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1940s:

1930s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950s

1946.

Contents 1 Lane County 1.1 Springfield 1.1.1 Businesses 1.1.2 Transportation 1.1.3 Government and Utilities 1.1.4 Education 1.1.5 Organizations 1.2 Glenwood

[edit] Lane County

• In 1946 Lane County had 204 active mills.

[edit] Springfield

[edit] Businesses

• In 1946, Springfield Sand and Gravel constructed a new rock-crushing plant.

• In 1946, the M & E Lumber Company and J.R. Frey opened new sawmills and the Western Oregon Lumber Company expanded operation to include a sawmill.

• Several new businesses opened in 1946. Among them were a new “drive-in” style restaurant, two furniture stores, a plumbing shop, a women’s store, a florist, a sporting goods store, a tire store, and two auto repair shops.

[edit] Transportation

• As the community grew, the need for improved transportation increased. Automobiles were firmly established as the primary method of transport and efforts to improve streets and roadways through widening and paving was constant throughout this time period. The increase in traffic through downtown Springfield sparked discussions about making Main and A streets one-way thoroughfares in 1946.

• As air transport became a viable alternative, a small airport was opened on Emery Road, east of the city limits in 1946 (Springfield News 1946). The airfield was granted approval as a Class 1 airport and McKenzie Flying Service was chartered to operate commercial transportation, student instruction, charter flights, and sales and service. Runways, hangars, fuel facilities and an office building were constructed during this time period (Springfield News 1946). Rail transport, though becoming less popular for passenger service, continued during this time period.

[edit] Government and Utilities

• Perhaps one of the greatest changes in communications, however, was the telephone system. An improved system was required to handle the demand for an increasing number of customers as the population grew. In June 1946, the system was upgraded to handle an additional 700 customers. Within a few months, however, the demand required further expansion to accommodate another 1700 customers.

• A large water filtration plant was constructed at Hayden Bridge in 1946-1947.

• The Willamalane Park district’s recreation programs were very popular and in 1946, the park district purchased a 12-acre site (between G and I and 12th and 14th Streets) and began plans for construction of the Willamalane Park picnic area, pool, and courts.

• In 1946, a health clinic was planned and discussions about obtaining a new hospital began.

[edit] Education

• In early 1946, construction of an addition to the Springfield High School was started and a bus garage was built. Crowding continued that fall and grade school students attended classes in shifts because classroom space was insufficient to accommodate the increase of more than 300 students over previous enrollments (Springfield News 1946).

[edit] Organizations

The Church of the Brethren opened in the Nicholas Gardens area and the Springfield congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1946 (Springfield News 1946).

[edit] Glenwood

New businesses also appeared in Glenwood that year, including the Maurie Jacobs Furniture Store at the Springfield Junction. In December 1946, Glenwood formed a Business Men’s Association (Springfield News 1946).