Atop a hillside and overlooking a series of industrial buildings in Springfield lie the remnants of a secret civilization. Steps carved into a makeshift staircase lead the traveler through a network of passageways and tunnels cut through the forest. About a dozen or so abandoned, run-down dwellings and structures remind passers-by that people once thrived here, perfecting such modern concepts as indoor toilets, paved roads and reportedly even a library, despite never having mastered electricity or running water.
The people who lived here however haven’t been gone for long. In all likelihood, they had just left the site earlier that morning and the ones who had stayed were fleeing the scene, said Sgt. John Umenhofer of the Springfield Police Department.
Last Tuesday Umenhofer led Emerald staffers on a foot patrol of the area that law enforcement agencies have come to call “Heroin Hill.” Situated across the railroad tracks on a forested hill above the intersection of Nugget Way and Newman Street, about 3 miles from campus, Heroin Hill is a transient community identified by police with heavy drug use in Springfield, especially methamphetamine and the site’s namesake, heroin. Dwellings somewhere between cabins and tents have been constructed of plastic tarps, carpets and any other number of scavenged materials. Loose bricks and cinder blocks pose as pavement in this neighborhood. At least one site even features a self-made outhouse and borrowing library.
Scattered amongst the pathways and in some cases stuck directly into the side of trees, used syringes were scattered about the scene and served as a grim reminder of elements of this community’s lifestyle.
Garbage and unused refuse also covers much of the camp, along with a hodgepodge of unused and scavenged items. Among the scattered waste was an old U-Haul trolley, a collection of kids meal toys and even an old pesticide can that looked like it was being used to collect rain water.
The Heroin Hill settlement straddles multiple private properties, and as a result, law enforcement often attempts to cite individuals living in the camp with criminal trespassing offenses.
“They’re really not supposed to be here,” Umenhofer said. “We know there are drugs up there; I mean there are needles scattered all over the place, but even without drugs, this is still criminal trespassing.”
Umenhofer said that many of these individuals will travel down to Eugene and Springfield, and become involved with petty theft and other crimes in order to financially support their drug habit.
In spite of this, many of the individuals living in the settlement seemed to have put down roots on the site and made quite a few personal touches to their “houses.” At least one dwelling had a front porch, complete with a plastic jack-o-lantern and fake tombstone Halloween decorations.
Another dwelling had a cardboard sign attached to it that read, “For Hillneckers only, all others can die.” Umenhofer said that he had never heard of these individuals calling themselves Hillneckers, but he had heard them reference the location as Heroin Hill themselves.
Umenhofer said Heroin Hill residents will typically flee the scene when police enter the area, but one individual who identified himself as Mike was confronted by Umenhofer that evening.
Mike said that he hadn’t and wasn’t using needle based drugs or methamphetamine, but did say he had to leave for the hospital to receive treatment for hepatitis strains, which are typically associated with needle usage. Declining to be identified further than his first name, Mike shook as he spoke and his jaundiced face was marked with sores, all outward signs that Umenhofer identified with methamphetamine usage.
It was unclear if Mike was genuinely headed to the hospital or just trying to get away from the police presence. Entering hospitals and shelters can be a difficult task for homeless drug users, because most agencies have policies against allowing drug use in facilities in order to receive treatment or shelter. As a result, some of these addicts, like Mike, choose to live in a community where drug use is allowed, such as Heroin Hill.
No arrests or citations were made on Heroin Hill on Tuesday. The individuals living there will likely re-enter the settlement at night, bed down and begin their daily routine once more the next morning. Heroin Hill, it would seem, isn’t going away anytime soon.
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