The greater Jefferson area was the final destination of many courageous pioneers coming West on the Oregon Trail to find a better life for themselves and their families. The original pioneers placed two cities, Santiam City and Syracuse City, on the West bank of the Santiam River.

Continual flooding of the untamed Santiam River halted the expansion process and, in 1851, the Santiam River over flowed its banks and demolished much of both cities. The flooding cleared the way for construction of the township to higher ground. The new city was known as Conser Ferry until 1857. It then became known as Jefferson and a Charter of Incorporation was filed and on October 20th 1870.

The city’s leaders changed the name to Jefferson so that it would correspond with the newly formed Jefferson Institute. The Jefferson Institute was an educational facility that offered classes that started with basic elementary school and continued through 2 years of college.

James Bates and Jacob Conser families were among the first to build in the newly formed city of Jefferson. The Jacob Conser House, built in 1854, still stands as a state and national historical landmark. It currently houses the Jefferson Public Library and a large main room is the meeting hall for the city’s planning commission, city council and a multitude of other important events.

In addition to the Conser House, Jacob Conser built a ferry across the Santiam River in 1851, followed by the construction of a hotel and flour mill. The bridge linking Linn and Marion counties at Jefferson, built in 1891, was named after Conser.

The Lion’s Club held the first Mint Festival in 1957. The Lions Club, which was chartered in 1951, wanted to create a festival to celebrate the abundance of mint being farmed in this area. This idea gave the City of Jefferson the distinction of being named the “Mint Capital of the World.”

In 1958, as “gimmick” to draw a crowd, Lions Club member Monte Weddle came up with the idea to have a frog jump. The frog jump was modeled after the famous frog jump in Angels Camp, of Calavaras County California. Rules were obtained and revised to fit Jefferson’s needs and Mr. Weddle served as the announcer for the frog jump for the next 25 years.

The Mint Festival History Continues…

A princess court has been a long standing tradition. In the past, prospective princesses applied to serve as members of the court. The four or five girls that were selected would work tirelessly to sell tickets as a fundraiser for the festival. The top ticket seller was named “Queen of the Court”.

This Royal tradition continues but with a new change. In 2006, a decision was made to include princely presence to the court. The Royal Princes and Princess’ duties include traveling to other nearby festivals’ parades to represent Jefferson and its Mint Festival.

In the past, the Jefferson Mint Festival included a parade, a dance, quilt show, horse shoe tournaments, and a market place with food, crafts, rides and game booths. This tradition continues with the addition of new activities such as the pancake feed put on by the Jefferson Fire Department and a classic car show. In 2006, antique tractor show and poker tournaments were great added extras.

The Lions Club sponsored the Mint Festival from 1954 to 1987. The Jefferson Community Service organization chaired the festival from 1988-1991 with the Lions Club taking over again from 1992-1995. Since 2002, the Greater Jefferson Improvement Association (renamed Jefferson Area Chamber of Commerce in 2005) has sponsored the event. Numerous volunteers, who care for our community and continuing tradition, have generously stepped forward to give festival goers an event they can be proud of and look forward to year after year!

Please join up July 18th and 19th to help us celebrate mint production and over 50 years of frog jumping!