The Winter 2023-2024 Guide from the Old Mill District proclaims that “Bend continues to evolve from its mountain town roots.” Pretty funny considering that the Old Mill District shopping center itself is named after and evolved from Bend’s real roots—the Brooks-Scanlon, Shevlin-Hixon, and KorPine mills that employed thousands of union workers who built this town. Bend was a strong union town when the nearby mountain was called Bachelor Butte. Here’s some real roots history for you: