Skinner Butte

Skinner Butte (often mistakenly called Skinner's Butte) is a prominent hill on the north edge of downtown Eugene, Oregon, near the Willamette River. A local landmark, it honors city founder Eugene Skinner and is the site of the municipal Skinner Butte Park. During the 1920s the letters "KKK" were burned into the hillside. A famous photo of Eugene's downtown displays this marker, which is credited to Eugene's own Ku Klux Klan members. The letters were removed and replaced with the letter "O" in the late 1920s. The butte later displayed a controversial cross or war memorial, depending on interpretation. The cross was replaced several times, but wasn't permanently removed until 1997. One of the objections to the cross was its perceived association with Ku Klux Klan (Eugene grew to be a recognized national stronghold for the KKK through the 1950s.)