Springfield

Established in 1856, Springfield began much like other small Oregon towns'with a cast of characters including original Indigenous populations, homesteaders, loggers, and tradespeople. This book reveals a unique and strong-willed community that has held its own against hardship and disaster. Readers will go on a journey through Springfield's highs, including when it was the nation's top lumber producer and known as the 'Lunch Bucket City, ' and its lows, such as when fires and flooding devastated Springfield's underserved communities and Main Street declined in the 1970s. It also touches on Springfield's forgotten lore, from motorcycle races and gliders on local buttes to the concealed location of the freshwater spring that gave Springfield its name. Through the hundreds of photographs'many of which have never been published'and archival items presented here, readers can experience the story of Springfield as it has never been told before and navigate Springfield's distinct neighborhoods through different eras to learn about how the city has developed and changed over the last 130 years as things like natural disasters, new innovations, economic changes, and the landscape itself have shaped the community