In an arduous trek across America in 1853, Agnes Stewart kept a journal that survives in different forms and versions to this day.
History
Called that jewel of a city in the mountains very early in history, Oakridge was first named Big Prairie and later Hazeldell.
But in 1912 the City changed its name to Oakridge and now has a population of 3,680 residences.
Willamette City merged into Oakridge in November of 1972, after a decades long effort to unite the community.
The City is located above the fog line and below the snow line. It is so ideally located that one historical columnist referred to it as the "Shangrila of the Cascades."
Banking service came to Oakridge in November 1947 when the First National Bank of Oregon was established. The first bank was temporarily located in what is now the Corner Bar and Grill.
The Tree Planting Festival was started in 1953 and remains today as one of the communiy´s premier events.
First Sergeant Maximo Yabes (January 29, 1932 – February 26, 1967) born in Lodi, California, and at a young age moved with his family to Oakridge, Oregon where he received his primary and secondary education. In 1950, he dropped out of Oakridge High School and joined the United States Army. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor — the United States' highest military decoration — for his actions near Phu Hoa Dong in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
