William Newby had a vision to create a place of commerce and residence for settlers to the Willamette Valley. Newby named the town after his hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee, and saw plenty of local opportunities on his land, straddling an old Native American trail along what is now Baker Street. Newby had a millstone shipped from Oregon City so grain could be ground at his mill. Soon, a blacksmith shop and a general store attracted people to an expanding village. In 1866, the area's first newspaper began publication and would later become the McMinnville News-Register. Newby donated land for a college, built churches, warehouses, mills, and stores. The city was incorporated in 1882, shortly after the arrival of the railroad. Since then, McMinnville has become the center of population and government for Yamhill County. It sports many modern industries and retains the charm of the historic city along Third Street.
