Explore Camp Abbot's heritage.

Today Sunriver is an idyllic community, but during World War II, it was the site of Camp Abbot, the western-most engineer replacement training center of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mimicking the European landscape, the surrounding terrain and the swift-flowing Deschutes River was deemed perfect for training 90,000 young soldiers how to build and demolish bridges.

Freelance writer and local historian Tor Hanson is passionate about history, especially Central Oregon’s history. He is a board member of the Deschutes Historical Society and the editor of the society’s monthly newsletter, The Homesteader. He has also presented three History Pubs: The Prohibition in Bend; The Great Depression in Bend; and The Nordeen Legacy.


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