Most likely, you’ve heard of the Oregon Trail, but there’s another trail Oregon is becoming known for: The Oregon Film Trail. The Beaver State has been home to several movies, like The Goonies, Stand by Me and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Established in 1968, Oregon Film is the country’s oldest continuous state film office, and in 2016 it established the world’s first physical film trail. The Oregon Film Trail has signs throughout the state at locations where films were shot. An online map has a cluster of red arrows identifying filming locations in Eugene. Most know about Animal House being shot here, but fraternities aside, Eugene has a rich film history and has served as the backdrop for many films.
According to Peter Alilunas, a University of Oregon Cinema Studies professor, Eugene rose in popularity in the early ’70s when counterculture folk from Southern California went north on I-5. While some stopped in Portland or southern Oregon, many stopped in Eugene and saw its potential. Eugene’s hippie scene attracted the likes of Jack Nicholson, and director and writer Bob Rafelson…