Welcome to the 86 new Banner members. We’re Paige and Mason. The Bend Banner is our way of keeping tabs on this wild, beautiful place we call home. To the mornings that start with coffee and mountain air, the trails that somehow always lead to a brewery, and the kind of small-town stories that remind you why you chose to live here in the first place.

Bend’s Canals

Most mornings, if you get out early enough, the canal path along Reed Market is yours. You and your dog, the sound of moving water, and the kind of quiet that Bend does better than almost anywhere.

It doesn't feel like infrastructure. It feels like a gift.

But that's exactly what it is. The network of irrigation canals winding through Bend and across Central Oregon is one of the coolest pieces of engineering this region has ever seen, and most people walk right past it without knowing the half of it.

The first irrigation ditches were carved into the Central Oregon high desert in the early 1880s, two decades before the city of Bend even existed. A handful of homesteaders needed water to grow hay near the Deschutes River, and the canals followed. As the canals spread, more people arrived to try their hand at farming the rocky soil. The canals didn't just water crops. They made Bend possible.

By 1904 and 1905, the Deschutes Irrigation and Power Company had built a large-scale canal system extending approximately 47 miles, carved through solid basalt, which engineers of the era considered a serious feat. By 1907, the Central Oregon and Pilot Butte Canals had been constructed. What started as a survival tool for homesteaders had become the backbone of an entire region.

Today, those same canals pass through neighborhoods, parks, and backyards…if you’re lucky enough. We frequent two stretches in particular.

The Central Oregon Historic Canal Trail runs from the Deschutes River all the way to Reed Market Road. It includes a tunnel under Highway 97, an undercrossing at Brookswood Blvd, and a pedestrian-activated crossing signal at 3rd Street. It's 3.5 miles of flat, tree-lined path that connects the Old Mill to the east side of town, and most people still don't know it's there. If you ever have the choice between walking Reed Market and dropping down to the canal, take the canal. Every time.

Up north, the Pilot Butte Canal Trail runs from Canal Row Park out to Pine Nursery Park, where the path opens up, and the views do too. On a clear morning, you get the Three Sisters, Pilot Butte, and Mt. Bachelor all at once.

The canals are changing, though. Irrigation districts across the region are replacing open canals with underground pipes to conserve water lost to seepage and evaporation. Some of that is already happening in Bend. The open water you see today may not always be there.

So walk it. Take your dog. Go early when it's quiet, and the light is low, and the water is moving, and nobody is around yet. You're walking the same channel that made this city possible, and boy, is it better than walking alongside cars.

Photo Courtesy of Bend Parks and Rec

A Note on the Spring Mailer

If the Spring Quarterly landed in your mailbox recently, we hope you've had a chance to dig in. And if you made the Mule Deer Shandy or the Cedar Plank Salmon with Herb Butter, we want to see it. Send your photos to us([email protected]), and we may feature them in a future issue. No pressure, but also, we know you made the shandy. Send the photo.

If you planted the native wildflower seed mix, those should be coming in over the next six weeks or so. Same deal. When the blanketflower or the blue flax starts showing up, snap a picture and send it our way. The idea of those same native Central Oregon wildflowers blooming across Bend at the same time is something we think is pretty great.

And a genuine thank you to the local businesses who made this possible. These are Bend people running Bend businesses, and they chose to be part of something community-first. We don't take that lightly, and we hope you don't either.

Missed the Spring Quarterly? There are 6 available here before we close it up.

I want one

This Week’s Conditions
☀️ Sunrise: 5:34 am
🌅 Sunset: 8:29 pm
High Temp: 80°F
Cascade Lakes Highway: Trail Status
Local Shop of the Week: Teal Tea + Art Lounge
Places to go for Locally Made Gifts

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🐾Bend’s Best Good Boys & Good Girls 🐾

🐶 Kaylee – 7 years, Mix
Kaylee is a calm presence who is good with kids, families, and cats. She’s even been known to help groom her fellow cats.

🐱 Oceana – 6 months - Mix
This pup is shy but has been very friendly with everyone. She’s been super sweet and will need some socialization to help her get more acclimated.

🐶 Bella - 1 year- Mix
This sweet girl is ready to move in with her forever family. She loves other dogs and has been very friendly around kids and cats as well.