Two Days in Pendleton

July 13, 2012 (Updated January 22, 2013)
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Located in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, Pendleton was first platted in 1868. The town has a rich history, including many local businesses that have been in operation for more than 100 years.

Day One
Start your day with breakfast at the Rainbow Café. It’s the oldest business in town, first opened in 1883 as the State Saloon & Banquet.

Enjoy a morning tour of the original Pendleton Woolen Mills, opened by the Bishop family in 1909. Watch a saddle craftsman at the Hamley & Co. store. Founded in 1883, Hamley’s became known as the maker of “the finest saddles man could ride.” They also make a great steak at Hamley’s Steakhouse.

Next, stop at Montana Peaks Hat Company, which caters to the discriminating hat wearer, then head to the Pendleton Round-Up & Happy Canyon Hall of Fame, the Heritage Station Museum and the Wildhorse Resort & Casino.

Day Two
Enjoy home cooking at the Main Street Diner. Continue a tour of Pendleton history at the local Krusteaz factory. Sample delicious mustards, wing sauces and other gourmet condiments at the Barhyte Specialty Foods Company.

If you are interested in the arts, don’t miss the Pendleton Center for the Arts, Betty Feves Memorial Gallery at the Blue Mountain Community College and Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts at the historic St. Andrews Schoolhouse.

Pause for lunch at The Prodigal Son Brewery and Pub, before enjoying the historic Underground Tour. End your day with a stroll down the Pendleton River Parkway to the Great Pacific Wine and Coffee Company and unwind with a glass of local wine.

More to see in Pendleton
The first Pendleton Round-Up was held in 1910 and meant to be “a frontier exhibition of picturesque pastimes, Indian and military spectacles, cowboy racing and bronco busting for the championship of the Northwest.” More than 7,000 visitors saw that first show, and today, 70,000 visitors enjoy the rodeo every year.

The Umatilla, Walla Walla and Cayuse tribes have lived in the Pendleton area for thousands of years. Their traditions continue and can be seen at the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute and by attending the Happy Canyon Pageant Night at the Pendleton Round-Up.

 

 

About The
Author

Eileen Garvin
Eileen Garvin lives and writes in Hood River. When she’s not hunched over her keyboard or digging in the garden, you can find her mountain biking, kiteboarding, hiking, skiing or camping somewhere in Oregon.