana thinking I would someday go back there, but Prineville has held me
with its welcoming comfort that always makes me take a deep breath and sigh
with a knowing I have found home.
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