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I i . east-west axis. Today, these meridians are concrete and masonry reservoir on the marked respectively by Willamette Street eastern summit of Skinner Butte in 1886. and First Avenue. Mary Skinner dubbed the Reports indicate that a great deal of new town "Eugene City". infrastructure, such as pipes and a rough access road to the summit, were Throughoutthe latter half ofthe 19th century, constructed as part of this undertaking. ' 1 the increasing population in and around i ' Eugene was predominantly concerned with Shortly thereafter, between 1887 and 1888, agriculture, and for a brief time, limited Shelton commissioned the construction of grazing and cattle ranching. Beyond early his new mansion at the southern foot of subsistence farming for such crops as Skinner Butte. His home is known today ' vegetables and oats, some of the first as the Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson N commercial crops included wheat and House, and remains one of the most Q ~ hops. Eventually, the development of the noteworthy historic homes in the area. In ~ ~ ! millrace laid the foundation for industry in that same year, Shelton sold ahalf-acre of U ' Eugene City, including grist mills and land to the University of Oregon for the ~ ; eventually woolen mills. Other industries construction of an observatory. In a very not dependent upon the millrace included short period of time, therefore, Skinner awhiskey distillery, furniture manufacturing, Butte was transformed from a pastoral hill ' quarries and brickyards. to the site of significant municipal, 1 institutional and private construction. Other enterprises contributed to this trend. ' ! A Brief History of In the early 1890s, the columnar basalt ~ outcropping near the southwestern toe of Skinner Butte Park m Skinner Butte Park the butte became a popular quarry site. started off as an Stone from this site was used frequently in investmenf in public early construction around Eugene -such infrastrucfure The Functional Butte as foundations and steps -until the quarry Around 1880 most of Skinner Butte and was abandone d sometime around the e arl Y the surrounding property was purchased 1930s. L._I ~ by Dr. T.W. Shelton, who was subsequently grantedthefirstwaterfranchisebytheCity As other homes were built around the j:" j of Eugene. Shelton and his associates' eastern foot of the butte, for example the new company, known as the Eugene Water Ankeny House in 1896, the University of This picture shows the flood of Company (EWC), built a 300,000 gallon Oregon observatorywas already beginning i February 4, 1890, from the east to outlive its purpose. The university soon ~ summit of Skinner8utte. Note discovered the drawbacks to an ~ ~ the Ferry Street Bridge and the 1886 reservoir in the foreground. observatory located in the valley floor of western Oregon. Visibility proved to be very 4 poor for most of the year due to cloud ' ~ cover, fog, or smoke and haze settling in the valley. By 1897, the observatory was i ! abandoned. The building was itself an s ~ interesting piece of architecture from a contemporary perspective, but as itfell into ,:x~~a , ~ " disrepair over the ensuing years, it was ! ~ - - ~ ~ finally blasted from the hilltop with dynamite ` ~ r" ~ x~,z,.,, . around 1905. A police communications ' r r . > L ' tower stands today in the same location. ~ Around ,1905, the Willamette Valley _a Company purchased the reservoir from Dr. ~ ~ Shelton and Associates. There was a ' . w_~.~ ! ~ Y; subsequent push for public control of the I"= ~ I n ~ Skinner Butte Park • Master Plan 2001 29