Irrigation and iron rails brought settlers to the Redmond area in the early years of the 20th century — first as speculators that water and the railroad would arrive, and later as farmers and entrepreneurs drawn by their existence.

One family enticed by the prospects was Frank and Josephine Redmond, two North Dakota schoolteachers who, with their daughter Lucile, moved to Central Oregon in 1904.

At the suggestion of then Deschutes Irrigation and Power Co. officials, the family pitched their tent next to the right of way for the company’s under-construction irrigation canal and near a projected rail line, on land just northeast of today’s downtown.

A couple of years later, water began flowing through the canal, a town site was platted and Col. W.A. Belcher began selling real estate from what is now the heart of downtown — SW Sixth Street and Evergreen Avenue.

By July 6, 1910, the little community boasted 216 residents and became an incorporated city. The much-anticipated railroad came through town in 1911, assuring the town’s commercial viability.

Equipped with the basics for development — irrigation water, the railroad and the dirt roads that later would become U.S. Highways 97 and 126 — the High Desert community grew in fits and starts over the decades.

In its history, Redmond has been a potato production and shipping center, a hub for turkey raising and home to several wood product mills. Today, resorts in the area draw tourists and an abundance of industrial land has lured a variety of businesses, big and small. Foresight by early residents made Redmond home to Central Oregon’s regional airport and the Deschutes County Fair, as well as a modern fair and exposition center.

Fanning out

East of Redmond, Powell Butte — an unincorporated community halfway between Redmond and Prineville — was becoming a thriving agricultural center in the early 1900s.

In 1907 Powell Butte’s handful of residents built a school for the area’s seven schoolchildren. Early residents raised sheep for wool. When water reached the area in 1908, agriculture boomed. While the potato no longer is king, Powell Butte continues to lure residents who enjoy rural life.

Five miles to the north of Redmond, Terrebonne began its existence as Hillman — a combination of the names of James Hill and E.H. Harriman, two railroad magnates who raced to lay track into Central Oregon. The name was later changed to Terrebonne, French for “good earth.”

For about 15 years, Terrebonne had a thriving commercial district (including five saloons in 1914) but in the mid-1920s, as improved roads and better vehicles made travel easier, business migrated to Redmond. However, in recent years, Terrebonne has seen a resurgence and is home to restaurants, banks, a supermarket and hardware store.

To the west of Terrebonne, a community grew on what was once a cattle ranch. Seattle developer Bill McPherson purchased the former working cattle ranch in 1971 to develop a recreational home community. Since then, Crooked River Ranch has evolved into a permanent community of about 5,000 residents. In addition to the nearly 10,000 one- to 5-acre lots, the ranch has a golf course and small commercial district. The original ranch site was purchased by a Texas oilman in 1910, and his former main ranch house now hosts the Crooked River Ranch Senior Center.