Southtown Hops & History Tour

Come explore how a slice of Southtown - once considered the outskirts of town - played a role in Oregon’s early hop industry.  Stories of migration, labor, and agriculture converge on this hour-long tour.  Over the course of a mile we'll learn about how the region's infrastructure and labor economy took shape and then came to life on Southtown soil.  You'll learn why hops grow in Oregon and the Willamette Valley, the history of the industry, and hear about past and ongoing OSU/USDA research.  We’ll talk about racism, resilience, and what gets remembered—and forgotten—in public memory.

The tour will be led by Archivist Tiah Edmunson-Morton of the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives and Educator Jema Patterson from Engage Corvallis.

This free tour is part of Open Streets - a free street festival that re-imagines our most shared public spaces – streets and parks – as places where people walk, bike, and play.

We'll meet at and depart from the edge of Lilly Park where Lilly Ave & Bethel Street intersect.