The idyllic community of Sunriver sits at the crossroads of Central Oregon. The region was inhabited as early as 11,500 years ago by native tribes who called the forests, meadowlands and lakes home. The first explorers filtered through the area in the early 19^th Century and homesteaders started farming the region in the late 1800s.

In 1965, Portland land developer John Gray acquired what would become Sunriver and transformed the landscape into a residential and resort community. Named for the two main features of the area – sunshine and recreational waters –Sunriver is a dynamic and growing community.

Residents, as well as vacationing visitors, take advantage of Central Oregon’s recreational opportunities that include golf, rafting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing and snowboarding.

–From the book "Images of America: Sunriver" by Tor Hanson

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Camp Abbot WWII Army Training Facility

During World War II, the government purchased 5,500 acres where Sunriver sits today as an Army Corps of Engineers combat training facility.

Constructed in 1942 as a self-contained city, Camp Abbot contained roads, water/sewer facilities and enough housing to sustain up to 10,000 soldiers at a time.

Decommissioned and closed by 1944, much of Camp Abbot's infrastructure and buildings were torn down. Sunriver Resort's Great Hall is the only major structure still in use today. In the days of Camp Abbot the Great Hall was the officers' mess hall.

Read more about the asbestos and military-related debris left behind.