1980: A Dedication Ceremony is Held for Knickerbocker Bicycle Bridge in Oregon

September 27, 1980

A dedication ceremony was held for a bridge in the city of Eugene in Oregon’s Lane County. Knickerbocker Bicycle Bridge, as it is popularly known, crosses the Willamette River. While originally built for use by the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) for carrying a water main across the river, the bridge was ultimately outfitted to also accommodate bicycles. This structure is officially called the Willie Knickerbocker Bridge.

The person for whom the bridge is named was a longtime Eugene resident who earned a sterling reputation as an avid bicyclist in that region of the Beaver State. After acquiring his first bicycle during the 1890s, Willie Knickerbocker (1868-1960) soon began pedaling far and wide throughout Oregon. These long-distance rides included trips of approximately 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) between Eugene and Portland. (He reportedly also rode his bicycle to Mexico and back.)

With both rubber boots and a baseball cap constituting part of his regular attire for those ambitious journeys as well as more local jaunts, Knickerbocker became a familiar fixture who was lauded as the Father of Bicycling in Eugene. As a reflection of the high esteem in which he was held, Knickerbocker served as a regular participant in the Eugene Pet Parade in the 1950s. Knickerbocker’s role in those parades involved riding his decorated bicycle ahead of the procession of children and their pets.

A couple of decades after Knickerbocker’s death at the age of 92, approximately 80 people attended the Saturday morning dedication of the bridge bearing his name. As a part of this ceremony, short speeches were given by John A. Tiffany, president of EWEB; Harold Rutherford, commissioner of Lane County; and Scott Lieuallen, a member of the Eugene City Council. These individuals then jointly unveiled a plaque commemorating Knickerbocker and his legacy. This was followed by members of the Eugene Bicycle Committee riding their bicycles through a ribbon on the north end of the bridge. Several other attendees soon began crossing the bridge on their bicycles as well.

Measuring 523 feet (159 meters) in length and 14 feet (4.3 meters) in width, Knickerbocker Bicycle Bridge carries not only bicycle traffic and a water main but also pedestrians.

Photo Credit: Tyrone Madera (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)

For more information on Knickerbocker Bicycle Bridge (officially known as the Willie Knickerbocker Bridge), please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbocker_Bicycle_Bridge

Additional information on Willie Knickerbocker is available at https://www.eugene-or.gov/DocumentCenter/View/43962/RG_Knickerbocker