Lane County Historian

INCLUDING A COMPLETE PROGRAM FOR

3Ktatawa rai1 A PAGEANT OF th 3tait TRANSPORTATION (!Ii4r1iratirni EUGENE August 18.19-20 at 8:oo P. M.

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"Trail to Rail" celebration, 1926. LANE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Vol. XVIII, No. 3 Eugene, Oregon Fall, 1973 LANE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Mrs. C. A. Huntington, 740 West 13th Street, Eugene, Oregon 97402 President Stuart W. Hurd, Rt. 2, Box 345, Eugene, Oregon 97401 Membership Secretary LANE COUNTY HISTORIAN lnez Long Fortt (Mrs. James 0. Fortt) Editor 3870 Watkins Lone, Eugene, Oregon 97405 The Lane County Historian is a quarterly publication of the Lane County Historical Society, a non-profit organization. Membership in the Lane County Historical Society includes subscription to the Lone County Historian. Annual dues: $3.00; family membership: $5.00.

CONTENTS "TRAIL TO RAIL"The First Eugene Pageant 43 By Hugh Rosson, retired law professor, U of 0; one-time U of 0 athletic manager; businessman

Participants in Pageant: left to right, Maude Kerns, Mary Chambers Brockelbank, Edith Kerns Chambers. 42 "Jraillo RaiL' ]he iri1Cuene PaJean1-1926 By Hugh Rosson PART I Thacher, Cal Young, Jas. H. Kohl, Preface: and in later years, Horace Robin- To such persons as myself who son. In each case high tribute was reviewed the production of Klat- deserved and there is, indeed, sad- awa, and, in confusion of miscon- ness in recalling the first four who ception had termed pageantry an have passed to immortality. exhibition of children d an ci n g But I would pay tribute specific- around a maypole, was awakened ally to three others, Wm. Tugman, to the thrilling dramatic possibili- L. L. Ray and Mildred LeCompte ties of pageant presentation and Moore. that first Eugene offering created Mr. Tugman became an "all out" an abiding enthusiasm. convert to pageantry w i t h the It has, therefore, been a pleasure 1926,and thereafter. As editor of to prepare an article on the sub- the Register-Guard, his enthusiasm ject of the pageant years. meant a committal of his staff to However, in the attendant re- complete coverage of every phase search, there has been a mixture of pageant preparation, features of happiness in recalling man y and events. The value of this policy pleasurable incidents and events, and his editorials were tremendous while sadness also surfaces as so in developing and maintaining pub- many names are brought to mind lic interest, not only in Eugene, whose onwers have passed away, but throughout the entire area of tobe remembered aspersonal Lane County. friends and co-workers in the pag- To me, a happy memory was his eant projects. participationinpageant scenes, An interesting item appeared in oftenhilariouslyhumorous, his the1947official programs, listing designation of himself as a wrangler only26persons, as participating and a member of the hardy crew in all six pageants, including that handling the animals used in the year. It leads to remembrance that show each night. Innately, a fear- many would participate in one or less horse and oxen attendant had two or more years, but eventually been lost to the mundane profes- retire. When itisrealized that sion of journalism. threetofour thousand persons Mr. Ray, though president of the were required for cast, committees Pageant Association in 1947, was and parades each year, one readily largely a worker behind the scenes, understands the importance of en- whose great work was practically ergetic recruitment to fill all ranks unknown to the public. each year. Pageantry as a subject had in- In newspaper reviews and other terested him for a number of years, reportsfollowingeach pageant and, as the celebration of1926 closing, praise was expressed for was considered, he suggested the the accomplishments of numerous topic for the event to be a history individualsrepeatedly,including of travel and to be treated in pag- Doris Smith, Professor W. F. G. eant presentation. His idea was ac- *AlI photographs used in the story, "Trail to Rail," except where otherwise designated are from the Lane County Museum Library, kindness of "Chris" Bettis, librarian. 43 cepted, and his files, given by his training and directorship in this family to the Pioneer Museum, dis- highly important pageant element. close numerous letters in corres- Other names come flooding into pondence with Doris Smith and my mind, literally hundreds, eman- others in discussion of problems ating in acquaintance in pageant any matters and plans involving work, who became grand friends t hem e, the necessary paid em- through all the succeeding years. ployees, contracts an d expenses To name each one would be beyond estimates. He might well be termed the space limitations of this ar- the Father of the Pageant idea, ticle, but to each and every one, I and, in subsequent years, his coun- express appreciation for the joy sel and advice were important fac- these friendships have given me tors in decisions on themes and through the years, and the hope script. that this review of the pageant He was truly one to whom high- years may recall happy incidents est tribute should be paid in ap- and associations for those w ho preciation of his modesty, his sin- viewed or participated in the pres- cere and unselfish devotion to pag- entations, and possibly serve as an eantry, as a thrilling and spectac- imaginative offering to a younger ular form of dramatic art and his generation to whom knowledge of gratuitous service in the solution this period can now be given only of numerous problems and details through recitation or documentary attendant upon organization and treatment. presentation of the various pag- * * * * eant features. Eugene, 1926. It was a year to be emphatically remembered in the Our tribute to those gentlemen annals of the city. It was a year of must also be paid in memoriam prosperity not only for Eugene, as we recall their demise in recent but across the n at i n business years. flourished, government in Washing- The contribution of Mildred Le- ton, under taciturn Calvin Cool- Corn pte Moore as director of danc- icige was largely quiescent,but ing for all the seven pagea?its' growth and expansion of m an y years was also highly noteworthy, communities was the order of the yet, somehow, t h a t contribution day. seems less publicly noted in com- Locally, the lumber industry was parison to praise for other dir- flourishing, sawmills unrestricted- ectors. ly permeated the air with smoke In 1926 and prior thereto, she from the i r sawdust burners in had conducted dancing classes in many areas of Lane County. Eugene and as she was chosen dir- The city had become an ever in- ector those students became the creasing important point as a dis- nucleus for the large dan ci n g tribution center serving the south groups needed f o r t h e pageant. and southwest areas of the state. It From that experience,it bcame had proved to be a practical loca- automatic to employ her in that tion for the establishment of ware- capacity in each of the subsequent houses and branch offices for num- years. The finished performance of erous large corporations, w h i 1 e the dances was emphatic evidence sales representatives fo r o u t-o f- of the talent and accomplishment town firms found the city attrac- she exhibited in the recruitment, tive as a "home base" from which 44 to travel and service their terri- across the open plateau country to tories. an easy grade to the Klamath Basin In addition to these elements, and on to a point in Northern Cali- new industries,finding excellent fornia where the old line wiuld power, water and transportation f a- be rejoined on the route to San cilities available, were increasing Francisco. in number and variety. For years the project had been The era when Eugene's seem- contemplated by railroad officials ingly only claim for public notice and work had started when World was that it was the location of the War I caused stoppage of further was indeed construction. passing. That concept by many Eventually, after the war, work residents carried no thought of was resumed to completion in 1926. derogation of the University's im- It had been a noteworthy feat in portance to the social, cultural, ed- railroad annals with the boring of ucational and economic welfare of some 23 tunnels within a 50-mile the community, but rather that distance while, at other notable new factors must also be given points, construction on the sides of credit for progress and advance- seemingly s h e e rcliffs was de- ment of the city. manded. Robert Prescott, a well known Eugene, which supercedeci Rose- realtor, who for many years had burg as a division point for the endured the scoffing of unbelievers r a ii r o ad, 'benefited enormously in his constant repetition of the from this undertaking. It would be conviction that "Eugene will some a junction point from which the day be a city of 50,000 people," old Siskiyou route and the new was enjoying growing respect as N at r o n cut-off proceeded. Ade- possibly a true prophet. Grudgingly quate land at the northern limits the "die hards" admitted, "Bert of the city had been acquired and might be right after all." large railroad yards we r e con- structed together with repair shops (Editorial Note: Population and other facilities. statistics, Eugene, 90,100; The move meant the transfer of August, 1973.) practically all railroad personnel But the spur to immediate from Roseburg to Eugene, thus t h o u g h t of a celebration came adding a most desirable, stable and largely from a truly momentous skilled labor group as residents. In event, the completion of "the Na- addition, other transfers from Port- tron cut-off," a colossal feat in land provided further needed per- railroad engineering, whereby the sonnel forefficient operation in former route of the Southern Pa- Eugene. cific through the formidable Sis- With all the existing factors it kiyou Mountains was to be aban- was no small wonder that an under- doned for all through traffic from current of thought permeated the Portland to San Francisco. The new business community for some ex- line would strike southeast from pression, obstensibly by the Cham- Eugene, through Oakridge, t h e n ber of Commerce, so that a fitting boldly strike through the Cascade celebration could be developed. Mountain Range to the summit, A meeting was soon held at where it would skirt Odell and which the Trail to Rail Associa- Cresentlakes, continue southeast tion was formed with Joseph H. 45 Koke as president and a board of era! subject of pageantry led him directors which consisted of Mr. to suggest that the main feature of Koke, A. A. Rogers, Dr. A. F. the celebration be a pageant which Sether, E. C. Simmons, E. 0. Im- would depict the history of trans- mel, C. D. Rorer and George F. portation in the west. Hitchcock. Mr. Raley was quick to recog- The group was naive as far as nize the potential possibilities of a any knowledge of celebration re- pageant as a great dramatic spec- quirements was concerned but it tacle and which could also be suc- certainly was not devoid of keen cessfully financed through admis- mindedness or enthusiasm. sion charges. But a suitable loca- tion must be obtained. The problem of location was solved by the coop- eration of the University of Oregon officials who made Hayward Field facilities available and which had a seating capacity for approximate- ly 7,000 people. Third, a pageant c o m m i t tee which consisted of L. L. Ray, Dr. A. F. Sether, George Turnbull and ErnestLudlow wasappointed. Pageant workers:lefttoright,ConDillon, Next, the preparation of a script George Hitchcock and Hugh Rosson, author of became the paramount problem. It story, "Trail to Rail." was suggested that Professor Good- However, the members became win Thacher of the University of beneficiaries of several important Oregon be requested to undertake circumstances at the very begin- the work. Happily, his acceptance ning of their service. brought sharp attention to a settle- First, a suggestion was made to ment of the outline of the various the group to approach the officials episodes which were to be created of the Pendleton Roundup Associa- together with the narration to ac- tion in order to gain information company them. on the various activities embodied Fourth, what good fortuneit in their annual presentation. The was in the selection of the pageant suggestion was immediately fol- director!It emanated from t h e lowed which resulted in making acquaintance of George Turnbull contact with Mr. J. Roy Raley, a with Doris Smith of Portland, a Pendleton attorney who had been teacher of dramatic art at the El- active in the direction and the lison-White Conservatory in that management of the Roundup. He city. Also, she had gained wide agreed to accept a position as man- fame for her direction of a great ager and brought to the enterprise spectacle, "Rosaria," sponsored by knowledge and experience so that the Portland Rose Festival Asso- his suggestions for various features ciation as a leading feature of Rose of the celebration as well as all-over Festival Week. scope or view of the enterprise Offer of the directorship of the brought instant agreement f r o m pageant was readily accepted by the board. Doris Smith. She brought to the Second, the interest of L. L. Ray, position unique qualities, the abili- an Eugene attorney, in the gen- ty to instill enthusiasm in the par- 46 No less important in any list of key people was the name of Cal Young. The son of a pioneer set- tler, he had resided all his life on theoriginalfamilyhomestead which adjoined the City of Eugene and was known throughout Lane County for his life-long interest in the preservation of pioneer mem- ories together with early relics, etc. The pageant as planned would call for the depiction of pioneer life, events and customs. The use of relics such as wagons, carts, clothing,utensilstogether with horses and cattle would be used for some of the pageant episodes, as well as for the pioneer parade. Dr. W. F. G. Thacher, Professor at University of Oregon, author of Pageant scripts (1926-1950), Two parades were planned for costumed for part of pioneer in play. the celebration, one, a pioneer pa- Courtesy, Register-Guard rade, the other, an industrial one. Both would be major features for ticipating cast yet she was able to the event. Cal Young would serve maintain respect and obedience to as chairman of the pioneer parade. her instructions. Endowed with a In addition, he would aid the dir- rich sense of humor and an innate ector in the recruitment of riders, love of people, she endeared herself pioneer characters and equipment to the entire community as well as for some of the episodes of the being superlatively successfulin pageant. the vital position of director. The pageant was on its way. Many conferences wereheld, some tense, until the format and every detail of the entire produc- tion had been formulated. There would be three perform- ances, August 18, 19, and 20. The pageant would be held at 8:00 each evening at Hayward Field. Tickets were to be priced at $2.25, $1.50 and $1.00. THE PAGEANT It was August 18th and the Pag- eant, the long-awaited event of the "Trail to Rail Celebration" was be- ing performed atlast. Hayward Field was filled with an enthusi- DorisSmith,Directorof Pageants, 1926-1950. astic audience eager for the pres- Courtesy, Register-Guard entation. 47 Queen Susannab with her court. The opening feature was the cor- Next was the big momentThe onation of Susannah, the name Pageant itself. chosen for the queen of the celebra- In Episode I of t h e Pageant tion. The queen and her entourage proper, the characters were the which consisted of King Kiamath, E'arly Coast Indians who presented her escort, and the princesses ap- in pantomime t h e w a y oflife, peared on stage. The entourage was habits,etc.of their tribe while followed by the Eugene Radiators, the voice of Klatawa narrated leg- the Vigilantes, the American Le- endary tales. Fifty performers ap- gion Drum and Bugle Corps. peared in the scene. As the various groups assumed Episode II met great audience their position on the stage, approxi- response. To understand the epi- mately two hundred dancers ap- sode it was necessary toI e a r n peared to perform in homage to something of the stage construc- the queen and her court. The dance tion. It consisted of a framework was a fanciful one called "The approximately 400 feet long with Fruits and Flowers of the Valley"; ramps and other inclines. A canvas the dancers in a variety of cos- was hung from the framework on tumes represented the valley fruits which painters had created a huge and flowers. panorama of forests, valleys and The audience applauded vigor- mountains and which rose up to a ously. The opening number of the height of 40 feet or more. pageant was met with instant and Back of the first line of scenery enthusiastic approval. space was provided for a simulated The coronation was followed by scene of a boat with a non-visible a so-called prelude in which was platform on which sailors rode. It portrayed an imaginative concept was mounted on wheels and trac- of the ancient Mayan civilization tion. As the scene emerged, the and legend. It was a spectacular ship named 'Columbia moved from attraction. Two hundred perform- the side as if sailing on the river. ers and a chorus of three hundred The ship was commanded 'by Cap- voices, all lavishly costumed, ap- tain Robert Gray, the discoverer peared. Special lighting effects en- of the Columbia River. As the prow hanced the scene. of the boat reached center stage, 48 Stage scene; panorama of mountains, valleys, forests and river. the sailors landed and proceeded of Captain Meriwether Lewis and to raise the American flag fol- William Clark, of Sacajawea, Char- lowed by a boisterous round of bonneau and York? dancing and singing. The historical event lent itself Episode III, "The Horseback In- most effectively to pageant pres- dian" depicted an Indian group, a entation; on the stage appeared returning Indian war party, the Lewis and Clark accompanied by warriors on ponies and the women Sacajawea,Charbonneau,York, and the children of the tribe fol- with packers and voyageurs in at- lowing behind to set up tepees and tendance. establish the village. Episode III At the conclusion of Episode IV was a most colorful and interesting an interlude was "interposed." It scene. was called "A Forest Fantasy" with There were few viewers in the dancers in costumes representing audience who were not familiar trees, the wind, lightning and rain, with the theme of Episode IV. It again, enhanced by special lighting was the story of the memorable effects. trek made by Lewis and Clark Next, in Episode V was the ever- across a vast continent, a great em- popular portrayal of the Covered pire, to the Pacific Ocean. Wagon Caravans with the intrepid, History records the dramatic im- venturesomepioneermenand pact of their report on the country, women who forged their way along of the vast lands through which the perilous and toilsome Oregon they had traveled,themighty Trail to their destinations in the mountains and great rivers they vast new land. had crossed. Their exploits became On the stage a caravan moved known nation-wide and later, were in a ponderous procession of cov- favorite subjects in grade school ered wagons and carts drawn by reading tests. oxen, people on horseback a n d Who would not know the names many walking alongside the trail. 49 Episode V in Pageant performance,"Covered Wagon Caravan." A command was called out by the max and conclusion. W h i 1 e the wagonmaster, repeated and car- audience was occupied in viewing ried down the caravan and the pro- the transportation presentation, the cession halted. Preparations were night air was suddenly shattered by made for the night camp and fires a loud explosion and the scenery at were lighted, meals prepared, fol- center stage parted to reveal the lowed by o 1 d t im e dances and front of a locomotive with head- songs. lights burning as it moved forward Whatever prompted another in- several feet to halt in full view of terlude after Episode V is not the audience. revealed but there it stands in the The e 1 em e n t of surprise was program as "The Waters of the perfect. After a short interval of Valley." One hundred or more shock, thunderous acclaim and ap- dancers appeared as sprites of the plause swept through the audience. various rivers in the Willamette The theme of the entire celebration Valley and performed a beautiful was epitomized in that spectacular exhibition of dances to the accom- moment, "The Broken Barrier," paniment of appropriate orchestral the conquest of the mountains and compositions. the completion of the new rail line Episode VI was entitled "Evolu- to California and the East. tion of Transportation." Klatawa in his longest narration of the evening The climactic short moment was traced the development of trans- programed as Episode VII and was portation. Passing in review across followed immediately by Episode the stage was an unbelievable num- VIII, equally short and the finale in ber of vehicles and accoutrements which an a i r p1 a n e was exactly from pack trains, stage coaches, timed to swoop down at low alti- buggies, hayracks to b a b y car- tude and fly over the scene; then it riages and wheelbarrows as well as zoomed upward quickly and was several early day automobiles. soon lost to sight. After Episode VI, the pageant It was the harbinger of the fu- performance moved rapidly to a cli- ture yet to come to transportation. 50 BEHIND THE SCENES... a large order for additional cos- tumes to the Salt Lake Costume HOW THE PAGEANT Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, "CAME TO BE" which gave excellent service to the In the early days of pageant project committee. planning, agreement on the make- Finally, training was begun by the up of the pageant determined the different groups. There were long size and the appointments of the nerve racking hours of rehearsals. directional staff. Finally, coordination of the various Who and how many would act, episodes was achieved and the day dance and sing? Who would direct of dress rehearsal for the final pro- them, train them? What of cos- duction had arrived. There was tumes? Parades? Programs? Visi- prayerful hope that audience re- tors? action would be laudatory to the Two problems were happily soon highest degree for the hard-work- solved, one in the selection of Mil- ing performers and staff. dred LeCompte Moore, a popular * * * * and able instructor of classic danc- ing, as choreographer and director CONTESTS - PARADES of the various dance groups. RAIL HEAD The other paramount problem Concurrently with the develop- was the music. Hugh Winder, presi- ment of the pageant program, ac- dent of the Eugene Gleemen, was tivity in many other features of appointed director of the chorus of the celebration gained fast tempo. 400 voices and Charles M. Runyan, The know-how, experience a n d a talented and highly competent managerial ability of Mr. Raley musician, a resident of Eugene, was came into full play as he organ- selected to direct the orchestra and ized and developed such features choose the orchestral numbers. as the Queen Contest, the Pioneer Irving E. Vining, a dramatic Parade,theIndustrialParade, orator, impressive in appearance Rail Head, the Inaugural Cere- and voice, widely known through- monies and a broad category of out the state, was invited to portray activities under the title of "Hos- Kiatawa, the narrator. Mr. Vining, pitality." a resident of Ashland, responded Other events included a costume favorably to the invitation. contest, a whisker rivalry, a drum Costumes for the estimated cast corps competition which was en- of 1,500 to 2,000 persons presented tereci by eight groups; outdoor no small problem in costs as well as boxing contests and public dances in the management and control of were to be featured at various lo- distribution and collection.Cos- cations in the city. tumes for the dancers were pur- The contest for queen under the posely planned to be quite simple in guidance of a contest committee design with the result that many required candidates to be spon- were m a d e by the participants sored by consenting organizations. themselves or by r e 1 a t i v e s or Votes for the queen were sold in friends.Otherswere made by devious ways, by direct appeal to women volunteers who responded supporters, by merchants offering to the call for seamstresses. How- votes with purchases, by social ever, many more were still required affairs, etc. In a two-month period, and it became necessary to send over 7,000,000 votes were sold and 51

Miss Kathleen Powell was declared draw vehicles for the parade. In to be the winner and as Queen some situations there was a willing- Susannah would reign over the ness to train the animals but no entire celebration. yokes could be found in the area. The Pioneer Parade as it moved Never at a loss, Cal searched until into formation on August 19th he located the needed yokes, also was, in reality, a tribute to the other necessary equipment and monumental efforts of Cal Young made arrangements for delivery to who had secured and marshalled the waiting parade entrant. the many entries. From the day Such cooperation throughout the the decision had been made to hold county was a remarkable testi- a pageant together with a pioneer mony to the position of respect parade, he had traveled the width and admiration Cal Young had at- and breadth of Lane County in tained as a pioneer son who ex- order to locate every possible type erted continual effort to preserve of conveyance as well as impor- in memory and as a heritage the tuning owners to loan them, also exploits of the early settlers.It their horses and even themselves was indeed a proud Cal Young in as drivers. In numerous occasions, pioneer garb who rode his horse the vehicle loaned had originally at the head of the parade to the been drawn by oxen. Cal Young plaudits of the thousands of spec- was not daunted by the hurdle. He tators along the line of march. In appealed to ranch owners to train all, there were 111 registered en- cows to work as yoked ox teams to tries,many ofwhichincluded 53 Industrial Parade Floats. groups, drivers of loose c at t 1 e, supervisors ready to prevent gaps sheep and droves of hogs, all pa- in the parade and to be constantly rading along the entire parade on the alert for any emergency route with Ezra Meeker of pioneer that might arrive. fame as the Grand Marshal. One spectacular e n t r y and a The Industrial Parade was a slow-moving one was entered in c o 10 r f u 1presentation of floats the Industrial Parade. It consisted which were entered by cities, busi- of twelve teams of oxen pulling ness firms, fraternal organizations, an early day logging cart of two marching groups, bands and drum enormous wheels, one at each end corps. of a heavy axle. A large log was There were approximately 100 chained to each axle, lifting it from entries in the Industrial Parade, the ground as the log was dragged the number largely due to the in- to a designated point of release. dividual effort of J. S. Magladry The entry had been secured from who had accepted the chairman- a ranch in California which sup- ship of the parade committee. At plied various items of equipment his own expense he had followed to movie firms. Mr. Simpson, the a gruelling schedule in order to owner, had sent his own employees secure entrants, traveling to num- to care for the oxen as well as to erous Oregon cities to publicize assist in the parades. the celebration and secure floats The parade withitsvarious for the parade. entries assembled along West 11th Few spectators along the line Avenue and adjacent streets.It of march had any appreciation of marchedtoWillametteStreet, the work involved to stage such then north to Broadway, turned an event, the securing of entries, west one block to Olive Street the selection of a line of march and again turned north to 6th Av- and the placement of the entries enue, back to Willamette, south at various assemblage points. Re- to Broadway and then east several sponsible supervisors moved each blocks to a point of disbanding. section into its proper position as As the parade progressed along the units moved in the organized the designated route, a gap oc- succession. There was also standby curred. When the oxen made the equipment to move stalled floats, turn to Olive Street, the driver 54 Logging cart pulled by 12 teams of oxen, later, six teams of oxen. failed to make the turn north and afternoon, the 19th.It was the the twelve teams of oxen blithely formal dedication of the comple- paraded to the western edge of the tion of the Trans-Cascade Rail- city. Fortunately, the entry had road, popularly known as the Na- been placed near the end of the tron cut-off. The dedication was parade but it was followed by the held in front of , an remaining units to the mistaken early-day gift of Henry Villard, stopping point. It was all utter tragedy to Jack (Editorial Note:In 1881, Magladry who was in charge of University of Oregon faced a the parade. A humorous s t o r y financial crisis, sale of Deady went the rounds in Eugene when Hall; Henry Villard assumed Jack's friends told how Jack had $7,000 of $8,181.89 debt, later lost the tail end of his parade. donated $3,000 for library, lab One event of great significance equipment, scholarships. entitled"Inaugural Ceremonies" A grateful University named was held on the campus of the new 1886 building Villard Hall University of Oregon on Friday for its benefactor of 1881. His- 55 tory of University of Oregon The Radiators discussed police by Henry Sheldon, P. 52-54., protection and safety measures Binfords & Mort, 1940.) with the city and county authori- pioneer railroad builder. An im- ties to insure that provisions would posing array of speakers addressed be made available to meet unex- the assemblage with Irving E. pected situations or emergencies. Vining, president of the Oregon Transportation for the many dis- State Chamber of Commerce as tinguished guests w a s arranged. master ofceremonies.Speakers Members of the Radiators on sub- were Honorable George L. Baker, committees of three each were ap - Mayor of Portland, Honorable pointed special "Good Will Ambas- Walter M. Pierce,Governor of sadors" to greet and assist the Oregon, J. M. Dyer, General Man- various delegations from the six- ager, Southern Pacific Company, teen cities who had expressed their San Francisco, and Clyde Atchi- intentions to attend the celebration. son, Chairman, Interstate Com- Altogether, the Radiators with merce Commission, Washington, their many responsibilitiesand D.C. duties as well as their participation A very important feature of the in all the parades and the corona- celebration was the area desig- tion of the Queen ceremony in the nated as "Hospitality." Under the pageant prelude each evening were headingofhospitality,services indeed a very busy group. ranged from good will ambassa- The many special features added dors to housing and food. excitement to the celebration. An A group called "The Radiators" open air boxing bout held on Fri- was in charge of hospitality. It day afternoon at Hayward Field was a u n i f o r med unit which was in the charge of a committee marched in the parades, served as headed by Kenneth Abler. An Air g o o d will ambassadors to wel- Circus arranged by E. C. Sim- come visitors and as representa- mons, chairman of the committee tives of the City performed many was scheduled for exhibition fly- and varied duties. ing in formations or maneuvering Housing for the anticipated in- of individual planes, on Thursday flux of visitors was a worrisome and Friday afternoons at 5:00 p.m. problem. The Radiators registered The climax of the costume con- all available facilities and appealed test was at 2:30 p.m. Thursday to residents to offer rooms for when prizes were awarded for the rent. best man's costume and for the The Radiators staffed informa- best woman's costume. Comment tion booths placed at several down must be made here that the ap- town locations. Conferences were peal to the Eugeneans to wear held with restaurant proprietors pioneer dress in the weeks pre- and other eating places to insure ceding the pageant dates met with adequate service and reasonable remarkableresponse.Heirloom prices. dresses were resurrected and worn Under the heading of "Health with pride by many owners while and Comfort," building managers others adept at sewing designed were requested to make restrooms and made garments for themselves available to the public and tem- and their children. It became al- porary sanitary facilities were in- most uncommon to see a woman stalled in several alleys. in modern garb on the streets of 56 C Whiskerino Contest participant. N Rail It brought Eugeneans of all ages wore pioneer dress. Eugeneans of all ages wore artistry. The contest ap- The Wiskerino contest was the Rail Head was the designation Eugene and the movement car- Eugene and the towns as well in ried into other culmination of the whisker-grow- ing period for men. sorial in pealed particularly to workers whom preferred shaggy growth and many emerged for the contest finale in wondrous and often quite startling appearance. given to the carnival and conces- in sion area which was located the downtown park blocks adjacent to the Lane County Courthouse. Streets were cleared and the entire area was given over to carnival features, rides, side shows, games and eating stands. Under the man- agement of Con S. Dillon, space was rented to individual conces- a sionaires while a contract with a carnival company provided for percentage of the income from the operation. In addition, license fees were collected from hawkers on the streets selling the usual array of souvenirs and novelties. the valley. forth every possible type of ton- of the woods and sawmills, most townspeople and visitors alike. The "first nighters" were overwhelmed by its magnitude, the color and the overpowering dramatic impres- sion. A sellout of tickets for the second and third nights immedi- ately followed. With the finale of locomotive and airplane scenes, a tired but joyous cast dispersed to cherish in memory the hours of rehearsal, the excitement of the performance and the reward of the audience re- action. There was pride and satis- faction in being a part of it as participants in the performance. Also, many new friendships were formed among the cast. "Pioneers" danced during the parade. City-wide, there was an after- mathofprideandexultation. Head was planned for lively fun Everywhere there were discussions and amusement and also as a device and assertions for future presen- for a helpful addition to the Pag- tations; some extreme enthusiasts eant Association's exchequer. recommended an annual presenta- The entire affair, "Trail to Rail" tion. celebration might well be likened When the Board of the Pageant to a jigsaw puzzle with all the Association met to wind up the af- parts to be fitted together to pre- fairs of the organization, members sent a complete picture. A picture, discussed the agitation for a repeti- complete in every detail evolved tion and decided to set three years as the weeks of preparation ended as the interval between perform- and the eventful dates of August ances. 18, 19 and 20 arrived. It was At the meeting, the board also "blessed" in addition by the ben- faced itsfinancial report which eficence of good weather and an showed expenses exceeding income enthusiastic public response both and voted to erase the deficit by in attendance and their enjoyment an assessment of the guarantors, a of all events and functions. payment of 9%. The great major- The influx of visitors was highly ity of the guarantors were "in" to gratifying, although facilities for the amount of $100 or $50 and housing and eating became quite the request for the modest defi strained. There was continual en- cient coverage was met with a tertainment at Rail Head, a popu- ready response. The board w a s lar gathering place, with its vari- gratified by the many letters re- ous attractions while the public ceived w h i c h complimented the dances appealed to others. The ap- Associationinhighly laudatory peal of the pageant was universal terms. while thousands lined the streets all along the parade routes to view the parades. Part II will continue in the Lane The pageantitselfastounded County Historian, Vol. XVII, No. 4. 58 Waiting for their cue, or, are they spectators?

59 LANE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 740 West 13th Ave., Eugene, Oregon Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 96 Eugene, Oregon

The Old Pioneer.