Old Days
Continued from Pjge 11B
Eugene City numbered 600. The
discovery of gold in California
had helped bring prosperiiy in
to the Willamette Valley and ac
cording to one account, Eugene
City held within its boundaries
"nine drygood stores, two b<H»k
stores, one drug store, one
bakery, one restaurant, two
hotels, two billiard saloons, two
printing offices, three cabinet
shops, four blacksmith shops,
two tinshops. two paint shops,
one planing machine shop, two
meat markets, two livery
stables, one flour mill, one
sawmill, one barlror shop, one
college, one district
schoolhouse. a courthouse, a
jail, one church, a Masonic
lodge, three physicians, four
lawyers, four clergymen and
one newspaper."
The effort to establish Eugene
City as a major riverport con
tinued despite the fact the up
per Willamette River had major
navigational obstacles, namely
laiulders. sand bars and tree
branches. In 1861, optimism
reigned when the steamer.
"Relief," chugged as far as
Springfield.
The steamer was undoubtedly
aided by the high waters which
inundated the Willamette
Valley that year Two months of
rain flooded Kugene City and
carried away buildings, fences
and stock.
Kugene City was officially in
corporated October 17, 1 Ht>2 as
the seventh city in Oregon,
following Oregon City (1844),
Portland (1851), Waterloo
(1851). Corvallis (1857), Salem
(1857) and Jacksonville (18(>0).
Hut Kugene City wasn't
without dissension. Soon after
incorporation, a dispute arose
over what path the town should
take, One group of residents
prefered “hogs and grog shops
on Willamette Street;" the other
wanted to ban such nuisances
and initiate taxes in order to
build the city
Although the later group suc
ceeded in getting a hog-leash
ordinance passed, it made nary
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a difference. Hogs and cattle
continued to roam the streets, at
home in a sea of mud many in
ches deep.
In 1 Ht>4. the town became
known as the City of Eugene, a
name that would stick until
18R‘l when it finally became
known as Eugene.
The telegraph reached the ci
ty in February of that year The
occasion was conducted by
Joseph A. Cray, president of the
City Council, who sent a
dispatch to Portland Mayor
David Logan
Smallpox appeared in IBBtJ
and during the following
decade No one knew what to
do prevent the spread of the
disease so the Eugene City
Council opened a pest-house
five miles from the city limits.
Inflicted people were sent there
until the 1880s when vaccina
tion first came into use
Although surveys had been
undertaken for various
railroads, it wasn't until 1871
that the Oregon-California
Railway rolled into the City of
Eugene, thanks to the efforts of
railroad tycoon. Ren llolladav
The coming of the tracks spell
ed doom for the stagecoach, of
course, but it boostod the logg
ing industry in the area, which
had previously depended on
high water to float logs
downstream.
Street Improvements were
slow in coming. It wasn't until
1871 that Willamette Street was
graded and gas lights from the
Maxim Cas Company of San
Francisco were erected. Hut the
streets remained muddy and
during the summer months,
dusty. In 1875, the Koseburg
Review unleashed a stinging
criticism of the City of Eugene's
streets:
"The mud is as thick as boar
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In this tum-of-the-century photo, C.C. Matlock (left) and
Bob Veltum pose outside of Matlock's bicycle repair and
hardware store on Willamette Street.
ding house custard and about
the same color. In the middle of
winter, horses on main street
am not driven faster than a walk
in order to prevent stores from
being s p1 a 11 e r e d.' ’ the
newspaper wrote.
While the city grappled with
street conditions, schools also
were in need of help. The
number of pupils had grown
beyond the expectations of of
ficials. necessitating the use of
an old private high-school
building at Eighth Avenue and
Pearl Street in 1875. It became
affectionately known as the Red
Top Annex.
A few year later, the Central
School opened at 11th Avenue
and Olive Street. A one-story
building, it cost the city $4.00(1
to build. For the 3,308
residents, it was obviously
money well spent. By 1884,
more than 400 students attend
ed the school, an overwhelming
number for the seven teachers
in charge.
1881-82 also saw another
flood hit. A pioneer by the name
of Ed Frank reminisced years
later that it was "the highest
flood I ever saw in this part of
the valley... the river overflow
ed and came up on Willamette
Street. We lived where the Ar
mory is now and water got up
on our porch but didn’t get into
the house. 1 rode a skiff at Ninth
and Willamette streets."
As the city benefited from the
coming of the railroad, hotels
were constructed to take advan
tage of the many visitors who
stopped off. The present-day
Smeede Hotel, built in 1885 and
originally known as the Baker
Hotel, catered to the upper
class. Luxurious Sunday din
ners cost as much 85 cents and a
room as much as $2 a night
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itl l uni-in , I’.C'.
• Medical personnel
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• Certified athletic
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• Physical Therapists
with full state-of-the-art
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• Individually designed
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132 East Broadway. Suite 830
Eugene. OR 97401 • Tet (503) 683-4703