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 Creswell, The Friendly City, lies 10 miles south of Eugene-Springfield,
north of Cottage Grove, along Highway 99 and Interstate 5 (I-5).
Over the years, Creswell has grown from a farming
community into a small city with close ties to the metropolitan
area.
Creswell was
first settled in 1872 by Alvin Hughes and James Robinett, each
with five-acre
land donations, located
just
south of where the railroad traveled from Eugene.
In 1873, the Creswell Post Office
opened and Ben Holladay of the Oregon-California Railroad
Company
named the city after John Creswell, who was then
the U.S. Postmaster General.In
the early years, Creswell’s economy centered around agrist
mill in the community. Agriculture included wheat, cattle, and
hog
farming, with fruit trees adding to the economy by the end
of the nineteenth century. By the time of the city’s incorporation
in 1909, there were 5,000 acres of producing orchards, a cannery,
a packing plant, a fruit dryer, doctors, dentists, and a
variety of businesses clustered around Oregon Avenue.
Since the
1930s, Creswell has seen a fairly consistent pattern of growth, with
a population boom occurring
during and immediately after World War II.
The city’s economy has shared an intrinsic
link with its historic transportation system. Over the
years, the city’s location along the rail line, Highway 99
and, later, I-5 has influenced the type of jobs found
locally, which continue to be primarily in agriculture and timber
processing. |
