City of Donald, Oregon
History of Donald, Oregon
Established 1912
The Oregon Country was the region between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean and was originally inhabited by the Kalapuyan people. In the early 1800s, fur trading companies such as the Pacific Fur Company and the North West Company explored and trapped throughout the Willamette and Columbia River valleys. Many of these trappers were French Canadian and later settled in the area that became known as French Prairie.
The town of Donald developed from portions of two early land claims. Claim 61, belonging to Willard H. Rees, consisted of 640.67 acres, while Claim 62, owned by Gustavus A. Cone, totaled 673.31 acres.
Other early pioneers in the Donald area included Francis X. Matthieu, William Whitney, St. M. Fackler, James E. Hall, and William M. Case.
Donald Livery, Feed, & Sales Stable
Gustavus A. Cone House
Gustavus A. Cone
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Gustavus A. Cone was an early pioneer known for his strong character and
contributions to the local community. He owned 640 acres of land, where he raised grain and general crops and devoted
much of his time to breeding Shorthorn cattle and other high-quality livestock.
In addition to farming, Cone was involved in business, operating a general mercantile store in Butteville with his eldest son, Benjamin F. Cone. He also played a key role in establishing the Farmer’s Warehouse Association.
Cone remained active in the community throughout his life, serving in
several positions of trust and participating in local civic and political
affairs.
Gustavus A. Cone
Francis Xavier Matthieu
Francis Xavier Matthieu was a French Canadian pioneer and an important figure in early Oregon history. He was one of the 52 settlers who voted in 1843 to establish the Provisional Government of Oregon and was later recognized as the last surviving voter from that decision.
Matthieu settled on French Prairie and founded the town of Butteville, where he operated a general merchandise business. He later claimed 640 acres of land nearby, first under the provisional system and then as a Donation Land Claim in 1850. He also served as the area’s first postmaster and was active in the Oregon Pioneer Association.
He died on February 4, 1914, in Butteville. Matthieu Street in Donald is named in his honor
Construction of Donald Substation 1906
Oregon Electric Railway
Donald has a rich history in agriculture, industry, business and family. Sometime between 1840 and 1860 Donald was settled by farmers and loggers from the Midwest. By the early 1900’s, Donald was a main station for the Oregon Electric Railway. The city was named after R L Donald who was an engineer of the construction company that built the railway. Donald was built from Donation Land Claims sold by R L Donald to the Donald Town Lot and Land Company in 1908. The original community was centered on agricultural land growing hops. The town grew primarily on the hop crop until the Oregon Electric Railway located a substation and depot in Donald. It was part of the railway between Salem and Portland. The substation was completed in 1906. The post office was established April 13, 1910 and the town was home to the Donald Brick and Tile works from 1911-1923. The completion of paved Highway 99E negatively affected the railway ridership. The last electric railway ran through Donald on May 14, 1933. At this time the population was 300 and dropped to 100. In 1947 the railway transitioned to steam and in 1948 to diesel. In 1981 it incorporated with Burlington Northern. The railway is still heavily used today.
Donald Substation still stands today
Donald's First Schoolhouse 1867-1911
North Marion School District
Donald's schools were part of District No. 1, Marion County for 108 years, from 1853 to 1961.The first schoolhouse was built in 1853 for a cost of $200. It was used from 1867 to 1911. A second schoolhouse was built in 1911. It was known as the Donald Grade School, District No. 1 and was located on the SW corner of Butteville Rd. and Yergen Rd. This building burned down in 1938. While the new school was being built, school carried on at the Methodist Church. The third school was built from 1938 to 1939 at the same sight. This school was closed in 1961 when our school merged with North Marion School District. This building is still in use today and is now home to Bear Electric. The North Marion School District is on both sides of Grim Road and is a complex of buildings, The District Offices, Primary School, Elementary School, Junior High, and High School.
Donald's Second Schoolhouse 1911-1938
North Marion School District today
Historical Businesses of Donald
What is now known as the Donald Tavern was originally Mays, Carver and Groff Store in 1903. They moved across the street and the old store became the Marty Saloon. The Hoskins and DeSart building still stands today and has been remodeled into the Center Market. Half of the building was J L Busick, which was a flour and seed business. The other half of the building was the General Merchandise business of Mays, Carver and Groff. The Donald Masons were in the upstairs of the Hoskins and DeSart building in September of 1916. Wilco was a feed and seed cleaner from 1940 to 1945. It became the Donald Coop from 1945 to 1967. In 1967 was the year it became known as Wilco Farmers. The Donald Coop was purchased by Wilco Farmers for 60 million dollars. The Wilco facility in Donald has five grass seed cleaning lines which process 20 million pounds of seed per year. It is the largest grass seed cleaning facility in the state.
Left: Hoskins and DeSart building. Now the Center Market
Right: Marty, Carver & Groff store. Now the Donald Tavern
The Donald Skate Park
The story of the Skate Park in Donald is a great one! The youth of Donald wanted a skateboard area so they asked the Mayor about building a Skate Park in Donald. The Mayor gave his blessing and gave them a slab of asphalt for them to cover with as much skate able structures as they could build. They worked for months on their projects. Later Donald applied for and received State grants to make a concrete skate park. This just goes to show that it doesn’t hurt to ask for what you want and in this case all the hard work paid off and this little town got a great Skate Park. This is another example of Donald’s spirit. The young people who participated in this project are: Chris Besabe, Justin Brant, Lacy Marrow, David Trumps, Ian Merrick, Adam Chapman, Josh Swain, Colin Hill, Jacob Taylor, Colt Powell, Charlie Ballew, Bjorn Day, Bea Powell, Dan Spotanski, Kasey Spotanski, Tyler Frame, Donavan Bryce, Jesse Cunnally, Jason and Jarrod Harman, and Ty (last name unknown).