The entire exhibit is something of a happy accident, says Maddi McGraw, curator at the Springfield History Museum. Motorcycles in Springfield, 1900 to 1939, which opened July 14 at the museum, started to gain traction a couple of years ago while McGraw and the staff were working on a historic atlas of Springfield. Photos of men in the early 20th century on their motorcycles in Springfield and east Lane County started to crop up, and everyone was taken by them. The motorcycle culture did not just happen after World War II, McGraw notes. “It happened a whole generation earlier,” she says, adding that some of the men learned to ride while in service during World War I.
Plenty of artifacts and photos are on display, including a range of photos from the delightfully named Smith Mountjoy, a photography buff who hung out with Bill Davis Sr., Springfield’s chief of police in the 1920s. There are also two largely intact bikes from the time period on loan from a local collector. Davis, McGraw explains, was the first person to scale Kelly Butte on a motorcycle, and his granddaughter, Darcy Davis, who lives in Oregon, loaned photos and other archives for the exhibit..
Motorcycles in Springfield, 1900 to 1939 runs through December 30 at the Springfield History Museum, 590 Main Street. Museum hours are 10 am to 3 pm Thursday through Saturday. The museum also is open during Springfield Second Friday Art Walk, 5 pm to 7:30 pm.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
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Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
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As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
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