Oregon Lewis and Clark Chapter NSDAR

Eugene was very different during the early 1900s. Its population was only a little over 9,000 in 1910 compared to nearly 160,000 today, but the town experienced a surge of growth after 1909. After having endured the economic fall of 1907, new subdivisions were being developed, and six four-plex apartment houses were constructed between 1908 and 1912.

Schools also were erected in 1909 when the school enrollment in Eugene reached 700. Eugene High School required an addition to be built less than two years after its first construction, and by 1915, the building was abandoned in favor of a larger facility. The University of Oregon was also expanding rapidly with its School of Education starting in 1910, Schools of Journalism and Commerce established in the early 1910s, and its Law School relocating to the Eugene campus from Portland in 1915.

In part, this growth may have been due to the development in the timber industry in Lane County. By the early 20th century, logging and lumbering were firmly established as major elements in Lane County’s economy. Other contributions to economic and population growth were the following:

– the organization of farmers, which eventually led to a new company known as Eugene Fruit Growers, then Agripac;
– the arrival of the Oregon Electric Railroad in 1912;
– the introduction of the streetcar system in 1906;
– the advent of the automobile in 1904.

These events led to paved roads, more tourism, urban growth, changes in land use patterns in residential design and a change in the way of life.**

Such was life in Eugene when the Oregon Lewis and Clark Chapter was founded on 25 February 1914, the tail end of the Progressive Era of 1884 to 1913. The chapter’s founding regent was Mae Beadle Frink, who joined the DAR on November 18, 1913. She was soon followed by Mrs. Ray Jenkins and Miss Charlotte A. Choate, who were accepted at NSDAR on December 17, 1913. By mid-April, the chapter had fourteen additional new members, and it continued to grow. We now have over 80 members who reside throughout Lane County and other areas of the United States.

If you live in our area, you are welcome to visit us at our meetings. Simply click here to request information and/or membership information. We look forward to meeting you, and helping you become a member.

**Source: “The Progressive Era: 1884-1913,” by the City of Eugene Planning Dept.