Lots sold for $6K in early land deal

Thirty years ago, Christian J. Scherrer made a deal with the City of Sisters: If the city would annex land owned by him and his partners, the Loe brothers, Scherrer would loan the town $20,000 for a water system.

And the rest is history - although it sounds a lot like the present and the future.

In past decades, Sisters faced the very same growing pains that confront city officials today. The fall of the local logging industry and the rise of tourism drew people to live in town; residential lots inside the city limits sold fast and the infrastructure (water in particular) couldn't quite handle the demands of growth.

Decades ago, city officials made a deal with some developers and growth happened. Systems development charges (SDCs), although not yet called by their current name, were employed by the city to reimburse the developers for lending the fledgling community some cash to install a water system. Today, developers pay SDCs to reimburse the community for the impacts of growth.

Times were a bit simpler then and a lot less expensive.

In 1926, 14-year-old Christian J. Scherrer moved with his family from Idaho to the "valley of heart's delight," the bustling agricultural Mecca of San Jos, California. He later married a woman whose cousins ran a trucking business in Oakland.

During World War II, Scherrer served his country at Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he helped build the first three atomic bombs.

"We set one off in Alamagordo (New Mexico) and then sent two over Japan," Sherrer said.

He described the U.S. Government's warnings to Japan that more bombs would follow unless they surrendered. "It can be told now, but it couldn't be told then," he said. "That saved a lot of American lives than if we had invaded Japan."

While Scherrer was away during the war, his cousins, the Loe brothers, took their trucking company to Eugene, Oregon where they got into the logging business.

After the war, Scherrer returned home to San Jos, where he began to build experience in land speculation.

Up north, the logging industry was waning, and the Loe brothers decided to get out.

"They slowed down on logging and decided to get into development," Scherrer said. "It was a way to make some money - a little safer and easier."

The Loe brothers bought some land in the little town of Sisters, subdivided the property, and sold it as the first "Town and Country" addition to the City of Sisters.

"They completed Loe Brothers' Town and Country and were going to retire," explained Scherrer. "They wanted to spend the winters in Palm Springs, old Mexico and Arizona."

The Loe brothers knew their cousin, Christian, had some development experience, buying and selling property and they asked him if he wanted to become their partner.

"They said they had some land - 26 acres - and I said 'I'll take it,'" Sherrer recalled. "I didn't know if I would subdivide it at the time."

Scherrer and the Loe brothers did subdivide the 26 acres, ushering in the second "Town and Country" addition to Sisters. The plat on the subdivision was signed December 3, 1969. The subdivision now forms the southwest corner of town, adjacent to the developing Pine Meadow Ranch.

They installed television and phone lines and put in streets. But one element was missing that held up effective marketing of the properties: water.

"The city of Sisters didn't have the money to put in a water system," Scherrer explained. "There were lots of places for sale and people would ask, 'What am I going to do about water?'"

According to Scherrer, the Loe Brothers started retiring so he and his partners worked with the City of Sisters to subdivide and sell their quarter-acre lots. They asked City of Sisters to annex their subdivision and then Scherrer would help the city get their water.

"I gave them the money to put the water system in - $15,000-20,000 - and when the lots sold, they paid back the water costs," he explained. "We sold the lots very quickly for $6,000 (each)."

Scherrer initially kept two of the parcels for himself, and he later married Marion Windsor in San Jos. He still owns one property in Sisters on Sisters View Drive.

He would like to build a home on the land for his family, but there's just one problem. The lot lies in the Squaw Creek flood plain and, in the absence of a municipal sewer system, he's having trouble getting approval for a septic system.

"The lot can't be built on without sewer," he explained. "I might be able to install a septic tank, block off the leach lines and pump the septic tank (more frequently). As soon as they get that sewer system I'll build a nice little A-frame or something."

Today Scherrer, in his late 80s, represents the last legacy of the Loe Brothers Town and Country subdivision.

He continues to run a small advertising business in San Jos, selling specialty advertising products such as personalized calendars, writing utensils and gift items.

A traditional work ethic still drives the way Scherrer does business; he is cordial with his clients and business partners.

He has worked with three generations of business owners, including such Silicon Valley icons as the Race Street Fish and Poultry Market, and he continues to work with Sisters officials to sort out the septic restrictions on his last remaining property.

"My three daughters say I'm crazy to work," Scherrer said. "But I don't work, I just go and see my friends. And I like to be friendly with those people in Sisters."