Willamette Street in Eugene has gone through many changes since the city’s founding in the mid-1800s.
The original city plat established Willamette Street — named for the nearby river — along with 8th Avenue and Oak Street surrounding Courthouse Square as the center of the new city in 1852.
The block quickly became the focal point of civic life for the growing community.
When the O&C Railroad came to Eugene in the late 1871, a depot was built at the northern end of Willamette Street at the foot of Skinner Butte.
In 1891, a mule-powered trolly system was built that ran from the train depot, down Willamette Street to 11th Avenue, before turning east toward the University of Oregon. Other trolley lines were later added to the south along Willamette Street to ferry passengers to other parts of the city.
Over the years hotels, restaurants and theaters sprung up on either side of the main street forming a core business district along what was becoming the spine of the City of Eugene.
Willamette Street has played a central role in many civic celebrations over the years. At the end of World War I, the city staged a large parade in honor of returning troops in 1918 for example.