The streets in the Washburne National Historic District are indicated by a standard
sign placed on top of the street signs.Looking at old photos of this area reveals that originally this land was open prairie when Europeans came to settle in it. This open prairie was maintained by the Kalapuya by regular burning. This kept the native forest from encroaching. This practice was so long standing that unique species developed and flourished under that regime. Now with long established European settlement, trees have had time to grow tall and the area is more like a forest as it may once have been originally.