Oregon Surveyor Sept/Oct 2016

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Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon |
Government Relations
By Christian Hill, The Register-Guard
Eugene’s First Corner Will Be Marked
by Historic Plaque
Alittle noticed yet crucial piece of Eugene’s history
will be returning to its rightful place downtown.
City officials will hold a small ceremony in the
shadow of the new Whole Foods grocery store to
commemorate the placement of a decades-old plaque
that marks the southeast corner of the original 1846
donation land claim of 640 acres by city founder
Eugene Skinner and his wife, Mary.
The marked corner not only is an important part of
the city’s history, it’s also a crucial tool for surveyors.
“All of the land development in downtown Eugene
is based upon this corner,” said Tim Fassbender, the
city’s surveyor for nearly 14 years. “This corner gives a
sense of what Eugene Skinner was visualizing when he
made his land claim.”
Workers had removed the plaque last year to make
way for the grocery store, which opens next week.
They formed a concrete inlet where
the plaque will be installed in front
of the store near the intersection of
East Eighth Avenue and Mill Street.
Going back in history, it would take
years for a surveyor to stake and
record Skinner’s land claim and
mark its southeast corner with a
wooden post, according to a video
the city produced in celebration of
Eugene’s 150th birthday in 2012.
The southern boundary of the
claim stretched from Tyler and Mill
streets, stretching north to the river.
Fifteen years later, another surveyor marked the spot
with a large stone set on pieces of charcoal, according
to the video.
Other markers noted the boundaries of the land
claim, but nearly all of them have been lost to history
as Eugene incorporated and developed. Only the
marker for the southeast corner remains on public
property.
Fassbender said the first plaque was set at the
location in 1959. The marker was displaced in the
1970s during construction of the Herfy’s burger joint,
he said. A second plaque was installed.
Later, crews placed four brass caps to ensure the
southeast corner could be located if the marker were
moved or damaged.
“We hate to see these things go away,” Fassbender said.