In Cottage Grove, you’ll find a charming, small town just twenty minutes south of Eugene/Springfield. Find live music, theatre arts and small-town favorite eateries in this city that borders both Oregon Wine Country and the Cascade foothills teeming with rushing rivers and photo-worthy waterfalls. Cottage Grove is also a prime gateway to outdoor adventuring.

History buffs are drawn to Cottage Grove because so much history has been preserved here. The Cottage Grove community rallies around their bridges and other historical structures. A large tract of downtown Cottage Grove is on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes such jewels as the Cottage Grove Armory among its historic businesses, churches and residences.

In the mid-1800s gold was discovered in the Bohemia mountains above Cottage Grove. When mining dissipated in the 1920s, the mountains were left pocked with ghost shanty towns and abandoned mines. However, some ongoing mining patents and active claims still remain. Visitors exploring the area are urged to respect private property and to stay out of mines and buildings for personal safety. A better way to delve into the local history is at the Bohemia Gold Mining Museum which sheds light on this fascinating era. Also, every July the Bohemia Mining Days festival celebrates those trying days.

One of the most expensive, massive and dramatic train crashes in film history took place in Cottage Grove under the direction of director and actor Buster Keaton in 1926. Despite the film's mediocre reception, today this silent, black-and-white classic is heralded as one of the greatest films ever made. Visit the former Bartell Hotel (now a restaurant and bottle shop) where Buster Keaton stayed while filming The General.

A film industry favorite, Cottage Grove has also been a backdrop in scenes from Lost in the Stars (1974), Animal House (1978), Stand By Me (1985), Without Limits (1996), Ricochet River (1997), The Sisters (2004) and Zerophilia (2004).

Remember the parade scene in Animal House? That scene was filmed along Main Street. Flashback to Stand By Me with a walk along the railroad trestle.

Information and photos sourced via Google Photos & https://www.eugenecascadescoast.org/cottage-grove/about-cottage-grove/