By Sean Schoppe

EUGENE, Ore. -- It is a rivalry that began back in the days of the Hatfields and McCoys. And while the families of Eugene Skinner and Elias Briggs didn't spend their early days shooting at each other from across the Willamette River, the two men's arrivals in the Willamette Valley laid the groundwork for a rivalry some people say is still running over a hundred years later.

To the outsider, they may appear to be sister cities, joined at the hip by a river. A freeway and humble beginnings that date back to late 1846, when Eugene Skinner made his way to the top of a prominent Willamette Valley Butte. Not much more than a year later, a neighbor sprung up to his East. And with that...the race was on.

Despite getting a jump in the lumber and flour business, Springfield still lagged in size and population, Skinner's earlier arrival to the area playing a vital role in giving Eugene a head start. That, in turn, helped the city land the areas first post office, the first in a series of blows to Springfield's growth rate, which was already playing catch-up with it's budding neighbor to the west.

Three years after the post office, another big win for Skinner and his fellow Eugenians when they win the county seat, which brings with it the county courthouse. From there, things seemed to snowball even the Willamette River paying dividends in their favor. That meant Springfield was again reliant on Eugene for another vital service as farmers had to head across the river to get their wheat shipped out.

A fellow by the name of Ben Holladay had set out to build a rail line that started in Portland and headed South. The cities it passed through would thrive; the cities it didn't were left behind in the dust. As the story goes, Eugenians immediately promised to pony up $60,000 to help Holladay with construction costs. The tracks were laid down and the rest is history, even if that history is still disputed.

Then, when talk of a state university came up, it was only natural that Eugene would land that, too. In 1876 that building went up, Skinner beating Briggs to Lane County, the post office, the county courthouse, the railroad, and the University of Oregon -- five key developments that unraveled over 100 years ago, but whose lasting effects can still be seen and felt today.

And those lasting effects have shown up in a variety of ways. Tomorrow night we examine the differences between the two cities. From politics to culture, Eugene and Springfield have forged very different identities.

We'll break it all down as our special report: a tale of two cities continues on KEZI 9 News at 6 tomorrow night.

Watch A Tale of Two Cities, Part 1: Stereotypes

Watch A Tale of Two Cities, Part 3: Differences Between Eugene and Springfield