Albany - Oregon - History

For approximately 5,000 years, the Willamette Valley wherein Albany lies was inhabited and hunted by Kalapuya Indians.

The donation Land Claim Act of the 1800's granted acreage to each white male citizen who was at least 18 years of age. Hiram Smead and Abner Hackleman staked their claims at the site where the Calapooia River meets the Willamette River.

Walter and Thomas Monteith purchased the Smead claim in 1848 for $400 and a Cayuse pony. The town of Albany, Oregon was christened in honor of the Monteiths' hometown of Albany, New York.

The Monteith's built, and lived in, Albany's first frame house in 1849. It is available for tours through the Monteith Society.

In 1850, Abner Hackleman's son Abram laid out 70 acres on the east side of Albany for future development. Also in 1850, Albany `s first post office was set up and a church group was established. In 1851, Albany was designated as the county seat and the town school was established. A two story octagon courthouse was built in 1853 on land donated by the Monteiths where today the current courthouse still sits.

Albany's first newspaper, the Oregon Democrat, founded by Delazon Smith who became one of Oregon's first US Senators, is today the Albany Democrat-Herald.

The steamboat "Multnomah" came to town in 1852, the stage in 1860, the locomotive in 1871 (by 1921, 28 passenger trains left daily in five different directions), the highways and airport in the first half of the 1900s, and ultimately the freeway

Historical Time line : -

1845: Squatters Abner Hackleman and Hiram Smead arrive.
1847: First cabin build by Hiram Smead and Milton Hale (near 1st and Ellsworth.)
1848: Walter and Thomas Montieth purchase Smead claim for $400.00 and a cayuse pony.
1849: First frame house built at 2nd and Washington, town is named Albany after Monteith's hometown in NY.
1850: Linn County population 994, 172 families, 138 farms.
1850: Abram Hackleman, son of Abner, lays out 70 acres of land for future development (east Albany.)
1850: Disappointed miners return from California, Albany starts to grow!
1851: Albany chosen to be seat of Linn County. (Seathood was taken away in 1855 and returned in 1856.)
1853: Name changed to Takenah, meaning deep placid pool, and referring to junction of Calapooia and Willamette rivers where the Calapooia Tribe made their camp.
1855: Name changed back to Albany.
1859: "Oregon Democrat" newspaper begins printing.
1860: 6,045 horses, 8,975 cows, 10,471 other animals (sheep, goats, hogs.) Agriculture remained Linn County's most important industry until lumber surpassed it in the 1950's.
1860: Linn County is one of nine Oregon counties to vote Democratic for John Breckinridge for President. Abraham Lincoln won.
1861: December 1, worst flood in known history -- waters were 36 feet higher than normal.
1862: Portland to Albany via stage coach costs $10.00.
1864: Ten acres of land bought for $200 is designated for the site of the County Courthouse.
1870: Railroads arrive. Albany business men paid $50,000 to have the railroads go through town instead of bypassing it. Albany becomes known as "Hub of the Valley."
1870: Albany to Portland via train costs $4.00. The trip takes six hours.
1871: The first bank opens with $9,000 capital. It was located on the site of the present Masonic temple.
1878: D. O. Plummer connects a telephone in his home to telegraph wires.
1884: Albany populations includes 118 Chinese-Americans. The area around First Ave. and Baker St. is known as "Chinytown."
1888: Electricity comes to urban Albany.
1894: April 15, the first telephone exchange is established wtih 36 phones installed.
1902: Mr. W. E. Richards of Albany built a steam engine car. This was the first automobile built in Oregon and ran 12 miles per hour.
1910: John Burkhart is second man in Oregon to build and fly his own airplane. The old fair grounds race horse track was used as the landing field.
1932: Billions of tent caterpillars cover a ten-mile stretch of railroad tracks. The tracks are too slick for the train to ascend small inclines.
1940: World Champion Timber Carnival established in Albany.
1962: "Columbus Day Blow" windstorm causes $10 million damage in Linn County.
1999: No Garbage Books opens in the old post office.

Historians and architects credit Albany with having one of the largest and most varied collections of historic buildings in Oregon. This collection represents styles from 1840 through the 1930's and is concentrated in an eight square block area. The US Department of the Interior lists the three Albany Historic Districts on the National Register of Historic Places