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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Medical marijuana growers in Jackson County fly under radar ... With the pot grows come the gripes: County already fielding complaints ... Butte Creek Mill raises $100,000 toward $2.5 million cost of rebuild ... Medical marijuana growers in Jackson County fly under radar ... With the pot grows come the gripes: County already fielding complaints ... Butte Creek Mill raises $100,000 toward $2.5 million cost of rebuild ... SINCE YOU ASKED Since You Asked: These Sisters and Brothers may not be related Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 15, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted May. 15, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News On my occasional forays to Central and Eastern Oregon, I've always wondered about the origins of the communities of Sisters and Brothers and whether their names are connected or just a coincidence. They seem to be about equidistant from Bend, but very different places. — Joe B., Medford. They are indeed very different places, Joe. Sisters is 22 miles northwest of Bend, and Brothers is 42 miles to the southeast. Sisters sits at the edge of the towering ponderosa and fir forests of the Cascades, while Brothers sits amid a lot of sagebrush. Sisters is something of a boomtown, a tourist town situated astride the state highway between the Willamette Valley and Bend. Brothers consists of a couple of restaurants and a handful of other buildings and is one of the last stops before Burns, 88 miles to the east. Sisters' population doubled from about 1,000 to more than 2,000 between 2000 and 2010. We couldn't find a population for Brothers, but did see that in 2015, its school started the year with five students. Now for the names: Sisters gets its name from the Three Sisters mountains that rise up to the west of the community. There's no definite history of where the mountain names originated, but one story is that missionaries in the mid-1800s named the three peaks Faith, Hope and Charity, and eventually they were linked as the Three Sisters. There is also no definitive word on where Brothers got its name. Two stories: The community was named after the large number of brothers who were part of a homesteading family, or it got its name from a sheep camp that was named after three nearby hills that somewhat resembled the distant Three Sisters. (Thanks to the book "Oregon Geographic Names" for the history notes.) At any rate, Joe, there may be a historical connection or there may not, but the two very different communities will likely continue to be connected in the minds of travelers who wonder the same thing you did. — Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. To see a collection of columns, go to mailtribune.com/youasked . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 15, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501