Lane County was established on January 28, 1851. It was created from
the southern part of Linn County and that portion of Benton County that
was east of Umpqua County. Originally it covered all of southern Oregon
east to the Rocky Mountains and south to the California border. It was
named after the territory's first governor, Joseph Lane.
Lane County is situated in central western Oregon. It has been vastly
reduced from its original size and shifted from its original location by
several boundary changes. One of the first changes gave it access to the
Pacific Ocean when it acquired the northern part of Umpqua County in 1853.
With the creation of Wasco County in 1854, it lost all of its territory
east of the Cascade Mountains. Minor boundary changes occurred with
Douglas County in 1852, 1885, 1903, 1915, and 1917; with Linn County in
1907; and with Benton County in 1923. The county currently has 4,620
square miles and is bounded by Lincoln, Benton, and Linn Counties to the
north; Deschutes and Klamath Counties to the east; Douglas County to the
south; and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
When the Territorial Legislature created Lane County, it did not designate
a county seat. In the 1853 election four sites competed for the
designation. The "Mulligan donation" received a majority vote; however,
since it was contiguous to the "Skinner claim" both became part of the new
county seat known as Eugene. The city takes its name from the early
pioneer Eugene Skinner.
The first courthouse was in a small board shanty used in 1852 to hold
trials. The county clerk's building, constructed in 1853, was used until
it became too small. This building has been moved several times and is now
at the fairgrounds adjacent to the Lane County Historical Museum. The
first courthouse was constructed in 1855 at a cost of $8,500. A second
courthouse was completed in 1898, at a cost of under $50,000. The building
was torn down in 1959 to make way for the current structure, which cost
$2,146,350.
The 1860 census showed a population of 4,780. Since then it has seen
steady, even rapid growth. The 2000 population of 322,959 represented an
increase of 14.16% since 1990. In spite of this growth, the county dropped
from the second to the fourth most populous county in recent years.
Historically, Lane County's economy has been based on timber and
agriculture. Timber became important because the county is on the edge of
Oregon's largest stand of timber. Agriculture grew because of the fertile
soil and moderate climate that exists in the Willamette Valley, making it
one of the most productive farming areas in the nation. However, with the
reductions in timber harvesting and the continued population growth
affecting many agricultural areas, there has been a change of emphasis in
the economic development of the county. Growth is predicted to shift away
from forestry to services, manufacturing of transportation equipment,
printing and publishing, and trade. A major economic asset for the county
is the University of Oregon in Eugene. Finally, with access to the
mountains and the Coast, tourism adds to the county's economic vitality. |
