Imagine yourself on the front lawn on the Campbell House in 1892 . . . You could look South and have an unobstructed view of Spencer's Butte. Looking East, you would see the 10,000 + foot high peaks of the Three Sisters, in the Cascade mountain range.

You would see a growing town of just 3,000 residents, a large lumber mill and a relatively new State University. You could not use the phone to call anyone at the University though, as phone service wasn't established for two more years. However, you could walk over the tree-less hill directly behind the Campbell House and visit the home site of Eugene Skinner (Named after the founder of the city.)

Family Summary

The Campbell House was built in 1892 by gold miner and timber owner, John Cogswell for his daughter Idaho. It is one of the earliest and largest houses built in the East Skinner Butte Historic District.

John's parents were pioneer Eugene residents Ann and Martin Gay.

Idaho married Nicholas Frazer, and their daughter became a prominent doctor in town, (Dr. Eva Frazer Johnson). Shortly after Eva was born, Nicholas passed away and Idaho remarried in 1897 to Ira Campbell, co-owner and editor of the Daily Eugene Guard newspaper.

Idaho was a charter member of the Eugene Fortnightly Club (which helped raise funds for Eugene's first library) as well as several other clubs.

Ira and Idaho's children (Cogswell, Celeste and Jackson) played significant roles in the development of Eugene.

Cogswell -- played football in the Navy (on a Rose Bowl team), at Oregon and at Oregon State. As a business person, he built an ice plant and several plywood mills. In his free time he was an avid aviator. Cogswell married Mary Ruth Moore in the year, approximately, 1921 and had two children: Patricia Ruth and Marjorie Thressa.

Celeste -- University of Oregon graduate; music, piano and voice teacher; active in the Eugene Shakespeare Club, Fortnightly Club, Natural History Club and Lane County Pioneer Society. She belonged to the Red Cross Motor Corps and assisted with surgical dressings in both World War I and II. The Campbell Senior Center, located at 155 High St., was named after her.

Jackson -- Was killed at 17 in a hunting accident.

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