Sisters' history lives on today
By Conrad Weiler

The town of Sisters derives its name from the three prominent Cascade peaks that grace the southwestern skyline: Faith, Hope and Charity, collectively known as the Three Sisters. A very old story suggests that the mountains were named in the 1840s by members of a Methodist mission based in Salem.

The town was officially christened when the post office at Camp Polk, some three miles to the north, closed in the 1880s. The new post office moved south to the store owned by John Smith, and local residents were invited to submit names for the new facility.

Jacob Quilberg’s entry was accepted by the Post Office Department, and the handful of wood frame buildings lying at the junction of the Santiam and McKenzie roads became known as Sisters.

For over half a century, the area’s economic dynamo was the logging industry. Sawmills, large and small, prospered in the rich forest land surrounding the town. The future of the little town at the foot of the Cascades looked bright indeed. But two fires in the 1920s threatened to reduce this blossoming community to little more than ashes and fond memories.

Sisters weathered many ups and downs in subsequent years to become the bustling and thriving community it is now — a destination for folks seeking life in small town surrounded by natural beauty.

Georgia Gallagher is a living connection to Sisters’ pioneer days.
Gallagher was born here in 1922 and the remains of the cabin in which she was born still stand south of town.

“Dad built a large fireplace because he didn’t want to always split large logs,” she said. “We had a party-line phone that was shared with other neighbors in our area.”

Located on a section (640 acres), the cabin has beautiful forest and mountain views.

“We played outside and enjoyed ourselves with nature,” Gallagher recalled.
To get to school in Sisters, Georgia rode horseback into town with her sister Jean and brother Jess. An old picture of the school displays a two-story, white building.

“Grade school was on the first floor and high school on the second,” she remembered.

This lasted until the ‘new’ school was built in 1939, the year Gallagher graduated from high school. Gallagher’s father was school director for 17 years and helped build the first high school and grade school.

Her family raised alfalfa and there was a mill on the property that started operation in the 1890s. Cattle, much of them obtained from Warm Springs Indians, were also raised on the Edgington ranch. In the early days, the site had an outhouse and assorted storage buildings, including a barn. Later, electricity arrived.

“We used oil lamps and candles before that,” Gallagher said.

Much has changed in Sisters since Gallagher’s childhood, but the natural beauty and sense of community remains.