Books, Theses & Pamphlets
Beckham, Stephen Dow. “Historic Uses of Six Reservoir Areas in the Upper Willamette Valley, Lane County, Oregon.” Eugene, Oregon: Heritage Research Associates, 1982.
This useful source describes the losses incurred in Lane County due to dam building. Includes historic photographs and an excellent bibliography.
Beuter, John. “Legacy and Promise: Oregon’s Forest and Wood Products Industry.” Report for the Oregon Business Council and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, 1998.
A pro-industry report, “Legacy and Promise” illustrates the recent decline in the timber industry in Oregon.
Boag, Peter. “The Calapooian Matrix: Landscape and Experience on a Western Frontier.” Ph.D. Thesis, University of Oregon, 1988.
A facinating account of how settlers in the southern Willamette Valley viewed the landscape around them.
Booker, Matthew. “Confluence: The Ecology and Culture at the Forks of the Willamette River, Oregon.” M.S. Thesis, University of Oregon, 1997.
Another informative thesis, “Confluence” has a post-settler focus.
Cheatham, Richard. “Late Archaic Settlement Pattern in the Long Tom Sub-Basin, Upper Willamette Valley, Oregon.” Eugen, Oregon: Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, 1988.
Cole, David. “Report of an Archeological Survey in an Area of Proposed Relocation of a Portion of London Road, Lane County, Oregon.” Eugene, Oregon: Museum of Natural History, 1976.
Cole, David. “Investigation of Two Potential Archaeological Sites in the Cottage Grove Lake Area, Lane County, Oregon.” Eugene, Oregon: Museum of Natural History, 1977.
Collins, Lloyd R. “The Cultural Position of the Kalapuyan in the Pacific Northwest.” M.S. Thesis, University of Oregon, 1951.
Cone, Joseph. A Common Fate: Endangered Salmon and the People of the Pacific Northwest. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press, 1995.
An excellent examination of the whys and hows of the declining salmon population and river health in the Pacific Northwest.
Culp, Edwin. Stations West. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers, 1972.
A local railroad history.
Geer, Marie. Four Score Years in Oregon. Cottage Grove, Oregon: Published by author, 1981.
Geer relates the history of her parents with an emphasis on their connection to the timber industry.
Geer, Marie. They Called it Hebron. Cottage Grove, Oregon: Published by author, 1996.
A longtime resident of the Willamette Valley, Geer traces the town she grew up in and its destruction by Dorena Dam.
Gleeson, George. The Return of a River: The Willamette River, Oregon. Corvallis: Oregon State University, 1972.
A development-friendly examination of recent Willamette River history.
Guzowski, Kenneth. “Cottage Grove, Oregon: An Historical Resource Survey,” 1992.
This useful history covers many of the primary topics of city growth and development from incorporation to present in a single slim volume.
Hall, Frances Cushing. Indian Life in the Willamette Valley. Eugene, Oregon, 1981.
Hirt, Paul. A Conspiracy of Optimism: Management of the National Forest Since World War Two. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1994.
A wide-ranging study of forest management.
Jacobs, Melville. Kalapuya Texts. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1945.
Ethnographic information including language charts and mythology.
Mackey, Harold. The Kalapuyans: A Sourcebook on the Indians of the Willamette Valley. Salem, Oregon: Mission Mill Museum Association, 1974.
An excellent source on materials regarding the Kalapuyan Indians.
Nelson, Ray. The Story of the Bohemia Mining District, 36 Miles Southeast of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Published by the author, 1959.
The best history of the Bohemia Mining District currently available.
Qaddura, Muen Salah. “A Regional Study of Cottage Grove, Oregon.” M.S. Thesis, University of Oregon, 1960.
Provides an interesting snapshot of the economic health of the city.
Rebeyrol, Alain. “Meeting the Goals of Historic Preservation in a Small Community: An Alternative Approach, Cottage Grove, Oregon, a Case Study.” M.S. Thesis, University of Oregon, 1998.
Robbins, William. Landscapes of Promise: The Oregon Story, 1800-1940. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1997.
An excellent monograph for anyone interested in the history of Oregon.
Scovell, Joseph. The Kalapuyans: Indians of the Willamette Valley. Boulder, Colorado: Western Interstate for Higher Education, 1978.
Smith, Sheldon. “The Evolution of Decision Making in Cottage Grove, Oregon, 1960-1970.” Ph.D. Thesis, University of Oregon, 1972.
Stalowitz, Alezander. “Jobs and People: Profiles, Cottage Grove and Creswell.” Eugene, Oregon: Lane County Department of Employment and Training, 1980.
Statistical information regarding the labor force of Cottage Grove and nearby Creswell.
“The Day Buster Smiled: The 1926 Filming of The General by Buster Keaton as Chronicled in the Cottage Grove Sentinel Newspaper, Cottage Grove, Oregon.” Cottage Grove, Oregon: Cottage Grove Historical Society, 1998.
Thoele, Michael. Bohemia: The Lives and Times of an Oregon Timber Venture. Portland: Oregon Historical Society, 1998.
A thorough study of one of Cottage Grove’s pre-eminent timber mills.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The History of the Portland District Corps of Engineers, 1871-1969. Portland District, 1970.
An essential guide to Corps activities in the Pacific Northwest.
Walth, Brent. Fire at Eden’s Gate: Tom McCall and the Oregon Story. Portland: Oregon Historical Society, 1994.
A facinating account of one of Oregon’s best known governors. Covers a significant amount of Oregon’s recent history.
Writers Discussion Group. Golden Was the Past. Cottage Grove, Oregon: Sentinel Print Shop, 1970.
A local group’s account of Cottage Grove history.
Articles
Casey, Kathryn. “Good School, Bad School.” The Ladies’ Home Journal 115 (1 March 1998): 70.
McKinney, F. Ann. “Kalapuyan Subsistence: Reexamining the Willamette Falls Salmon Barrier.” Northwest Anthropological Research Notes 18(Spring 1984): 23-33.
Ratcliff, James. “What Happened to the Kalapuya?: A Study of the Depletion of Their Economic Base.” Indian Historian 6 (Summer 1973).
Robbins, William. “Willamette Eden: The Ambiguous Legacy.” Oregon Historical Quarterly99 (Summer 1998): 189-218.
Spores, Ronald. “Too Small a Place: The Removal of the Willamette Valley Indians, 1850-1856.” American Indian Quarterly 17(Spring 1993): 171-191.
Towle, Jerry. “Changing Geography of Willamette Valley Woodlands.” Oregon Historical Quarterly 83 (Spring 1982): 66-87.
White, John R. “Settlement and Subsistence in the Willamette Valley: A Reply to Towle.” Northwest Anthropological Research Notes 15(Fall 1981): 236-247.
Newspapers
Bohemia Nugget
Cottage Grove Sentinel
Oregonian
Web Sites
City of Cottage Grove Home Page
Oral Histories
Oral histories are available at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon.
Dot Crha, owner of Cottage Grove Comfort Inn; business community
Claire Dross, moved to Cottage Grove from California in 1991; community life
Marie Geer, local historian and longtime resident; early days; Hebron community; impact of the dams
Herschel Henderly, employee of the Corps of Engineers, manages Cottage Grove and Dorena lakes; dams and floods; community involvement
Juanita Hensley, longtime resident; early days; impact of the dams; community life
Carol Logan, member of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde; Willamette Valley community; Native issues and rights; environmental changes
Evelynne Plueard, longtime resident; dam building; changes in Cottage Grove; community life
Charles Plummer, longtime resident and retired timber worker; timber industry; community life
Retta Smith, longtime resident; dam building; community life
Carlton Woodard, former owner of Woodard Lumber Company and owner of Kimwood Industries, longtime resident; timber industry; community life
Isabelle Woolcott, longtime resident; early Cottage Grove; changes; community life
