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A Brief History of the Millrace <br />continued from page 22 <br />1913: The Anchorage, a popular campus <br />hangout across the U0's Villard Hall, begins <br />renting. canoes on he Millrace. Citizens form the <br />1VIillrace Protective Association with 100 members. <br />I915: UO holds its first Ganoc Fete, a night <br />parade on the Millrace; as part of junior-Weekend. <br />1.916: Oregon Supreme Court rules on disputes <br />over Millrace property easements, deciding maxi- <br />mumcanal width could be 50 feet and alloying <br />retainingwalls to be built on residential properties. <br />The_Evolution <br />1920's: As electricity becomes more available, mills <br />convert. The Millrace. diminishes in importance as a <br />power source. Simultaneously, its role as an aquatic <br />park for UO students and city residents expands. <br />1922: Canoe rental business grows to have 50 <br />canoes on the Millrace. Property owners have an <br />estimated 50 more. <br />1925: To preserve Millrace's idyllic character, <br />citizens and students rally to stop plans for a dance <br />hall on the shore. <br />1928: All mills have stopped using Millrace water <br />power. Flood again destroys Millrace's intake. <br />1938: UO buys land north of the Millrace to <br />build a park and amphitheater. <br />1941: Canoe Fete is so popular, plans are drawn <br />for 5,000-seat bleacher and stage. Larger develop- <br />ment plans call for moping the Pacific Highway <br />(now Franklin Boulevard) and the railroad tracks. <br />Sut projects arc halted by World War II. A series of <br />floods again destroy Millrace intake. <br />1943: Highway and rail work completed. <br />Millrace work is neglected. <br />1945: The Millrace becomes a dry channel. <br />1946: .Eugene voters buy the Millrace for <br />$50,000, but sale is disputed Court rules in 1951 <br />that the city bought only the right to move water in <br />the Millrace to generate power; property owners <br />retain the right to install culverts and bury <br />theMmillracc. <br />1947: Millrace Protective Association reactivates <br />to lobby at city budget hearings. City okays <br />$20,000 for Millrace restoration; UO students raise <br />matching funds. <br />con>inued on page 23 <br />alignment and the existing piped Millrace location. <br />This planting provides a gateway into the Court- <br />, house District along 8th. The planting scheme will <br />need to be coordinated with the stormwater <br />i management concepts and with the architect for <br />the courthouse. <br />7. The creation of a new Millrace is a long <br />term vision. <br />The Millrace construction will requires phasing, <br />beginning with the portion from Cannery Square <br />to the railroad Tracks. Later phases would include <br />from Broadway and Mill Street to Cannery Square, <br />and from the railroad tracks to the river, and finally <br />from the location of the pipe at the end of Ferry to <br />Broadway and Mill Street. The ultimate goal is a <br />pedestrian accessible, connected flow of water <br />back to the Willamette. <br />A Continuing Vision <br />for the Millrace <br />These design parameters are intended to maintain <br />support for along-term vision for the Millrace. They <br />serve as the basis of searching for funding sources, <br />for design and study, as well as for eventual con- <br />struction. They also serve to provide parameters for <br />preliminary design, and to build consensus on this <br />long held community dream. <br />The Millrace story needs to continue. The power of <br />the Millrace is no less its physical reality than its <br />power to generate stories, as a part of Eugene's past <br />and vision for the future. <br />Page 22 <br />