Leaburg is an unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 community in Lane County

Lane County, Oregon

-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siuslaw National Forest *Umpqua National Forest *Willamette National Forest -Government:...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 located on the McKenzie River

McKenzie River

The McKenzie River is a tributary of the Willamette River in western Oregon in the United States. It drains part of the Cascade Range east of Eugene and flows into the southernmost end of the Willamette Valley. It is named for Donald MacKenzie, a Scottish Canadian fur trader...

 and Oregon Route 126 east of Walterville

Walterville, Oregon

Walterville is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located six miles east of Springfield on Oregon Route 126 near the McKenzie River....

 and west of Vida

Vida, Oregon

Vida is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located on Oregon Route 126 and the McKenzie River.Vida was originally named "Gate Creek", but this caused confusion with a community of "Gates Creek" in Washington County, so the name of the postmaster's daughter was...

.

History

The first post office in this locale was established in 1877 and named "Leaburgh", for first postmaster Leander Cruzan. At some point the spelling was changed to "Leaburg". On May 25, 1907, the office was moved two miles (3 km) west and the name was changed to "Deerhorn"; Deerhorn

Deerhorn, Oregon

Deerhorn is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located about four miles west of Leaburg on Oregon Route 126 in the McKenzie River valley....

 post office closed in 1913. A new Leaburg office was established on September 20, 1907.

Hydropower project and hatchery

The city of Eugene

Eugene, Oregon

Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...

's water utility, Eugene Water & Electric Board

Eugene Water & Electric Board

The Eugene Water & Electric Board is the customer-owned electricity, water, and steam public utility provider for the city of Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is Oregon's largest customer-owned utility....

 (EWEB), runs Leaburg Power Plant on the river one mile (1.6 km) west of Leaburg. This is one of three EWEB hydropower

Hydropower

Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...

 projects on the river. Leaburg Dam, built in 1929 about three miles (5 km) east of the community, impounds and diverts the McKenzie into the Leaburg Canal; the impoundment forms the 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) Leaburg Reservoir. The canal holds the water at a higher elevation than the natural level of the river for about five miles (8 km)—this allows the water to turn the power plant's turbines and generators. Leaburg Power Plant was designed in 1929 by noted Oregon architect Ellis F. Lawrence

Ellis F. Lawrence

Ellis Fuller Lawrence was an American architect who worked primarily in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 1914, he helped found and was the first dean of the University of Oregon's School of Architecture and Allied Arts, a position he held until his death.Lawrence concurrently served as campus...

 in the Art Deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 style and includes motifs from Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

 sculpted by Harry Poole Camden. EWEB's Lloyd Knox Water Board Park is on the south shore of the reservoir, while the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for programs protecting Oregon fish and wildlife resources and their habitats....

 (ODFW) runs the Leaburg Hatchery, a rainbow trout

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

 and steelhead fish hatchery

Fish hatchery

A fish hatchery is a "place for artificial breeding, hatching and rearing through the early life stages of animals, finfish and shellfish in particular". Hatcheries produce larval and juvenile fish primarily to support the aquaculture industry where they are transferred to on-growing systems...

, nearby.

Other hatcheries

The ODFW also runs the McKenzie Salmon Hatchery about two miles (3 km) east of Leaburg on the north bank of the river. This hatchery was built in 1938 and rebuilt in 1975.

On the north bank of the river, about four miles (6 km) east of Leaburg, is the Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery

Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery

The Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery was used to raise trout and salmon for release into the McKenzie River in western Oregon in the United States. It is located near the unincorporated community of Vida in Lane County. The hatchery is closed, however, the historic site is now a county park...

, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1996. The hatchery raised trout and salmon from 1907 until the 1950s. Many original structures are on the property, including the main house, which was built in the early 1900s for the hatchery superintendent. The site is under the jurisdiction of the Lane County Parks Department, and the McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Information Center is located there.

External links

• Leaburg Dam image from the Atlas of Lane County produced by the University of Oregon
  University of Oregon
  -Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
  
  Geography Department
• Aerial view of Leaburg Hatchery from Salem Public Library