Thurston area
From Lane Co Oregon
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[edit] 1870s
A road that became known as the McKenzie Highway was completed as far as Canyon City in Eastern Oregon. It crossed the Thurston area as it traveled from Springfield through the Cascade Range. It was originally called Scott’s trail and operated as a toll road from 1872 to 1894. In 1894, the western portion of the route became a Lane County road (Corning 1956:161).
[edit] 1880s
A general store owned by T.L. Rees was located on the southeast corner of the intersection of Thurston Road and 66th Street in the 1890s.
[edit] 1910s
A high school in the community of Thurston was constructed in 1913 (Jones 1958:32).
[edit] 1920s
- A service station in Thurston is listed for 1928 (Polk 1928:484).
- Walnuts were grown in the Thurston district, beginning in about 1928 through 1941. Poultry breeders, dairies, fruit growers and livestock breeders also date from 1928 in this area (Polk 1928, 1934, 1938, 1941). The fruit growers raised apples and prunes. The area even had its own prune drying plant.
[edit] 1930s
With the advent of large-scale irrigation systems in the 1930s, many farmers began cultivating cannery crops, including corn, beans, carrots, and beets (Jones 1985:36).
[edit] 1940s
In 1940, Thurston had a bulb grower and nurseryman by the name of O.N. Ostenberg (Polk 1940:736). The general store was still in operation in Thurston.
