Springfield is set to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the city’s incorporation on Feb. 25. With nearly a century and a half of modern history behind it and tens of thousands of years of Indigenous occupancy, as well, it’s time to take a look at the winding road Springfield has taken to become the city it is today.

Kalapuya history

Springfield is situated on Kalapuya Ilihi — the traditional homeland of the Kalapuya people. This group is comprised of the Tualatin, Yamhill, Ahantchuyuk, Santiam, Luckamiute, Tekopa, Chenapinefu, Chemapho, Chelamela, Chafin, Peyu or Mohawk, Winefelly and Yoncalla tribes. Historical documentation noted that three of these groups lived in the modern Springfield area — the Chafin, the Peyo or Mohawk, and the Winefelly.

The Kalapuya peoples are the earliest known inhabitants of the Willamette Valley and their Native practices cultivated the land for at least 18,000 years, according to the Springfield History Museum .

These groups maintained winter settlements while utilizing the time between spring and fall to live in more mobile camps. This allowed them to harvest, catch and process seasonal flora and fauna. Seasonal foods such as camas, acorns, wapato, elk, fish and berries were part of their diet.

The Kalapuya population precontact was estimated to be around 15,000 people before epidemics carried by Euro-American settlers caused a population decrease to about 600 people by 1849.

In the mid-1800s, the Kalapuya people were impacted by a series of treaties. In the Willamette Valley Treaty, ratified on Jan. 22, 1855, the Kalapuya and other Willamette Valley tribes ceded the drainage area of the Willamette River and were moved to reservations. In early 1856, these groups were removed and relocated to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. Because of this, many contemporary Klapuyan descendants are members of the federally recognized Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon.

When was Springfield founded? What to know about city's origins

Fur trappers settled the Willamette Valley in the 1830s. In 1848, William M. Stevens was the first settler to claim a 640-acre tract of land in the modern Springfield locale.

However, the pioneers accoladed as the first to settle in the original townsite of Springfield in 1848 are considered to be Elias M. and Mary Briggs. Records indicate the dwelling site was chosen due to the convenience of nearby spring water located in a prairie — or field — hence the later naming of the town as Springfield.

The majority of Springfield’s first settlers had been born in Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, New York, Ohio and Virginia, according to demographic information from the Genealogical Forum of Portland. Most of these settlers had patterns of migrating across the frontier and four pioneers were born in Ireland and Germany.

The town grew once Elias Briggs built a water-powered sawmill and grist mill in 1854. Lane County was formed in January of 1851 and in 1856, Springfield was platted. In that same year, the Kalapuya peoples and other Native tribes were forcibly removed from their lands and relocated to reservations. On Feb. 25, 1885, Springfield became an incorporated city of Lane County.

What have been Springfield's key industries?

Springfield was established as a small industrial center, but the accessibility of agriculture in the fertile Willamette Valley meant the majority of settlers in the mid-1800s were farmers and ranchers. The mills were the center of Springfield’s industry at the time.

Businesses in Springfield during the 1870s and early 1880s included a hotel, two blacksmiths, a general store, four carpenters, a painter, a shoemaker, a hardware store, a boarding house and a wagon and carriage shop.

In the 1870s, improvements to farming technology helped the region better cultivate crops. Wheat was the principal crop while Lane County also amplified its production of oats, barley, hay, corn, hops, potatoes, apples, berries and animal products like dairy and wool. Breweries opened in Portland and Vancouver in the 1880s and hops became an important and valuable crop in the region. By 1900, Oregon was the nation’s largest producer of hops with Springfield situated at the core of Lane County’s hop culture.

Breweries like Plank Town Brewing Company and Hop Valley Brewing Company call Springfield home, keeping this vivid hop culture alive today.

Lumber milling became a significant part of Springfield’s industry. In 1901, the Booth-Kelly Lumber Company purchased the Springfield sawmill, allowing the area to grow jobs and businesses. By the 1920s, timber and agriculture were the leading drivers of Lane County’s economy.

Historic preservation in Springfield

Springfield’s history is so lengthy and rich that a stroll through town offers many glimpses of times long past.

Thanks to concerted preservation efforts, folks can enjoy the city’s history in several ways. Whether that’s through a walk around the downtown neighborhood where Main Street acts as a hub for the blending of modern commerce and historical perspective or a trip a bit further south to Dorris Ranch, the nation’s first commercial filbert orchard founded in 1892, there’s something to learn around every corner of Springfield to harken back to the city’s earlier years.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows Springfield Lodge #70 building at 346 Main St. is an example of how historic preservation efforts have saved pieces of local history while adapting spaces for changing needs. The building, originally constructed in 1907, was showing signs of deterioration, necessitating some façade repairs. A mural of novelist and Springfield resident Ken Kesey installed in 2015 was preserved and business as usual occurred at the Plank Town Brewing Company location that occupies the bottom floor of the building while construction was ongoing.

A hop, skip and jump down Main Street is the Rivett Building . This historic building was built in 1909 and has housed storefronts, grocery stores and social circles for decades. Now, the space has been supplemented, sprucing up the ground floor for commercial use while adding a floor on top to house 12 loft-style apartments in the now-mixed-use building.

The Springfield History Museum is one block away from the Rivett Building. Housed in the historic Pacific Power and Light building at 590 Main St., the history museum has been a fitting steward for the 1911 building.

Pop-culture phenomenon in Springfield

Springfield has cemented itself as a city with a robust culture and lengthy history, so much so that this valley location has become a major pop-culture phenomenon.

The iconic cartoon "The Simpsons" has been on air since 1989, producing more than 770 episodes starring the working-class Simpsons family of Homer, Marge and children Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Their wild adventures have spanned decades, earning the show 187 awards with 373 nominations.

Of course, the Simpsons family lives in Springfield. Simpson creator Matt Groening hails from Portland and has confirmed that the hometown of the Simpsons family is, in fact, Lane County’s very own Springfield.

The name was chosen intentionally, as Springfield is one of the most common city names in the U.S. This means anyone can relate the fictional Simpsons Springfield to their own, but only residents in Springfield, Oregon, can claim to live in the "real" Springfield depicted in the cartoon.

Numerous murals depicting characters from "The Simpsons" can be found around town. The most iconic might just be the official mural at 550 Main St., which offers a great photo opportunity for passers-by and was unveiled in 2014 by Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson.

Whether you celebrate Springfield's dense history with a walk down Main Street, a trip to the museum or a pint at a local brewery, the city is bustling with energy and a long-established culture of industry, connections to nature and community lifestyles.