THE WEST SHORE.
August.
224
Salem, the capital of Oregon, of which
Wfl give a bird's-eye view in this num
ber of our paper, is situated "ti the Wil
lamette liver, in the heart of the Willa
mette valley, fifty miles south of Port
land, and about the tame distance east
from the Pacific ocean. Our engraving,
good to it is, but faintly represents the
tteautiei of its location and .surround
ings. It occupies a plain, with a gentle
slope to the river; is hacked and sur
rounded by a country beautifully diver
sified w ith woo ls. Improved farms, and
OWn prairies, skirted with hill both
picturesque and tillable. It fronts the
river and the handsome nidge of culti
vated highlands known as the Polk
Count)' hills; has wide and handsome
streets, with good sidewalks, and long
lines of shade trees; two public squares,
and a beautiful stream of water running
through it, furnishing immense water
power. Salem is emphatically the city of
churches, having twelve different church
bofiding, In population of 4,00. The
Capitol building, not yet completed, is
a hue structure, which will cost, when
completed, $p0,ooo. It has a hand-
somc Court HoiiC costing $110,000$
five free school buildings; and is also
the seat of the Willamette University,
a very prosperous institution, under the
direction of the Methodist Church, and
of a Catholic Female Seminary of con
siderable importance.
Salem is well adapted to manufac
tures, from the abundance of water
power obtained by connecting Mill
creek w ith the Santiam river, by means
of a canal several miles in length. For
merly the second largest Woolen Mill
in the State was located here, but was
destroyed by lire, and has not yet been
rebuilt. At present its chief manufac
tures cotui&t of one merchant Flouring
Mill, with a capacity of Soo barrels per
dav; one custom Flouring Mill; one
Saw Mill, capacity 25,000 feet per day;
one Linseed Oil Mill; two Sash and
Door Factories; two Furniture Fac
tories; one Chair Factory; two Foun
drv and Machine Shops; one Plow
Factory; one Bag Factory; one Water
Company and Gas Company, and minor
enterprises.
By the Constitution of the State, all
the State institutions should be located
at Salem. At present there are the
Penitentiary, mid an Asylum for the
Deaf, Dunib and Blind, established
then,-, As Uiv State becomes able,
si
BIRDSEYE MEW OF SALEM. THECtfl
a Ststt Cophol . M. mm Cmmjt Com! Hv
tllamrtir l'iufr.l
Icodwy o( the Sccnd Hout . Public School Wuoraoib,