‘Fraudsters and grifters’: Three Sisters Historical Society’s Fireside Series returns with the story of a dam fiasco

(Update: Adding video, comments from Berry, board member)

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Three Sisters Historical Society hosted its Fireside Series at Sisters Fire Hall on Sunday people about sisters history. In this session, Mike Berry discussed the dam fiasco at Bull Flat and the history of the 1914 Tumalo Project.

The Fireside Series starts in October and runs through spring. 

"We have a variety of speakers," Diane Prescott, TSHS board member and event coordinator said Sunday, "We've talked about the history of Sisters Rodeo, Forest Service and fire management history. "We've talked about who made Sisters, you know, Sisters - the people who grew up here who came and did."

Last spring, they also discussed the Lazy Z Ranch, a talk that turned out to be very popular. 

Berry said, "I'm going to be talking about the 1914 Tumalo Project and the various things that led up to it, which were fraudsters and grifters coming in to take advantage of goodwill, homesteaders wanting to make themselves a better life here in Central Oregon."

If you missed the presentation, it  was filmed and will be available on their website and YouTube channel. 

 Three Sisters Historical Society started in 2017 as a nonprofit, then opened a museum in 2020 to collect and share the history of Sisters. There's currently 150 members within the organization. 

Prescott said, "It's fabulous. Our goal is to share Sisters history, so we get a chance to do it. We love it when people come."

If you want to become a member, you can fill out a membership form on their website.