Street view of Main Street (Second Street), Corvallis, Oregon in 1869. This is one of the earliest known photographs of downtown Corvallis. Versalius N. Preston and L. F. Wilson (father of E. E. Wilson) are standing on the single-horse dray near the center of the image.
This view of what is now Second Street in Corvallis is one of the first images taken of its business district, and was taken around the time that Corvallis College received permanent designation as the state’s land grant institution. Corvallis’ 1870 population was estimated to be 1,200.
The Finleys' first home home in Corvallis (known as the "Nest in the West") stood on Van Buren and 5th Streets. The Finleys are standing on the upper porch, with their son, Ernest, and a niece. On the lower porch are Rev. Lowell, pastor of the Corvallis Church, and his wife, right; Mr. Osborne and daughter; and Rosa Jacobs. This photograph was published in the June 1930 "Oregon Stater", page 8.