Help finish the Eva Davenport mural

We are raising money for the Cottage Grove Historical Society’s efforts to finish the mural of Eva Davenport. The mural will be mounted on the west side of The Bookmine, which was the Helena Saloon in Eva's day. Although she was only here a few years, the circumstances of her suspicious death left a lasting impact on our town and she is known as the "Woman Who Changed Cottage Grove". She arrived here with her husband, Edwin Becker, in 1903 and shortly after her life fell apart. The job he secured at the Nugget newspaper ended after a few days, he was reported to be hooked on morphine. Here she was, thousands of miles from home, with no family and she made choices that eventually led to her demise. Lee Minard, a local Saloon owner who managed two of the three saloons on the bawdy northside.  Main Street between 7th & 8th, boasted The Helena, Bohemia Saloons, along with the Imperial Hotel & Saloon squeezed between them. Minard was a shady character who preyed on vulnerable women and Eva got caught in his web. Today we would call it human trafficking. Davenport and the other ladies would meet the rough and tumble miners and loggers who made it into town and worked hard to relieve them of their wages. Eva had done well for herself, saved enough money to purchase her own home and was seeing clients there. Then in the wee hours of March 3, 1905 she was found dead by, Lee Minard. He testified that he found her in a dying state and called for help. The County Coroner was called, he refused to come down from Eugene, instead he deputized Judge Vaughn and within 6 hours a Coroner’s Inquiry took place, yielding the final conclusion of suicide, which did not sit well with some members of the jury and within the community in general. Her death in 1905, in many ways, changed Cottage Grove, the Temperance Movement was already here and her death caused the movement to grow stronger and louder. Our economy was changing, less miners and increasing timber jobs, which meant more families. By October of 1906 Cottage Grove voted to go dry, years before Prohibition. Theories and speculation continue to surround Eva’s story. A book on her life and death published by the CG Historical Society tells more: "Unconventional - The Woman who Changed Cottage Grove" is available through the Historical Society: https://cottage-grove-historical-society.square.site/s/shop. Please help us complete this mural to remember a special woman from a pivotal time in Cottage Grove's history.  It will be tied to her time and the place where she lived and worked in the now Downtown Historic District.   Besides this fundraiser there are other ways to support this project. If you live in the Grove there are donation jars at: The Bookmine, and The Coast Fork Brewing/Brew Station.  Or send a check with "Eva Mural" Cottage Grove Historical Society, P.O. Box 142,  Cottage Grove, OR 97424.  All donations are tax deductible!   Thank you for your support!