1:
Page Eichteen
80th Anniversary; Edition, The Oregon Statesman
LdcaticM
Miwion Mills Brought Here by Jason Lee; Institute for Indians Placed Where
Willamette Campus Now is; School Later, Sold and Became Oregon Institute
Deterrninedlj
By ROUBERT MOULTON OATKE of the loyalty oi thefborn booster
TTThat were the circumstances which determined the lo-but fs of no less interest on that
; caiiuu ui uaicui i iuuucin luoMiiwuB vca us limb
Rome, the Eternal City; grew Into being merely because
traders gathered near a convenient ford where men crossed
the Tiber, Salem was located at its present site because
Mill Creok Was needed to turn the wheels of the mission
mills. j; ; '. '
In tracing the founding of Salem we find it to be the
offspring of the Oregon Mission and hence inextricably as
sociated with the first American advance into the Pacific
west. The story of four western Indians visiting St. Louis
in the year 183 1-3 z in an euori?
to find religions help had spread
like wild fire through the church.
The press was filled with; stories
of Indians being torn away from
aocestoral hunting grounds to be
sent to reservations by the gov-1
ernmtnt, under its new I Indian
policy. Cooper's Indians seemed
river. He finally selected a site
about i mil or more from the
Mission mills on what is now the
Willamette, campus. He wanted
the school far enough away from
tU mills, and the little itttUment
which was srowlac up around
them, to avoid too much contact
account.
Salem Laid out j '
On Grand Scale 1 i
Salem,. Ilines tell , us, "con-tainea-
a population lot four
thousand, five; hundred, ranking
next to Portland in ' size and
commercial importance ' . The.
dollars
seventy-fire thpusand
This company has been remark
ably successful, j and . has added
immensely to tile wealth of Sa
lem. . ,:; I ; '-.M.i '
"In addition to this, Salem is
blessed .; with ''extensive lumber
lng manufactories,; sash factories.
founderies, , machine shops,, and
every Other ' branch of mechan
ic
rf i
THE CAPITOL WITHOUT THE CAP
real to the people of the day. To j between the Indian pupil and the ,
whites and yet close enough for
convenient supervision,
The missionaries realised that
they must provide a school for
their own children and those of
the white, settlers who war ba
the romantic appeal for religious
help Jason Lee and four helpers
responded. They made their way
across the plains and mountains
in company with Captain Wyeth.
an American fur trader, reach-
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little capital of prtfgon, espiecl
ally, as to the number '; of 'law
yers in comparison with the pop
ulation. . Twenty j disciples j ,of
Blackstone ought to be sufficient
to set ' the ,whole population Of
Salem, of leas than five thous-
and, by the ears;,; and yet ; it
.j . i - !-f'- t '
would be difficult to find a more
well-d ispoeed , peace f ul, a n d q u le t
community in any country than
constitute the society : of. this
growing fown. Perhaps this is
to be attributed to a kind.; or
countering Influence exerted by
an equal number of ministers of
the gospel of- peace whose ' resi
dences . are within ' the precincts
of the 'city. At any; rate, the peo
ple of this community, under jhe
discipline and Instruction of
thee two professions, filled by '
so able and influential a body of
men, ought to be, iasi they really
are, a gospel-loving and law-
ahlding people." M t
lng Fort Vancouver In the autumn ginning to come Into the Willam
ette Valley. To accomplish this
they elected a board of trustees
wnich was instructed to organise
a school destined to grow Into a
university as the country was set
tled. A site was selected about
two and a half miles from the
present location of Salem and
building operations started. A
townslte was to he platted that
the sale of lots might build an
of 1834.
Farm Developed -For
Indian Children
Jason Lee located his mission
on the banks of the Willamette
River at a site about tea miles
from! where Salem Is now locat
ed. At this place he built a log
house which served as home for
the missionaries and school and
orphanage for the Indian chll-
r -Copjrrlfta i eorUy CroatM stadia.
SOUTH AND EAST FRONTS OJ" STATE CAPITOL BEFORE EAST PORTICO
nno i.i,)suwv J'U cciunk uva& HAS tTVl t g I e
1- - -i f i
ism and Industry which the ne-
mciiumg piane; Doraerea arouna i cessities oi tne country demand.
with forest outlines. Here the Stores of all kmds hotels. II v.
dren. A large farm was develop-I endowment for the new school.
ed in an effort to make the mls-J Before the new school was fin
sion self-supporting and te teach J ished Its founders had an oppor-
the Indian children farming meth tunjtjr to purchase the new bulld-
ods. j i lng erected by Lea. for th Indian
The work among the Indian! I School. Lee's successor deterin-
proved very discouraging. ; After lined to close the school which had
the mission was established It was! been almost totally depopulated
discovered mat tne vaiiejr inaians oy a raui disease which had
were dying oft at an alarming I Spread among the Indian youth.
rate. inrauca in luanoi rni Jarsre tnre-atnf-v ha.liinr
oak, tne nr. tne maple, and the ery, stables, photograph galleries
balm blend torether In hirmon-l o!aa Ll...
ious beauty; and, indeed, na
ture has been so lavish of the
adornments with which she has
decked the locality, that the ef
forts of art seem but to mar and
deface, rather than beautify. Sa
lem Is laid out on a grand scale.
Her streets are i from ninety to
saloon, meat markets, druggists.
n ! J-.. .. .
UUuociicm unoj nu otner oust
ues esiaonsnments which are
requisite to givejlife, energy, and
actlvityl !to a j growing wtown,
abound in all pUrts of the city
of Salem. Mercadi8lng especi
ally, as Salem iihe center for
a large lextent bfl conntrr. riftx
a hundred feet wide, and -cross la every ;agricul&rkl resource. Is
each other at right angles. Ex- carried iin very lextensivelv. and
redlum through
beinning with a
in , a few years
mi ....m . - i "
icustftj orcuuc. ate aisu uiui ni I nAnmPfl - thA
ed, ahd "these are beautified by
rows of fine cottages and splen
did-mansions, which appear on
every hand. The public build
which
small
men;
capital
raise themselves if. to ihdepen-
dence.
' school with heart-rendlnf fre- which had cost the mission about been erected, but will doubtless
- e . J l
quency. Tne missionaries were tea thousand dollars was offered
soon divided on the wisdom of to the new aohooi fnr
continuing the work, some wanted l and dollars and the bargain was
to give up the effort while otherij quickly accepted. The structure
followed Jason Lee who felt that they were erectfn wa. maia
the only hope was to expand the
educational work of the mission
He planned to establish a manual
labor school into which would be
gathered Indian youth from the
entire northwest. To this end Lee
recrossed the mountains ' and
plains and sought reinforcements
the proposed townslte left waiting
tome pioneer farmer's olow.
City of Salem Laid
Oat Around Institute -
Around the new school, which
was opened in August, 1844, the
trustees platted the present city
of Salem. Their surveyor ran the j
including many lay workmen. His lines of wide streets and the city
company made the long voyage
around the Horn reaching Oregon
In May, 1840.
With his new helper Lee
started work extending Mission
operations. To make the. work
as near self-sustaining as possible
he continued the farms, and also
established a store, and built a
small grist and saw mill. The
nearest stream to the mission
which could turn the mill wheels
was about ten miles south, at the
present site of Salem. The loca
tion of the mills upon this stream
gave It the name Mill Creek. A
dam was erected and the mills
built near the spot where today
the Oregon Klectric crosses Mill
Creek; The house which was
of Salem came into being as the
child of the school created by the
missionaries which has grown in
to Willamette university. -
In 1845 a large group of set
tlers came into the valley. The
new townslte appealed to many
because there was a school for
be commenced in 1868. i The
penitentiary, located here. and
now a temporary building,! will
be erected first, ahd the State
House, Insane Asylum, and oth
ers contemplated, as soon as .the
bricks can be manufactured by
the convicts of the prison. At
present, the state rents apart
ments in a brick block owned by
Joseph Holman, Esq., for the use
of the" legislature which answers
fo the time being a very good
purpose.
Basis Laid Early ;
For Manufacturing
"Salem has laid the founda
tions to become! in the future,
and that no distant day, a great
manufacturing, city. By the exca
vation of a ditch 'or canal of less
than a mile In length, water is
brought from the Santiam River
In City, of Only 4500 v
rne legal profession has a
very strong representation in the
UNEMPLOYMENT IN 94
"J. S. Coxey, a; .wealthy clti
xen of Massllon, Ohio, Is plann
ing a huge demonstration for
May 1st; International . Labor
day. He proposes on that day
that 100,000 patriots will term
inate on the steps of the capltol
at Washington a Journey of sev
eral hundred miles,' having- walk
ed all the way1. The object of the
visit will !be to demand the en
actment of two bills,! one author
ising the secretary i of the treas
ury to Issue $&00,doo,001 treas
ury notes) for the improvement
of county roads and another, ex
tending to a municipalities the
right to issue non-Interest bear
lng bonds and secure notes there
on." statesman. Mch. 30. 1894.
BOOSTER STUFF
In 1890 an ad of Ore eon Land
Co. said: fSalem will have four
railroads inside of one year; As
toria will have four railroads In
ess than 'three years. Lots In
Highland Park j addition were oif
ferred at 1400-600. j S ; j:
their children. The agent of the! the distance of about fourteen
school was authorized to give one
lot each to twenty desirable set
tlers to encourage the developing
of the newly projected town. The
mills and mission offered some
employment and the process of
town development was quickly
under way, for men go where men
are. Bach year saw added set
tlers coming into Oregon 'and Sa
lem attracted her share of each
built as the mission headquarters incoming group. The county seat
is BLui b (.anaing, aitnough all
signs of the old mills disappeared
many years ago.
White Children and
Indians Kept Apart
Lee decided to locate the new
school away from the old Mission
which was unhealthful because of
overflowed low lands along the
was located at Salem and the en
terprising little city captured the
prise of the State Capitol both
of which brought much added
business to the Infant city.
There la an interesting pic-
tare of Salem during the sixties
from the pen of Oustavus Hines.
The sketch shows every evidence
miles, and Intersects the Willam
ette Hirer at this place. By
this arrangement a fall of forty
feet or more has been; secured,
ail within the limits of the city.
It constitutes the; best, and,; per
haps the easiest applied water-
power In the state. . , i Already
an extensive woolen factory, with
four sets of carding machinery,'
one tnousand Six hundred ! and
eighty spindles,, and thirty-three
looms, is driven constantly by!
this power. It j employes one
hundred and fifty operatives,
uses, four hundred thousand
pounds of wool ! annually. ; and
produces one . thousand yards of
cloth per day. In addition to
this the company 'owns an exten-
sive nounng mill, which they
have erected at ai cost of about
Statesman Has Seen History Modi
By Bruce Dennis
l
Publisher, Klamath Falls Herald and News !
On this Eightieth birthday of your publication .
The Oregon Statesman permit rne to offer my
congratulations. It ' is . Indeed a gratifying ; thought
when one thinks of a newspaper on the Pacific coast
visiting j its readers constantly without interruption
for four: sc6re years. , ' r M i
"undrthe watchful eye of The Statesman the
state not Oregon has made her growth J under that
watchful prominent men have dome forth.
m,CJlfd t!?1 the, Pathway of political and financial
?EL dl Pa away; under that watchful eye
l2liJ?0f w"lth' haa 8rrown her people have pros
pered, her; business enterprises have developed until
hnntnl?68 hanging, political
SJSf8be'afd rad,ai! station Oregon ia.iniis good
condition as any of her sister states, i-- I L ; -
Tf K Sfii?;?11- has "ever Altered In its course.
Ir !.IdfcPVt?7"5ftM MaUve sessions, good'
or bad; i Hs depicted for its readers the nature and
eL0Svernorl "it 8uch hav beens.it has advo
e? thoSghrfme ' Hving conditions and high-
. "AU admit a newspaper is not a business j neither
i8 it a profef s on, but it is something that SmeS more
enlvt mTV anythinf se inorld
toUdW Si v,0Th Statt!man could fot have , stood
&Slfor'shiy?n'm lt Possessed
tnat something'' so nearly kindred to a soulj l
. . 'May the future be a bright future
Oregon Statesman' just aa the present ireneration
r