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About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1916)
8 THE C H E M A W A A M E R IC A N scribe half th a t is to be seen here. Across th e river, after crossing the track on th e W allace road, the second tu rn to th e left is th e Oak G rove road. For several m iles it has been gravelled and is a good road. Up and dow n long hills past th e M ountain View school house and the T w in O aks farm th is drive is th ro u g h S alem ’s principal cherry district, but there are m any other o r chard s on eith er side of the road. As the jo u rn ey nears the S um m it church , by looking back a charm ing picture of Salem and its su rro u n d ings can be seen, but about half a mile farth er on. after m aking se v e r al tu rn s, th e real sum m it is reached, h o o k in g west one can see the R ickreall Valley and east the view is directly in line w ith th e streets of Salem ; th e eye can follow along S tate S treet from the river past th e S tate H ouse; trees alone prevent the sam e being done on C ourt and Che- m eketa streets. To the rig h t is th e Reform School and C hem aw a on the left. M ount A ngel College, a gray stone b u ild in g on a h igh brown hill, is in th e distance. Salem , w ith spires, buildings and trees, is in the center. T h e prairies beyond rise into the rolling land of the W aldo H ills on to th e m ountains. Should it be in the late afternoon, ju st over the hill th e road w idens and a place can be found to spread a cloth, build a fire out of the pieces of old rails discarded from the fences in tim es gone past, and brew a pot of coffee. T h e settin g sun brings out the w onders and beauties of Polk C ounty lying below w ith the green coloring and the Coast R ange of m ountains on th e horizon. T h e picnic over, a w ait for the fire to burn out follows and darkness comes on. As it grow s d ark er away to the west the lights of Dallas be gin to sparkle and close to the hill on the south those of Independence. A t last th e fire is out and it is q u ite d ark . A start for hom e soon brings one back to the crest and suddenly Salem w ith its m any lig h ts is seen below. L ights ex ten d in g from the Reform School to Chem aw a seem to be alm ost countless, and o n e’s am azem ent hardly abates as the jo u r ney proceeds hom ew ard. N ex t tim e the way leads th ro u g h W est Salem to the Brophy hop- house, then tu rn s w est up the hill. A t th e end of the first mile the question is apt to be asked, “ W hy have you not b ro u g h t me here be fore?” but the in q u iry is m ade too soon, for it is not a great distance before the crow n of P u tm an H ill is reached. A gain Salem is below, w ith the prairie, the hills, and th e m ou n tain s in th e background, s u r m ounted by the snow peaks H ood and Jefferson. But the panoram a includes th e bottom lands along th e Slough road w ith th e hills beyond, D r. C u sick ’s sightly place on F airm o u n t P ark H ill, Croison Creek C anon, th e Ball bungalow , L ivesley’s hop yard, and the E ola bend in th e riv e r e x ten d in g past H a ll’s ferry u n til the w ater seems to end at th e E ast Independence bend, w here the trees cause it to be lost sight of.
