The top of Skinner’s Butte has great views of the Eugene, Oregon skyline. The fall colors in this painting add to the view’s beauty. Skinner’s Butte is also right next to downtown Eugene’s many parks, stores and cafes.
Activities around Skinner’s Butte
Skinner’s Butte is in downtown Eugene. This makes it easy to get to food, theaters and hotels. Places to see near Skinner’s Butte are:
- Willamette Street
- A nice place to park when walking to Skinner’s Butte.
- Hult Center for the Performing Arts
- Eugene’s performing arts center.
- Shelton McMurphy Johnson House
- A Victorian mansion at the foot of Skinner’s Butte.
- Eugene Train Station
- The train station for Eugene is near many restaurants.
- The Columns
- Old rock quarry that now has rock climbing.
History of Skinner’s Butte
The Eugene area was the homeland of the Kalapuya people prior to the arrival of European settlers in the 1800s. The Kalapuya people where forced onto the Coast Reservation following treaties between 1851 and 1855.
The Kalapuya called the butte Ya-Po-Ah. The butte is currently named for Eugene Skinner. He built a house on the butte in 1846. The Skinner Butte Park opened in 1914.
A rock quarry operation ran on the north side of the butte from the 1890s to the 1930s. Today it is a popular rock climbing spot.
The Design of the Skinner’s Butte Area
Downtown Eugene uses a square based urban design. This comes from the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). The PLSS separates most of the United States into squares.
The PLSS is used to record land owners. Before the 1950s, the PLSS was also used to design towns and roads.
In this week’s view the area with lots of color was designed using the PLSS. The area past this is cul-de-sacs among Douglas Firs. Cul-de-sac design became common after the 1950s.
Sketchy Traveler 