The History of Independence
Independence and the surrounding area was originally occupied by the Kalapuyan Indians. The Kalapuyans were semi-nomadic hunters and gatherers who were attracted to the abundant food supply along the fertile shores of the Willamette River.(1) The river also served as a major transportation route for the natives. It was not until the advent of the Euro-Americans that permanent settlement of the area began.
Prior to 1841, the only Euro-Americans to venture into the Independence area were transient trappers and explorers. The 1841 census estimated the total population of the Willamette Valley at approximately 400. The highest concentration of the population was in the Mill Creek and French Prairie area of Marion County.(2) By 1849 the Territorial Census estimated the population of Polk Co. at 1,174, a substantial growth in an eight year period. Growth in the area occurred due to many factors: the discovery of gold in California, the availability of fertile soil in the Willamette Valley and the promise of a mild climate and the passage of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850.(3) This was the beginning of the great western migration, which brought many settlers into the Willamette Valley.
NORTH INDEPENDENCE
Elvin A. Thorp arrived in the Independence area in 1845 and staked a claim north of Ash Creek in June of that year. He platted a small townsite which later became known as "Thorp's Town of Independence" or the "Original Town of Independence". Thorp and his family came to Oregon from Council Bluffs, Iowa by a wagon train led by his father. The party left the midwest in May 1844 and arrived in Oregon in 1845. Elvin Thorp staked his claim on land north of the present site of downtown Independence. His land was bordered on the south by Ash Creek and on the east by the Donation Land Claim of C.P. Cook. Thorp staked his claim six months prior to the establishment of Polk County. In June of 1845, Thorp petitioned the United States Goverment to lay out a small township called Independence. Thorp received the patent for the town in February of 1866.(4) He knew the importance of the town's proximity to the Willamette River as a strategic transportation route for shipping goods up and down the Willamette River. He thus
secured a road easement through C.P. Cook's Donation Land Claim so he could access the valuable waterfront and dock space. This helped to promote the town's develeopment.
The town was reportedly named after Independence, Missouri, by an early pioneer, Mrs. Thomas Burbank, who lived several miles to the southwest. Independence, Mo. was not only the starting place for the Oregon Trail but is reported to have been a home to Thorp at one time. He was said to have consented to name the town with the stipulation that the Burbanks move to the town and build a store.(5) This was common practice to encourage settlement in a new plat. By the mid-1850's, "Thorp's Town of Independence" or "old Town" had services such as a sawmill, brick kiln, blacksmith shop, livery stable, a ferry system which ran across the Willamette, a general merchandise store, warehouses and boat docks and a post office (established April 3, 1852).(6) The small town prospered as a key shipping point of goods and supplies for the California gold rush and was situated in a strategic location for the transportation of goods and produce shipped up and down the Willamette Valley. The town's success ended abruptly after
the flood of 1861. A rainy fall and an unusually warm December melted the snow pack in the mountains causing a flood in December of that year, which left the town devastated. The flood destroyed "Thorp's Town of Independence", inundating the entire area. The residents were apprehensive about rebuilding the town on the original location, thus plans for a new town of Independence started to formulate.
HENRY HILL'S TOWN OF INDEPENDENCE
Henry Hill arrived in the Independence area in 1847, On November 14th of that year, he claimed a one square mile Donation Land Claim south of Ash Creek on the west bank of the Willamette River and opened a log cabin store. Hill subsequently left for the California gold fields only to return within the year to improve on his Donation Land Claim. After the 1861 flood, many residents of the area wanted Hill to plat a new town south of the Thorp's original plat which was on higher, flatter ground. In 1867 Hill platted about 40 acres for a town site which became known as Henry Hill's Town of Independence. Hill promoted the town by giving away two lots to people who wanted to build homes, two lots each to the Methodist and Presbyterian churches, and a lot to a livery stable.(7) Hill's town was laid out in a grid; Main Street connected with Thorp's main thoroughfare, Indian Grave Street. Fom Main Street west, the blocks were laid out from 2nd to 9th streets. From north to south, the streets were lettered from "A" to"I" streets with Monmouth street between "C" and "D" streets. Hill's Town was filed June 3rd, 1878 and was recorded March 17, 1879. By February 26, 1885 Thorp's and Hill's Towns of Independence were incorporated.(8) The following decade of the 1880's brought prosperity and growth to the small valley community.
1880's and 1890's
A majority of the downtown buildings in Independence were built in the 1880's and 1890's. After Henry Hill officially platted his town of Independence in 1878, the area grew rapidly. Its proximity to the river and its central location in the Willamette Valley established Independence as a central shipping point for goods brought up and down the Willamette River. The population of the town grew from 700 in 1880 to 1200 in 1890.(9) The town became more accessible due to the introduction of the railroad in the early 1880's. The O. and C. Westside Railroad was completed to Corvallis in 1880 and in 1886 the Western Railroad completed a line down Second Street in Independence. A small independent railroad was completed August 26, 1890, connecting the towns of Independence and Monmouth. A ferry system was also completed across the Willamette River August 14, 1885 making the farms on the East side of the Willamette more accessible.(10) There were additional technological advances which occurred during this time
that attributed to the town's growth. The city water works was completed in 1890-91, the Telephone and Telegram was introduced in 1892 and electric lights illuminated the town on September 20, 1890. Many of the downtown buildings were constructed during this time period. The Opera House was built in 1888, the Cooper Building in 1889, the Independence Bank in 1889, and the City Hall in 1889. The march 29, 1890 West Shore Magazine featured an article on the prosperous town of Independence stating that "The town with it's highly cultivated and beautiful surroundings, has long been the center of one of the most productive agricultural districts in Oregon. The farmers from a wide extent of country come to do their trading." The article further states of the small valley community that "Independence, on account of the opportunities for trade, it has long enjoyed, is one of the most opulent of the small towns to be found in the Willamette Valley. It claims a population of about 1,200, and possesses sixteen brick
business houses. Its merchants are prosperous, and carry large stocks of goods to meet the demands of the large number of farmers who come to do their trading."(11) The town grew as a central shipping point of the valley with various shipping companies locating their warehouses and wharves on the waterfront of Independence. The town also had a very active Board of Trade which was organized in the 1880's.
1905-1940
The population of Independence remained at 1,200 people from approximately 1890 until 1902. The 1905 Polk's Business Directroy lists the population of Independence at 1,800, an increase of 500 people from the 1902 directory. The population remained relatively stable at 1,800 until the Depression of the 1930's drove many people from the area. The increased population ca. 1905 was primarily due to many technological advances and the prosperity of the hop industry. With the introduction of the automobile the emphasis on the railroad and river as means of transportation began to lessen. The first automobile appeared in Independence in 1907. It was owned by Dr. Otis Butler.(12) With the introduction of the automobile came the need for a better road system, which was stimulated by Oregon's "Good Road Movement". The process of paving the main streets of Independence began after the turn of the century. By 1912 six streets were paved including Main Street. In 1909 the bridge across Ash Creek, to the north of the
downtown areas, was widened and a new bridge was built to accommodate the automobile traffic. The Valley and Siletz Railroad was incorporated in 1912. By 1918 the railroad was in operation, further increasing the areas accessibility. The railroad primarily carried timber, hops and passengers. By 1915 the 1909 bridge across Ash Creek was outdated and a new steel bridge was constructed.(13) After WWI, during the 1920's, many new facilities were introduced in the area. During this time the first hospital was opened by George and Martha Knott in 1921; the Independence Elementary School was constructed in 1925; and the Independnece City Library was opened in it's new building in 1929. The new prosperity of Independence was primarily due to the revenue of the hop industry which was the major crop in the area from the turn of the century to the late 1940's.
THE HOP INDUSTRY
Independence was known as the "Hop Capital of the World" from the late 1890's to the late 1940's. Hops were planted in Polk County in the late 1860's. The climate and soil of the rich river bottom land made the area surrounding Independence ideal for growing hops. Hop production in Polk County increased in the 1880's and 1890's; by 1893 two thousand acres were planted in hops. Although the rich farmlands of Polk County produced wheat and other grain crops, by 1889 Polk County was producing more hops than any other county in Oregon.(14) At the turn of the century the farmers in Polk County had organized a Hop grower's Fire Relief Association to help growers in the area. The total number of acres planted with hops swelled to 17,500 by the turn of the century. The town of Independence was surrounded by thousands of acres of hops by the early 1900's. Some of the largest hops farms in the world were located in the area. A 1913 article in the Oregonian states that "within five miles of the city there amounted to
22,000 bales, which at an average weight of 190 pounds to the bale makes a total of 4,275,000 pounds. Taking a total of 22 cents a pound will give a total of $940,500 which will come into the city this year from this one crop. Good hops land can be bought on reasonable terms, so reasonable, in fact, that it is possible to pay for it within a few years. Some years (farms) have paid for themselves in two years, but this is the case only when the market is at its best."(15) The total acres planted with hops in the United states was 43,653 acres in 1915.(16) Oregon harvested approximately 20,000 acres of hops that year and the Independence area harvested approximately one fourth of the total Oregon harvest.(17) By 1925 the United States' total hop harvest was on the decline, but Oregon was still harvesting 13,000 acres out of the total 20,350 United States acres.(18) By 1935 Oregon's hop harvest had increased to 26,000 acres out of the total 39,000 acres of hops planted in the United States.(19) The Independence
area became the largest hop growing area in Oregon, with hops planted within a five mile radius of the town.
A 1939 promotional brochure on Independence states of the hop industry, "From early spring till the end of September the yards are the scene of intense activity. The hops are trained to grow upon trellises and form a green that is a beautiful, romantic and a wonderful testimony to the richness of the soil."(20) Thousands of acres of hops were planted surrounding Independence which gave the town a special ambience. The hop plant was a perennial and had a life expectancy of fifteen to twenty-five years. The hops grew on string trellises supported on wooden poles which were historically six to ten feet high. The hop leaves were dark green in color and the buds grew in clusters and were a lighter green. During the winter months the hop yards were groomed and repainted in preparation for the growing season. The hops started to grow in the early spring and were harvested in mid-August to mid-September. The hops historically were picked by hand and put into baskets in the field. They were then transferred into
burlap bags and sent to the hop dryers. After the hop was dried, it was baled and sent to market. Later, in the 1940's and 1950's, machines began replacing hand labor, altering earlier harvest practices. During the hop harvest many people from around the state migrated to Independence for seasonal work in the fields.
The hop industry transformed the small valley community of Independence in the summer months to an active river town. The population of the town increased 5,000 to 10,000 people in the early part of the twentieth century during the hop picking season. By the 1940's an estimated 25,000 people flocked into the Independence area during the late summer months.(21) The people came from all over Oregon, some returning annually to the area. The town provided the supplies and services for the pickers that came to the area to work in the hop fields which greatly increased the revenue of the town. An article in the 1904 'West Side Enterprise" newspaper reported that, "For the past ten days, they (pickers) have been pouring in by team and train loads. All last week along the principle roads centering in Independence were an almost continuous procession of teams bearing hoppickers afield and clouds of dust enveloped the much travelled highway. All last week, trains ran behind time because of the unusual number of
hoppickers and hoppicker's baggage to handle and at many times there was congestion of traffic on Independence streets and at the ferry crossing. As many as sixty-five teams have been counted at one time between Paddock's Store and Wilson's grocery, a space of scarcely a block."(22) People came from all over the state in the summer to help with the hops harvest, bringing their families and possessions. The E. Clemens Horst Company was the "largest single hop field in the world" in 1934, planting 500 to 750 acres to hops.(23) The farm was located north of Independence and was later renamed the Green Villa Farms. The Horsts hired as many as 3,000 workers to help at harvest time.(24) The larger hop farms such as Horsts had small cabins built for workers and the farms were transformed into small towns in themselves. Along with the housing facilities the camps often had grocery stores, restaurants, taverns and dance halls. A camp sheriff was also often employed by the farms during the peak seasons to guard
against unruly behavior. Recreational activities after long picking days included boxing matches, games and dances and the camps were always filled with music. There was also an annual Hop's Festival which was held at the site of the Riverview Park which included the selection of a Hop queen. Many workers brought their families and belongings to the camps. Mothers and their babies were a common sight in the fields and in the camps. the same families often came back year after year to harvest the hops.
The hop pickers increased the annual revenue of Independence substantially and transformed the town into a bustling "city-like" atmosphere. Workers would get paid by tickets; the tickets would be punched according to the quantity of hops they picked each day. These tickets could be used either as exchanged for cash or traded for food or merchandise at the local stores. At the end of the harvest season the merchants would exchange the tickets they collected from the workers for cash from the hop farmers. The hops industry put more money into the economy of Independence than any other crop grown in the area. In the early 1940's a local resident, Dee Taylor (deceased) remembers that the main street was so crowded with people that "you couldn't even walk down the sidewalks, people had to walk in the streets to get somewhere and avoid the throngs that crowded the sidewalks."(25) Taylor's Drug Store, which is still a local gathering place, located on the corner of Monmouth and Main Streets, was open in the peak
summer season from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week and had a continual flow of customers throughout the day.
By the late 1940's, after WWII, the hop industry in the Independence area began to dwindle and by the 1950's only a few hop farms were still in operation. The decline of the hop industry in the area was due to a number of reasons. New technology in the production of beer lessened the amount of hops needed in the brewing. Also the competition from foreign markets after the War led to the decrease in United States hop production. One local resident cited that women were also the cause of the decline of the hop industry. Apparently, the "wartime scene" brought a lot of women into the taverns which caused the death of the local industry because the women liked a more mellow taste causing the brewers to use fewer hops and eventually led to a change in the variety of hops that grew better in the Yakima Valley in Washinton."(26) A disease called Downey Mildew also caused a problem for the local growers in the 1940's which didn't effect the hop growers in Washington.(27) By 1953 Oregon was only planting 6,800 acres
of hops out of 28,000 total U.S. acres compared to the peak season in 1935 in which 26,000 were planted.
Other sources of information:
1. Jane Morrison and Julie Pinger. City of Independence Historic Resource Inventory. 1984-85. (Independence, City of Independence, 1985)
2. Ibid. p4.
3. Ibid. p5.
4. Sidney Newton. Early History of Independence, Oregon(Independece, Sidney Newton. 1971) p.2
5. History of Polk County Oregon
6. Lewis McArthur. Oregon Geographic Names. (Portland, Oregon Historical Society. 1974)
7. History of Polk County p17.
8. Ibid. p18
9. Jane Morrison and Julie Pinger. City of Independence Historic Resource Inventory p9
10. Ibid. p9. 11. "Independence, Oregon" West Shore Magazine, vol 16. March 29, 1980. p399.
12. Sun Enterprise. "History of Independence". Independence Public Library. no date.
13. Early History of Independence. p112.
14. "Independence, Oregon." West Shore Magazine, p.399.
15. Oregonian, 14 December 1913
16. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Statistical Reporting Services no. 469. Hops by State, 1915-1969 (Washington DC, 1971) p.3.
17. Ibid. p5.
18. Ibid. pp 3, 5.
19. Ibid. pp 3, 5.
20. "Independence Oregon". Independence Chamber of Commerce brochure. 1939.
21. Craig Lockwood. "Hops - The Crop that Made Independence Famous." located at Independnece Historical Society. no date. p17
22. Ibid. p17.
23. Ibid. p18.
24. Ibid. p18.
25. Ibid. p20.
26. Ibid. p20.
27. Ibid. p20.
28. Hops by State. pp 3, 5.
