Recollections of Sisters

The reasons for relocating to the Sisters Country are as varied as the people who commit to such an important decision. Yet regardless of motive, such an event is always accompanied by broader horizons and unexpected adventures.

Ronald Zerbe and his family moved to Christmas Valley from Southern California in the 1960s. He served in the Navy during the Korean War and later became a police officer with the Brea, California Police Department.

When Ronald learned that Sisters was looking for a police chief, he asked for an interview. In spite of his law enforcement background, however, he had doubts that his level of experience would qualify him for the position. But in December of 1965, he was advised that he was chosen to be the top ranking - and only - lawman for the little town at the foot of the Cascades.

Chief Zerbe's first line of business was to find housing for his wife, Donna, and their children. He eventually secured a rental at The Camp, a small cluster of bungalows at the west end of town. They were originally meant to house employees of the Brooks Scanlon logging operation. The structures were moved there by a series of railroad flatcars from Bull Springs, six miles west of Bend in 1946.

The camp had been moved nearly a dozen times since its inception in 1916. The bungalows were set on railroads ties, although sturdier foundations were eventually added.

The Zerbe home was equipped with two wood stoves for heat and a wood cooking stove in the kitchen. They had a television set with the antenna attached to a long metal pipe. Whenever the stations were changed the pipe had to be rotated to assure clear reception. There was also a barn and stable for Donna's horses. Rent was $40 per month. There were as many as 37 structures in the community, which in later years would be known as The Pines.

Chief Zerbe inherited a police department without a budget. Expenses were taken from the city's public works department. His patrol vehicle was an unmarked city car, which presented certain challenges when attempting to pull over traffic violators. The resourceful chief wrapped a piece of red cellophane over a flashlight, stuck it out the window and turned it on and off to get the driver's attention.

Violators were taken to the town justice of the peace, who set and collected the fines.

This system proved to generate income for a community racked with high unemployment and many of its citizens living in poverty. Small towns also require a degree of versatility of its employees.

On one occasion public works personnel were unable to locate the source of a water leak, despite being armed with charts and detection equipment. Chief Zerbe produced a pair of water witching wands, located the leak and helped dig up the street and make repairs.

The most bizarre incident experienced by the Zerbes during their stay in Sisters began when a neighbor contacted Donna Zerbe at their home. He produced a newspaper article which stated that Sisters, Oregon Police Chief Ronald Zerbe had been killed in an accident near Reno, Nevada.

Chief Zerbe was in Reno but was in good health and spirits. Details in the newspaper article were too accurate to be a coincidence. To this day, no adequate explanation has been rendered.

During his tenure, Chief Zerbe convinced the city council to add two reserve officers to the department, purchase a marked police vehicle and upgrade various pieces of equipment. He resigned his position in 1967 and moved the family to Gresham. Ronald Zerbe passed away in 1993. Donna continues to live in Gresham.

Sincere thanks to Donna Kersting, Diane Marshall and Charles Marshall for providing the information for this article.