History

Bridging the past and future

Cottage Grove history

The Kalapuya Indians called the southern Willamette Valley and northern Douglas County home, though their numbers quickly diminished as some left the area to avoid the white settlers who began arriving here in 1848. Disease and a move to reservations reduced local Kalapuya populations, and Sam Fern, the last fullblooded Kalapuya, passed away Sept. 4, 1919.

Many early settlers traveled to Cottage Grove on the Applegate Trail, which left the Oregon Trail in Idaho, crossed Nevada and came into southern Oregon over the Cascade Mountains. Other settlers followed the northern route down the Columbia River to Oregon City and then traveled south through the Willamette Valley to Lane County. The Donation Land Claim Act brought more Americans to seek a life in Oregon.

James Chapin came to the Willamette Valley from the west, crossing the Coast Range after his ship floundered off the Oregon Coast. He settled south of Cottage Grove in 1865.

A cottage owned by Greenbery C. Pearce was home to the first post office in 1855. It was located in an oak grove near Creswell — hence the name Cottage Grove.

After the railroad arrived in 1872, a feud broke out between west siders and those east of the river in the town of Lemati over which side of the river the post office would occupy. Over time, homes and businesses filled in between the two settlements and they became known as Cottage Grove.

Travel by horseback and wagons gave way to the railroad until the Pacific Highway was constructed at the site of present-day River Road. Later, Highway 99 became the main north-south route on the Pacific Coast. In 1957, Interstate 5 opened on the east side of the city.

Agriculture and timber have been among the town’s major industries from its earliest days, and after World War II, mills in the area expanded as a building boom drove the nation’s economy.

Mining was also a means for early residents to fill their purses. As early as 1863 gold was discovered in the Bohemia Mountains (so named for one of its early miners, James “Bohemia” Johnson).

Bohemia City was founded in 1866 and mining began in earnest in the 1890s, bringing an influx of businesses into Cottage Grove.

Flooding was a common problem in Cottage Grove until the 1940s, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed Cottage Grove Reservoir on the Coast Fork and Dorena Reservoir on Row River.

Museums and historical libraries

Today, a snapshot of the area’s history is displayed at the Cottage Grove Museum, located at H Street and Birch Avenue in an octagonal building that once was home to the Catholic Church. The Cottage Grove Historical Library, located at the corner of 10th and Jefferson streets, also contains much information about businesses, buildings, churches and schools that pertains to the development of the area. Residents and business people have worked to preserve the flavor of the community by preserving many historic buildings and adding murals, creating a bridge between yesterday and today.

The Cottage Grove Historical Museum.

Bohemia Gold Mining Museum:

308 S. 10th, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. 541-942-5022. Open Thursday & Friday 1-4 p.m. Saturday 10am-4pm

Cottage Grove Genealogical Society:

Located in a room in the Cottage Grove Community Center. 541-9429570. Open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Cottage Grove Historical Society Library:

308 S. 10th, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. 541-942-5022. Open Thursday & Friday 1-4 p.m. Free historical program every third Saturday except July at 10 a.m. open to the public at Cottage Grove Community Center, 700 E. Gibbs Ave. www.cottagegrovehistoricalsociety.com

Cottage Grove Historical Museum: Corner of H St. & Birch Ave., Cottage Grove, OR 97424. 541-942-2369. Open June 15 through Labor Day: Wednesday through Sunday 1-4 p.m. Open after Labor Day until June 15: Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

Oregon Aviation Historical Society:

2475 Jim Wright Way, PO Box 553, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. 541-942-2567. www.oregonaviation.org