Glenwood
From Lane Co Oregon
Contents |
History
1880s
The first development in Glenwood began when a plat for a subdivision to be called Glenwood Park was filed in 1888 and amended in 1890. Although the community never reached any substantial growth in population or development of housing stock, largely due to the annual flooding of the Willamette River, Glenwood functioned as a crossroads for the upper Willamette Valley and connected Eugene to Springfield, first in the form of the east-west county road, later as the Pacific Highway, and eventually as Franklin Boulevard-McVay Highway. An area of Glenwood known as Springfield Junction developed along the McVay Highway at the point that the original wagon road and railroad crossed into Springfield. Glenwood was sometimes referred to as West Springfield.
1930s
The Depression brought many people's spirits down. About the only thing to do back then were hunting, swimming, or fishing. On Saturdays everyone would cross the bridge from Springfield into Glenwood. On these nights Willamette Park held dances for the citizens. Big bands that played included Freddy Martin and Duke Ellington.
1940s
Glenwood, in part due to its location between Eugene and Springfield and in part to its location on the Pacific Highway, had a few more businesses. In the early 1940s, these included a clothes cleaner, a hardware store, three service stations, a furniture shop, a tavern, a donut shop, two cafes, and a number of tourist courts (Springfield News 1941, Polk 1945).
