COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | JUNE 17, 2021 | 3A
Nuggets of History
Cottage Grove or Lemati: The Feud Years
1893-1899
T
he town of Cot-
grew from 800 to 3,000 the young daughter
By Holli Turpin
tage Grove sits
Cottage Grove Historical Society as people sought their of Lemati’s Mayor.
peacefully at the south
Cottage
Grove
fortunes in the mines
end of the beautiful Wil-
and entrepreneurs start- passed an ordinance
lamette Valley. Our town harbors an eclectic ed looking for ways to serve the miners on prohibiting
riding
bicycles on the side-
group of residents, and as a result it is not their trips off the mountain.
unusual to hear heated debates on matters of
Hotels, saloons, bath houses, supply stores walks. One day Mar-
politics and the like.
and the like popped up to cash in on the shal Baker caught
Individuals, who may vehemently disagree boom. The setup of the two towns brought the Lemati Mayor’s
COTTAGE GROVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTION
on one issue, can often be seen working to- much delight to rowdy miners who spent daughter riding her
gether on another. Disagreements are spirit- their gold in saloons, often becoming rowdy bicycle in Cottage The railroad and depot were located in Lemati. This all-im-
Grove. As she was in portant resource was used as leverage in the feud against
ed and pride runs deep. In the late 1800’s the and out of control.
politics of life became so polarizing that the
As soon as Johnny law started their way, all violation of the new
Cottage Grove.
town literally split in two.
they had to do was make it across the river. ordinance, he con-
Cottage Grove was incorporated as a town Many instances were reported where ruffians fronted her and pro-
lives. Fed up with this necessity, a few nev-
on Feb. 11, 1887. Seven short years later the stood on one side, taunting and jeering at the vided an escort back across the bridge.
er-identified individuals from Lemati used
The very next day, Marshal Baker forgot the cover of darkness and the quiet of the
residents east of the river petitioned the Or- law man on the other side of the bridge.
In one story, JB Mosby, after a few too to remove his badge when he went across late-night hours to cross into enemy territory,
egon Legislature to secede from Cottage
many drinks, rode down Main Street in Cot- the bridge to pick up the mail at the railroad dismantle and remove the post office.
Grove, creating their own town, Lemati.
For the next six years, the town of Cottage tage Grove, which is now River Road, knock- station. It did not take long before he found
This group installed the post office on their
Grove and the town of Lemati sat side by side ing over kerosene streetlamps. Marshal Joe himself behind bars in the Lemati jail. It side of the river that same night. The town of
split by a river and connected contentiously Damewood gave chase and JB headed for the seems letting small infractions slide was not Lemati was now the proud owner of the Cot-
something ei- tage Grove Post Office.
by a few bridges.
ther side would
Each town needed the other in ways that
The postmaster in the town of Cottage
allow.
cultivated negative feelings. Each thought
Grove was without a doubt surprised the fol-
The stories lowing morning when he arrived at work to
that standing on their idea of right was more
of pursuit and find no post office. The feud ran its course
important than standing together as a united
mockery lend shortly thereafter and the post office has re-
town.
humor to re- mained east of the river from that day for-
Cottage Grove (aka Westside or Slabtown)
calling
these ward.
contained the main travel route for wagons
times in our
and stagecoaches, the best source of good
On January 5, 1899 a Eugene paper pub-
history. Howev- lished an article that stated: “At a mass meet-
drinking water and the all-important post
er, at the time, ing tonight the citizens of Cottage Grove and
office.
the
laughter Lemati approved the charter under which
Lemati (aka Eastside) had the only access
was one-sided the two towns are consolidated under the old
to the railroad and was the entrance to the
and mean-spir- name of Cottage Grove. Some opposition to
flourishing Bohemia Mines.
ited.
Each town elected its own mayor and had
the movement was expected from many of
One of the the residents of Lemati but it did not mate-
its own police chief.
most famous rialize, although a number of persons who
During this time there was a gold rush at
stories of the were outspoken against consolidation were
the Bohemia Mines. The town’s population
COTTAGE GROVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTION
time regards present.”
During the feud years, this was the corner of Main the theft of a
The same article concluded that those in
and Wall streets in Cottage Grove. Main Street is post office.
opposition did not state their arguments be-
now River Road and Wall Street is now West Main.
The Cottage cause they considered the proceedings illegal
Grove Post Of- or figured they would present their argu-
fice was on the ments directly to the state legislature.
river, knowing if he made it west side of the river in the town of Cottage
Whether the opposition presented their
across to Lemati he was free.
Grove. Typical post offices of the time con- arguments later or not, the unification stuck
Not wanting to risk mak- sisted of a large cabinet of labeled cubbies and the feud that split the town in two be-
ing it to a bridge, JB plunged and associated equipment, usually held in a came a part of history.
down the banks and into the room at the post master’s home, or in a local
At Bohemia Mining Days this year, the
river. Unwilling to lose anoth- business.
feud will be playfully reenacted. While we re-
er pursuit, Marshal Dame-
Locally, mail was delivered by train in member this feud, and in fact celebrate it at
wood jumped in after him. Lemati then hauled across the river and this year’s Bohemia Mining Days, we should
The ensuing struggle ended distributed from the post office in Cottage remember the serious contention that once
with Damewood pulling JB Grove. Citizens of Lemati felt that the post took root here in our beautiful town.
back to Cottage Grove where office should be housed on their side of the
When you pick your side this summer,
he was promptly housed in river, as it was delivered by the railroad that wear your pin with pride and know the
the jail.
ran through their town.
other side shares the same pride. Lemati or
Another story from the
The walk across the river into the “other” Slabtown, connect with your history and
feud involves a bicycle and town to get their mail was a constant remind- share the stories that make our town unique
er of Cottage Grove’s importance in their and special.
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