By Dan Corcoran

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- The City of Springfield is about to kick off a celebration 125 years in the making.

Thursday is the anniversary of the city's incorporation that happened on February 25th, 1885.

Today, Springfield has a population of nearly 60,000 people, but the city had very humble beginnings. A few settlers decided to call the rural landscape east of the Willamette River their home more than 125 years ago.

"There were no cars, no Wal-Mart, McDonalds, cellphones and certainly no refrigerator," said Springfield Museum Director Debra Gruell. "It was more about survival than it was anything else."

The pioneers who founded this community, like Elias Briggs, settled here in the 1840s. The lives of their descendants are depicted in black in white.

"I love looking at old photos of pioneers of our community.  It really is roll up your sleeps put on your boots on go to work type of community and you know, we really reflect that today," said Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken.

Photographs of the city's early days that line the walls of the Springfield Museum tell the stories of hard work and living off the land.

"The lumber, the timber. It's such a rich area and agriculture and the hazelnuts and of course at one time it was well known for the hops," said Gruell.

The city's population has increased slowly, but steadily. But there was never a huge spike. Maybe because a rail line initially planned for for Springfield ran through Harrisburg instead. "That caused a lot of heartache in this area because they depended on the train to get the lumber out of here," she said.  But railroad tracks stretched through Springfield a decade later and that helped lay the foundation for the city's blue-collar future.

Springfield Museum President Jack Gischel knows the struggles of 125 years ago have everything to do with how the city has been shaped today.  "It is interesting. And it is the community.  And it's the community we are trying save and preserve for the people" said Gischel.

That legacy of determination continues to stand the test of time.  "I'm proud of the fact that people still refer to us as a blue collar town. To me that's a huge sense of pride," said Mayor Leiken.