It’s oftentimes difficult to believe that Brownsville has been around and thriving sine the mid 1800′s and before. It is actually a fascinating thing to think that this little town has had so much history and yet remained a little town. Certainly there are older towns with bigger histories, but the fact that so much of historic Brownsville still exists is exactly what makes it a historical treasure and an interesting place to visit.
The town itself started when a group of families decided to exit the Oregon trail and settle at Brownsville, which is itself a good location because it is a lush valley that is supported by the Calapooia river. The first commerce for the town from outsiders was when one of the settling families, the Kirks, started a ferry business across the river. Kirk’s ferry was the sole way across the river for 7 years until the first of seven bridges across the river was built by the local county.
The river itself was damed and the towns of Amelia and North Brownsville became manufacturing centers leaving Brownsville itself to commerce. Eventually Brownsville was chosen as the town that hosted the first railroad stop in the area and as a result cemented the towns pre eminence among other smaller towns in the area. In 1895 North Brownsville and Brownsville came together into a single city and had a population of almost 1,000 people by 1912.
It is interesting to note that even back in 1912, in fact it was dated back to 1887 that Brownsville hosted the first of an annual celebration that exists to this day. It was the Pioneer picnic. This was originally a reunion of Oregon Trail travelers but then became an annual Brownsville festival, even back in the beginning days it was quite a large event that attracted visitors from miles around and included a picnic, shows, events, food, and entertainment.
In 1919 a fire ravaged the town and caused extensive damage. The cause of the fire was unknown but it destroyed many buildings within the business district. Even though there was a fire department that was established 14 years earlier, the fire itself grew too fast and overwhelmed the tiny volunteer fire agency. The local phone company tried to get help from surrounding fire departments but because there was no standards for fire fittings the other departments were not able to help and use their hoses and equipment even after they arrived. All in total 11 businesses and 20 homes burned to the ground. But the community survived and rebuilt quickly after this tragedy.
The town thrived before the fire and continued to do so afterward. There was an Opera House that served up entertainment, shows, bands, concerts, plays, and other events. It even hosted William Jennings Bryan when he was stumping to become resident. There was a thriving sports community also as the local “Browns” played baseball against surrounding communities on Brownsville’s own baseball field. There were also many local fraternal organizations such as the tennis, hiking, literary, riding, rod and gun, and late hours clubs. These all served to provide community spirit and cohesion to the town as a whole.
All in all Brownsville is an historic town that anyone would benefit from visiting and immersing themselves into its history. Brownsville is unique in that not only does it have this rich history but the historical qualities, look, and nature of the town have not been lost and overcome by modern development. Brownsville is a place you can go and really understand what it was like a century ago.
