Make the McKenzie Connection!

Leaburg, Oregon

Leaburg, Oregon Community signLeaburg

Named for the first postmaster Leander Cruzan, in 1877. A name change to Jim Town happened in the early 1900’s - in honor of a local store owner. The Leaburg school was built in 1923. A public library occupies part of the old schoolhouse today. Besides the library this area hosts a community center/gym (with kitchen). This community is also home to a veterinarian, auto repair shop, gas/grocery store, fire station, and two art galleries. Further east along the highway you will find filbert orchards, also known as hazelnuts.

McKenzie River Salmon Hatchery is a state run facility with guided tours by appointment. The hatchery raises salmon from eggs until they are about six inches long. These “smolts” are released to travel to the ocean and return when they mature in about 3 to 4 years.

Helicopter at Leaburg Summer Festival

 

 

At the east end of Greenwood Drive, stands the Ward/Currie house, now owned by the Bischoff family. It served as a stage stop for many years. The Greenwood Pioneer Cemetery is located on Greenwood Drive as well. There is also a public boat landing on Greenwood Drive. The downtown area is the home of McKenzie Fire & Rescue's Leaburg Training Center which offers a community meeting room and grounds for activities like the Leaburg Summer Festival.

 

 

 

Leaburg Dam offers views of salmon and steelhead climbing a fish ladder. Leaburg Lake is about 40 acres and motorized craft are allowed. The Leaburg Trout Hatchery and EWEB Water Board Park are located on the south side of the river. The trout hatchery is open to the public and features ponds with albino cutthroat, Columbia River sturgeon and Atlantic salmon, some weighing up to 20 pounds. The hatchery annually grows 750,000 fish, mostly rainbow trout, to be released in Oregon rivers. The 55 acre EWEB Park has facilities for groups up to 600 people (reservations required). It is only open during daylight hours and features picnic sites overlooking the McKenzie River, free covered electric cooking centers, outdoor firewood grills, a softball field, volleyball court, horseshoe pits, boat landing, trails, and swings for children.

Historic Old McKenzie Hatchery Originally built near the turn of the century, the facilities were used by the state to grow trout and salmon until the 1950’s. Many original structures are still on the property. The main house was built in the early 1900’s for the hatchery superintendent. A number of local groups and government agencies joined together to revitalize the property, which is now part of the Lane County Park Department. 

Goodpasture Covered Bridge

Built in 1938 it is 165 feet long, making it the second longest in Lane County. It was named for Benjamin Franklin Goodpasture, a settler here in the early 1900’s. The family members still grow filberts on the homestead.

 

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