Constructed in May 1901, the Pilot Butte Development Company's little plant was the first commercial sawmill in Bend.  By 1903 a small community had developed, with Downtown Bend touting a Post Office, Bank, shops and an Inn - and a town was born, our  downtown, Downtown Bend.  In 1904, a city was incorporated by a general vote of the community's 300 residents. On January 4, 1905, the city held its first official meeting as an incorporated municipality, appointing A. H. Goodwillie as the first mayor. The settlement was originally called "Farewell Bend", which was later shortened to "Bend" by the U.S. Postal Service.

Photos of HISTORICAL Downtown

According to the Deschutes Historical Museum, "The Bend Logo, the name BEND in a circle, was created 100 years ago as the signature trademark of the Bend Emblem Club.  The Emblem was the original logo of William D. Cheney’s Bend Park Company, a development endeavor to help further Bend’s growth.  On the night of January 4, 1913, during a party hosted at the home of Bend’s mayor and Bend Bulletin publisher, George Putnam, the Bend Emblem Club was officially created.  In attendance were Clyde McKay and James Overturf, as well as many of Bend’s other prominent citizens.  The Emblem Club members swore an oath to promote and display the logo until a time when the town of Bend reached a population of 100,000.  Visitors and residents can still view remnants of this oath in the windows of many of the historical buildings around town.  The Bend Emblem Club officially disbanded in 1924."