Millrace (Springfield)

From Lane Co Oregon

• Most of the original land claims in Springfield are filed between 1851 and 1853. The average size of a claim was 320 acres. Building sites were located on the high ground because of frequent flooding. Elias Briggs began building a town. In 1852, using shovel and plow, he built the Millrace.

• Originally constructed in 1852 to power Springfield's earliest industries, the Mill Race supported both timber and agriculture in the early years. Connecting naturally existing waterways, Elias Briggs, the founder of Springfield, hand-dug connections to create a waterway which would drive a saw mill and grist mill. The grist mill thrived until it burned down in 1930.