Springfield, Oregon
The GLO Record of the Week for October 20, 2019
This week's General Land Office Record of the Week takes us to Springfield, Oregon, located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley and only 50 miles from the Oregon Coast.
GLO Original Survey Plat for Township 17S Range 3W of the Willamette Meridian.
This survey plat was approved on October 20, 1853 by Charles K. Gardner. Gardner, born in New Jersey, studied medicine at Columbia University in New York before he joined the military in 1808. He served in the War of 1812 and left the military in 1818 at the request of his fiancé. He then edited/published a few magazines in New York before moving to Washington, D.C. to start a career with the Post Office Department in 1822. In 1853, Gardner was appointed as the Surveyor General of Oregon by Franklin Pierce. During Gardner's tenure as the Surveyor General, he moved the Office of the Surveyor General from Oregon City to Salem. His son, Charles Thomas Gardner, came with him to Oregon, where he was a chainman, compassman, and eventually the U.S. Deputy Surveyor.
The creator of "The Simpsons," Matt Groening, grew up in Portland, Oregon, which is roughly 100 miles north of Springfield. The Simpsons, a sitcom about a working-class family, takes place in the fictional town of Springfield. While Groening says that Springfield has much in common with Portland, many believe it was named after Springfield, Oregon. It's a long-running joke that nobody actually knows where Springfield is, as some episodes show Springfield as a beach town while others show it as a mountain town. In fact, in The Simpsons movie, Ned Flanders says it is bordered by Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky.
Groening named the characters after members of his own family, but substituted his own name for Bart. For example, Homer is named after his late father, Homer Groening. And while many people believe that Dr. Robert "Bob" Underdunk Terwilliger, Jr., also known as Slideshow Bob, was named based on the Dr. Seuss movie, "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T," he was actually named after Terwilliger Boulevard in Portland, Oregon.
The Simpsons, currently in its 31st season, is the longest running American sitcom with over 700 episodes! "Time" magazine named it the best television series of the 20th century and in 2000, The Simpsons even got their very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
We hope you enjoyed this Record of the Week! For more story maps, visit the BLM Record of the Week Shortlist . For more information on Springfield, Oregon and The Simpsons, check out our sources below!
