Lowell 10/16/26

The most conspicuous landmark on the Willamette River Highway following the Willamette up to its headwaters southeast of Eugene has got to be the Lowell Covered Bridge.  It’s an old wooden structure and in my mind it had been built sometime in the old wild-west days.  We used to drive by it every now and then when I was a kid and you could tell even back then that it had been around for a while, taking pioneers in their wagons across the lake to whatever was on the other side.  And that’s what I always would have thought if we hadn’t gone to Lowell this Friday night.  Of course, any trip to Lowell must be accompanied by Lowell George and his band, so the mood was set by listening to Little Feat on the way there, and you may want them up on your own device as you read this.

The original Lowell Bridge actually was built in 1907, so the story I’d always told myself was only off by 30 or 40 years, but that bridge was gone long before I came along, and the “old” bridge that I knew was only built in 1945.  My own parents were older than that old bridge.  Gadzooks!  It was built before the Dexter Dam was constructed, and for those of us who weren’t around, which is almost everyone now, it’s hard to imagine what that must have looked like.  By the time the reservoir was filled they had added a long uncovered portion to reach the other side.  That 1945 bridge was retired in 1979, and at the time I wouldn’t have believed it was only 34 years old.  A new bridge bypassed the old one, but they left it in place so that my kids can’t tell me I’m crazy when I say there used to be a nice old wooden bridge going over to Lowell, and I appreciate that very much.  They still say I’m crazy, but not for that.

Before even that first bridge was built, Amos Hyland established the town of Lowell and ran a ferry across the Willamette.  He had been born in Lowell, Maine, so he decided that would be a good name for his new place, too.  That place on the north bank of the Willamette now has three dams and their respective reservoirs nearby, and all the recreational opportunities that those reservoirs provide.

Over the years The Bucket has pulled noticeably every time I’ve passed that exit, but I’d still never turned and found out what was beyond the bridge, but on this night I did.  You can’t drive through the covered bridge anymore, but there is an interpretive center where you can park and educate yourself about the bridge and the area.  We stopped there, but I think it’s probably for people who don’t already know everything, so we kept on across the reservoir and once back on dry ground were entering the town of Lowell.

That feeling is one I’ve had several times since beginning this project:  This place has been here my whole life, and much longer, and I’d passed by so closely dozens of times yet had never taken that last turn that would have taken me to this place.  And there it was, like it had been waiting for us all this time.  Almost immediately we saw Lowell High School off to the left, a few small businesses and residences nearby, a nice city park, and a few roads going off in each direction.  Our search for a pre-game snack eventually led us north on Moss Street to what appears to be the only dining establishment in town - Armando’s Mexican Restaurant.  I wasn’t looking for a full meal, but Armando’s tostada almost didn’t fit on the plate and every time I reminded myself to save room for some football food my body responded by taking a few more bites.  Mrs. Ednold’s taco salad looked equally good, and if you only get one restaurant in your town you could do much worse than having an Armando’s.

Two blocks back south on Moss Street we parked The Bucket on the street right behind the football field and walked in off the sidewalk.  The lady at the booth took our $5 bills and we each took a program and went off in search of a couple of seats.  The seating consists of five sets of small aluminum bleachers, two on the north side of the press box for the home fans, and two on the south for the visitors.  We didn’t know it at the time, but when the crowd really started to show up many of them brought their own chairs and set up camp along the sidelines.  We, arriving chairless, picked out a spot in the bleachers and settled in to watch the Red Devils put on a show.

Straight across to the east we could see the high school itself, which dates from 1940, with an addition on the north side that includes a new gym and looks like it was built fairly recently.  There is no seating on that side of the field, and for some reason Lowell chose to designate the east side as the home side for their team, so we had the visiting team in front of us throughout the game.  I don’t know why they do it that way, but you can’t argue with success.  Around the field is a gravel running track, and I feel for the kids on the track team.  Even in the olden days we at least had cinders, and just looking at that gravel made my feet hurt.  The field itself looked nice and cushy though, and the natural grass even had a big pink ribbon painted on the 25-yard line in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

Lowell started playing 6-man football in 1940, and through their first 72 years they made the playoffs 7 times, winning a total of 5 playoff games.  But they made it to the 1A championship game in 2013, losing to Imbler, and won a 2A state title over Weston-McEwen/Griswold in 2023.  They had a 9-2 record last season and have started this one 6-0.  Playing in Special District 2, they come into this game ranked #3, behind only St. Paul and  Heppner, but their league opponents from Toledo are 4-2, and this might not be cake walk for the Devils.  Toledo are the Boomers, by the way, and as a boomer myself I was a little torn.  As a demographic class boomers have taken a beating in recent years and I didn’t want to appear to be piling on, but I was a Red Devil for the night and willing to do whatever that entailed.

A good portion of the 1000 people in Lowell had made their way to the stadium by the kickoff time on an unseasonably warm mid-October night.  It was a somewhat subdued crowd, though, given that they were undefeated.  There were no Red Devil cheerleaders or pep band to liven things up, and I assume the students in attendance spent their time standing on the side of the field or had some other place to hang out.  Everyone cheered and booed in the appropriate places, but any raucousness was decidedly low-key.

It took the Devils less than two minutes to get on the board, but with only a 16-8 lead at the end of the first quarter it looked like they may just have a battle on their hands.  By halftime it was clear, though, that the Boomers wouldn’t be able to hang with them.  Toledo had few substitutes and the ones they had weren’t big enough or fast enough to slow down the Devils.  Lowell had a couple of speedsters, and with only 9 men on the field for 2A games there was just too much open field for them to operate in.  The Devils took a 44-16 lead into the locker room, and they appeared well on their way to a 7-0 record.

Halftime in Lowell:  No dancers, no band.  No ceremonies. No cheerleaders.  Our entertainment consisted of watching children race each other on the gravel track in front of us and hoping that none of them tripped and lost a tooth, or worse.  Which made it a perfect time to trudge over to the newer part of the school and find the concession stand.  I found it wedged between the school building and the gym, and it prompted my biggest regret of the night.  I knew when I began my campaign several years ago to make baked potatoes THE attraction at high school football games everywhere that it would take a while to catch on, but the news has at least reached Lowell, where they were selling loaded potatoes for $6.  My pride at being single-handedly responsible for this menu option was dampened by the fact that I couldn’t possibly have eaten a baked potato at that point in time.  Damn you, Armando!  There was no coffee, so I contented myself with popcorn and a coke, and carried them back in one hand so I could pat myself on the back a little more.

Mrs. Ednold agreed that the popcorn was a tad salty, but the coke hit the spot and by the time I had returned the teams were ready to get started again.  When the Devils scored on the opening possession of the second half to take a 36-point lead, that triggered the clock operator to take the rest of the evening off, and the game passed swiftly after that.  The Boomers had been down, but not like this before.  Actually, I’m sure that’s not true; that’s just how the song goes.  Anyway, each team did manage another score before the end, but the final 58-22 score was one that should keep Lowell in their #3 spot for another week.

Sorry, Lowell, that it took me this long to visit you.  I should have done it sooner.  And if I ever get the chance to do it again sometime, I’ll be Willin’.