Fragile Legacy: Rare Views of Early Central Oregon is now open at the Deschutes Historical Museum.

The exhibit features 60 photographic images hand printed from their original glass plate negatives and taken between 1908 and 1930 around Central Oregon. Created in partnership with Central Oregon Community College in 2007, the prints were developed by retired COCC Photography Professor George Jolokai. The prints were taken by three or four photographers working for Elite Studios of Bend. The last owner of the studio, Roy Van Vleet, kept the studio’s collection of work long after the business closed during The Great Depression. The 100-year-old materials were donated to the museum by Roy’s son, Wilmer Van Vleet, in 2007. The exhibit is a fraction of the collection, which contains nearly 300 negatives.

Among the images featured are early Bend street scenes, life in and around the area’s logging mills, logging and lumber camps, early area agriculture, portraits and community scenes. The exhibit runs through March 2019.

The Deschutes Historical Museum is located at 129 NW Idaho Ave, between Wall and Bond. Please visit the Deschutes Historical Museum website at www.deschuteshistory.org or call (541) 389-1813 for more information.