Figure 52
The Linn County Museum in Brownsville,
Replete with Boxcars
Brownsville
was described as a blue-collar working class town where "people care about each
other and they care about the town." It was also described as a bedroom
community, especially for Corvallis but also Eugene, Albany and Salem.
"We came here because we
yearned to have animals and grow vegetables."
Settlement
patterns described by residents include the tendency of people who were raised
in the community to come back as mid-life adults. A recent pattern is for
people who move away come back to Brownsville for their final days,
appreciating the extended family that remains in town.
The
entities by-pass the communities of this unit - the mainline railroad, Highway
99, and most recently, Interstate 5. As a result, the Brownsville unit remains
one of the least developed areas in the Willamette Valley.
Publics
Brownsville has a
range of people that make up the community including commuters, blue-collar
workers, professionals, artists, agriculturalists, and "little pockets of
intellectual stratum" like authors, radio personalities, and a maker of
porcelain figurines.
Traditional
people, those who have lived and worked in the community for a long time, tend
to be conservative. There are still a number of pro-logging folks around, upset
by the spotted owl decisions and the changes they brought.
Newer people tend
to be more liberal, educated, professional in their employment, and computer
literate. Newcomers are accused of trying to change things.
"We get people in town who come here and like our
little town, but who often say, 'If you only had this or that, then it would be
perfect.' These folks miss the point."
A large Mennonite
community, mostly grass-seed farmers, lives in the area.
Networks
See
Section Two.
Work Routines
Mills have been
part of Brownsville history from the beginning, with early settlers building
flour mills to service the area. The Brownsville Woolen Mills was a presence in
the community for nearly a century, providing employment and valley wool in the
area until it was destroyed by fire in 1955. The lumber mill was the first
economic force that came to exist in Brownsville.
This area is
diverse but rural in its activities - logging, farming, and livestock raising.
Most of the ranches in the area are hobby operations oriented to horses.
James River has a paper plant in Halsey that employs 600
people. The wood products mills in Lebanon and Sweet Home, as well as LinnGear,
a manufacturer of gears and sprockets in Lebanon, employ several hundred
people, including Brownsville residents. The Georgia Pacific facility in Halsey
employs 437 people.
The economic level
of families is dropping, according to local officials.
Many small local businesses still make up the economic base of
the community.
Support Services
"Parents and Pals"
is a "wonderful" support group for parents and a play group for pre-schoolers.
Kids and youth are an active topic of conversation and is a primary reason why
people say they like the community.
"Yeah, I lent my car to the kids and they brought it
back 3 days later." [laughter from all]
Informal
caretaking is a strong element of community life.
"After the windstorm of February 7, ____ and a
friend drove around with a chainsaw, making sure people's driveways were open."
"___
has Hot Wheels races for the kids upstairs in his shop. Kids love it."
Clubs in
Brownsville include a garden club, a croquet club, a women's study group, a
poker group (Men's Redistributing Wealth Club), and a cronies group. "Pioneer
Picnic is Oregon's oldest continuing celebration," states the Brownsville web
site. It was first held in Crawfordsville in 1887, and it has been held in
Brownsville ever since. Local events also include a women's sports' event each
winter. Linn County Museum operates in the town, displaying pioneer photos and
artifacts in four railroad boxcars. "Sharing Hands" is a thrift store and food
bank for lower income residents.
Recreational Activities
See Section Three.
B.
Themes Related to Community Life
Themes
1. "The people here are
genuine."
"You can go to the Post Office in your 'jammies' and
no one cares."
"I love the sense of community. I can see the
boundary and edges in my mind. It's real."
2. "Everybody knows
everybody." Many residents referred to the efforts people make to get to know
each other. It is clear that "neighboring" is a key community value. In one
group conversation, a 5th generation resident stated,
"Neighbors all know their neighbors, with the
exception of a guy who moved across from my farm about 7 years ago. I went to
introduce myself, took some food, but they wanted nothing to do with me. They
keep to themselves."
After the gentleman said
this, a woman jumped in and said,
"Yeah, I have one of those, too. Everyone knows
everyone except for them."
3. "We're still
the same." Brownsville people have a reputation for valuing the fact that the
community has looked the same for years, that "it's like stepping back in
time." Most business buildings were constructed in the early 1900s and even
earlier. The town also has many historic homes that are featured in the
promotional material put out by the town. The movie, "Stand by Me" was filmed
in Brownsville, and symbolizes the nostalgic image people have of the town.
Section
Two:
Communication
Strategies
A. Informal Networks and Communication
"It's so small, communication happens all the time,
in small storefronts and on the street."
Gathering Places
Saddle Butte
Coffee Shop
Corner Café
The pharmacy
Brownsville
Saloon, visited on weekends by "Up-scale bicyclists and motorcyclists."
The Calapooia
River, Mill Race and Pioneer Park are favorite spots for locals.
The gym
The Post Office,
"everybody has a PO box", with bulletin board
Key Community Contacts
The Brownsville
Fire Department is a key communication method used in the community.
B. Formal Groups and Communication
Figure 53
Organizations With Interest in Public Lands in the
Brownsville Area
|
Organization
|
Contact Information
|
Mission
|
|
Calapooia Watershed
Council
|
Peter Jensen
Meets Brownsville
Library
|
Watershed restoration
|
Section
Three:
The
Public Lands Perspective
A. Uses of and Orientation to Public
Lands
People in
Brownsville are said to do lots of hiking, skiing, hunting, fishing, canoeing,
and kayaking. For weekend get-aways, people go to the campgrounds of the Sweet
Home Ranger District. The Willamette River is used for boating, fishing, and
other recreational activities. The civic centers of the nearby urban areas are
also valued and used by residents.
B.
Citizen Issues Related to
Natural
Resource Management
Citizen
Issues
Recreation
"People
don't like the Recreation Fee Demo. It's confusing and inconvenient. It is
annoying when you get to a site only to find out that you need a permit."
"People
don't mind paying the fees - it's just the lack of information about how to do
it."
Forest Management
"The Forest Service needs to hire more people to do
the specialty wood products because that is going to be the way of the future.
The average Joe cannot afford to pay for the required insurance. The permit
requirements for harvesting are too stiff." [Owner of specialty wood shop]
C. Management Opportunities
This is still a
very traditional area. The Forest Service can strengthen its role with the
Watershed Council and recruit labor from this area for forest restoration work.
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