Atlas excerpts, part 2: Springfield gets moving

Champion motorcyclist Bill Davis attempts to climb Kelly Butte. In the 1920s and 1930s, hill-climbing competitions were exciting community events that drew crowds of onlookers. Davis is thought to be the first motorcyclist to successfully climb the east face of Kelly Butte. PHOTOS PROVIDED COURTESY OF DARCIE DAVIS Champion motorcyclist Bill Davis attempts to climb Kelly Butte. In the 1920s and 1930s, hill-climbing competitions were exciting community events that drew crowds of onlookers. Davis is thought to be the first motorcyclist to successfully climb the east face of Kelly Butte.


■ The Chronicle is featuring excerpts from the “Historic Atlas of Springfield, Oregon,” a 200-page collection being developed by the Springfield History Museum’s History Atlas Subcommittee. This week, we look at transportation. Read the kickoff article here and the first set of historical excerpts here.

In the early 1900s, Springfield started to industrialize. Transportation systems were developing, and people were participating in exhilarating recreational activities that come with it. Local buttes, floodplains, prairies, rivers,…

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