Springfield

History

The first inhabitants to the area were the Kalapuya people. Also sometimes written as Calapooia or Calapooya, the people maintained the valley and their main food sources by controlled burning. Springfield was settled when Elias and Mary Briggs and their family arrived in 1848. They were among the first party to travel to the region via the "Southern Route" by Klamath Lake, over the Cascades, into the Rogue Valley, then north to the Willamette Valley. Elias Briggs along with William Stevens ran a ferry on the nearby Willamette River. According to donation land claim records, Stevens was the first settler to stake a claim in the Springfield locale, arriving in October 1847. He commenced building a house with his three oldest sons, and when the house was completed in December, the rest of his family joined him on Christmas Day that year. Another early arrival in the Springfield vicinity was Captain Felix Scott Sr., who settled between the McKenzie and Willamette rivers in 1847. In 1854 Springfield School District No. 19 was formed. A small schoolhouse was built near the corner of south 7th and B streets; it served the community until the 1880s. Miss Agnes Stewart, a young woman from Pennsylvania, was the first teacher. She had arrived in Springfield via the Lost Wagon Train of 1853. In May 1992 the municipality became the first in the United States to include anti-gay legislation in its city charter after a campaign by the Oregon Citizens Alliance. However, the state legislature later passed a law that prevented anti-gay ordinances from being enforced.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. The McKenzie River forms the northern city limits. Springfield recognizes 7 neighborhood areas from their neighborhood refinement plans. *Downtown, where the Washburne Historic District (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) is located. *East Kelly Butte *East Main *Gateway *Glenwood and Glenwood Riverfront *Mid-Springfield *Q Street

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  34,155
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  31,749
• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  30,172
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  28,740
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  25,691
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  25,673
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,540
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  24,856

Largest nearby schools

• Sheldon High School
  High · Eugene · 1,525 students
• Willamette High School
  High · Eugene · 1,516 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• South Eugene High School
  High · Eugene · 1,505 students
• Springfield High School
  High · Springfield · 1,317 students · 21.6:1 ratio
• Thurston High School
  High · Springfield · 1,277 students · 23.2:1 ratio
• Churchill High School
  High · Eugene · 1,082 students
• North Eugene High School
  High · Eugene · 1,071 students
• Gilham Elementary School
  Elementary · Eugene · 584 students

Most recent

• M 4.39 — 2022-10-07
  16 km ESE of Lacomb, Oregon
• M 2.61 — 2022-03-18
  16 km ESE of Lacomb, Oregon
• M 2.82 — 2021-07-23
  2 km W of Mehama, Oregon
• M 2.77 — 2017-09-26
  13 km ESE of Yachats, Oregon
• M 2.52 — 2017-07-11
  4 km ESE of Cascadia, Oregon
• M 4.14 — 2015-07-04
  16 km ENE of Springfield, Oregon