Builders unearth remnants of historic trolley system

During 'Heart of Campus' construction Monday at the corner of University Street and East13th Avenue, construction crews unearthed two steel rails that were once part of Eugene's trolley system.

The Eugene and College Hill Street Railway was built by H.W. Holden and began operation in 1891.

The original route ran along East 13th Avenue and over the hill south of campus on University Street. A branch was built later that ran from College Hill to West 19th Avenue. At its height, the trolley system covered just over three miles.

The first trolley car was pulled by mules and driven by a man named Wiley Griffon. In 1907, the Eugene City Council granted a franchise to the Willamette Valley Company to convert the system to an electric trolley.

In 1927, with the automobile becoming cheaper and more prevalent, the Eugene trolley system closed down, and was replaced by the bus system that is still used today.

-- Ben Brown

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