I
45th PARALLEL
HALF WAY TO
THE NORTH POLE
1 .
Location of Salem is near the division of the northern hemisphere where this highway marker
indicates midway between the north pole and equator. Chemawa's totem pole, replica of an an
cient piece, displays symbols intended to propitiate evil spirits that harassed primitive Indians.
Brewery hill in old Waconda was located across from the service station at the Gervais intersec
tion with 99E. Other buildings in this forgotten ghost village that contained stores, blacksmith
shops, a saloon, stage barn and hotel were at or back of the foreground. Waconda's main street
in 1865 is today's highway.
Items of Interest on Pacific
Highway From Salem to Aurora
By Ben Maxwell
If you are in a hurry and must speed along, then, please, don't
try to look. It would be too dangerous for yourself and others.
But, if there is time to drive leisurely and pause occasionally,
there is much of interest to be"-
scen on highway 99E between
Salem and Aurora in Marion
county.
About four miles north of
Salem is an unique highway
marker indicating the precise
location of the 45th parallel
exactly midway between the
Equator and the North Pole
Crossing this exact center of the
northern hemisphere does not
make one feel warmer in winter
or cooler in summer. But it is
pleasant to know that this line
of latitude that passes arounci
the world and through or near
Halifax, Sevastopol and Lung
kula in the Great Khingan moun
tains gives Salem as agreeable
climate as any and more equita
ble than most.
A little beyond this geo
graphic marker and on the left
is a replica of an ancient Indian
totem pole. It marks the inter
section of Chemawa road with
the Pacific highway and was
carved about 15 years ago by
Indian manual training students
in Rube Sander's paint shop at
Chemawa. An old totem pole
1 from near Marysville in Wash
ington served as a model and
when the boys finished the carv
ing Rube helped with the paint
ing and assisted in erecting it.
What the grotesque faces sym
bolize is not known for certain
but Rube Sanders, one of the
older Indians at Chemawa, sup
poses that they were intended
to propitiate evil spirit.
Northward and below the hill
the road bisects a western ex
tremity of Lake Labish. Lewis
A. McArthur, authority on Ore
gon's geographic names, ex
plains that the name is derived
Salem Women
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odor, yet is Doubly Safe,
Doubly Preferred by Regis
tered Nurses! Survey shows
nurses who tried VETO
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r
r
I .
broy26e rA
Ji V
from "la biche," meaning fe
male deer. Until 60 years ago
the entire lake area of 1500
acres was a forbidding swamp,
populated by water fowl, water
snakes, frogs and mosquitoes.
M. L. Jones, pioneer of 1853
whose 98th birthday was re
cently celebrated at Gervais Ma
sonic lodge, perceived the amaz
ing fertility of this beaver dam
soil and started a movement for
lake drainage and reclamation
that occupied his time for 40
years. Jones entered the legis
lature in 1882 and fathered a
drainage law that enable the
state to acquire riparian rights
to the water flow of Pudding
river. This law allowing drain
age into Pudding river encour
aged J. O. Hayes, a California
capitalist, to acquire title to
much of the lake area and start
drainage in a big way. Hayes
interests accomplished the job
in about a year and inundated
beaver dam land that once sold
for SI an acre was soon valued
at $1500.
Preliminary attempts to drain
the southwest section of Lake
Labish were made by M. L
Jones in 1890 and he did succeed
in reclamation of hundreds of
acres by digging a ditch con
necting his property with the
Willamette river. In 1940, 1200
acres of the 1500 in Lake Labish
were planted to onions, the fe
cund beaver dam soil yielding
36.000,000 of pounds annually
Eight miles further along,
about 13 from Salem, is the
site of old Waconda. But little
now remains of this original
Waconda and some confusion
exists in distinguishing this
place that was and the Waconda
pre- K trfJT V X.
that is on the Oregon Electric
railroad a few miles northwest
of Salem.
George Ritchey, born in .Sil-
verton 82 years ago and now
residing in one of Waconda's
original homes, recalls the place
as it was in the middle 1880's.
Then the big stage barn, that
used to provide a change of
teams for California stages, was
still standing. A large brewery,
then operated by Kerns and
Glaiser, stood on the right hand
side of the road, opposite the
filling station located in the
intersection of the Gervais road
and 99E. The site was called
Brewery hill. Beneath this one-
story brewery was the aging cel
lar where good keg beer was
kept until ready for distribu
tion. Above was a bar where
excellent steam was dispensed
at five cents for a big glass
Waconda's b r e w e ry burned
twice and was not rebuilt after
the second fire.
Old Waconda's business sec
tion and stage barns were just
a little south of Brewery hill
about where the Parkersville
and Fairfield road intersects
99E. Here stood the hotel, black
smith shops, a saloon, general
stores, a butcher shop, drug store
and homes of several physicians.
In 1870 the population of the
village was 71 according to cen
sus statistics supplied by the
state archivist. Then M. Levy,
a merchant and wealthiest in
respect to liquid assets, owned
personal property valued at
$3500.
In 1865, when Waconda was
the first stage relay north of
Salem, Charles Calvert was post
master and conducted a general
merchandise store. W. B. Mag
ers, J. H. Masterson and J. J.
Williams were physicians here.
Later Dr. W. A. Cusick, well
known practitioneer to an older
generation of Salemites, also had
his office here. D. D. Snowden
served as surveyor.
Oregon & California railroad
You get a regular
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. for only I
Whnn vmi lnu
via v Mil J
one at the regular
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Here it is your money-saving op
portunity to join the thousands
who use and praise VETO! But
supplies of this special offer are
limited so act cut!
reached Waconda In 1870 and
paused to grade right - of - way
and trestle Lake Labish before
forging ahead to Salem. It took
an hour to reach Waconda by
stage and three hours to travel
from this point to East Port
land by rail. Actually the rail
road reached Waconda precinct
but not the village. Gervais was
the name of the new station and
Waconda's business and profes
sional men were not slow to
abandon the old place and es
tablish themselves along the
steel path of the iron horse.
Further along a couple of
miles is the distinguished pi
oneer home of bamuel H.
Brown, a Virginian who came
to Oregon in 1 8 5 0. Brown's
home, one of the finest of its
architectural type surviving in
Oregon was built in 1857. For
many years it was a stage coach
stop, well remembered by tra
vellers between Portland and
Sacramento in the 1860s. The
owner was state senator between
1864-1872, carpenter and a farm
er operating 1000 nearby acres.
He had 12 children and needed
a large house.
A mile south of Woodburn
was Belpassi, a pioneer com
munity devoted to piety and cul
ture and not much concerned
with commerce. A bronze plaque
on a boulder at a filling station
marks the site; Belpassi ceme
tery alone survives.
Romantic name of this ghost
village, founded by Rev. Neill
Johnson who settled here in
1851 and wanted to call the
place Groveland, is supposed to
be derived from the ancient city
of Belpasso in Sicily. The D. A.
R. marker spells it Belle Passi
but postal authorities, when they
established an office here, June
15, 1860, spelled it Belpassi.
Mrs. Carrie Young, born near
Belpassi in 1855, recalled that
the village existed before either
Woodburn or Gervais and was a
leading community in her child
Should yon care to make a financial contribution to the American Friends
Service Committee, tend it to them ac 20 South 12th Sc., Philadelphia 7, Pa.
hood. Cumberland Presbyter
ians established a church here,
the upper floor being an acad
emy taught by Prof. E. P. Hen
derson of Eugene. A library of
700 volumes, huge for pioneer
times, made the community a
center of culture. The village
band wore flashy uniforms,
black caps and pants and red,
wool shirts. The Washington
Literary Society was organized
here and asserted masculine su
periority by forbidding women
to attend meetings.
Mrs. Young recalls that the
general store at Bellpassi could
supply nails and calico. Cer
tainly there was no saloon. In
stead the Templars, a temper
ance organization, had a lodge
here. But the village did have
a doctor a water doctor. He
prescribed no pills for his pa
tients but. Instead, wrapped
them up in bedclothes and sat
urated the bundle with hot wa
ter. During Civil War times
Belpassi was a Union strong
hold and secessionists, primed
with firewater and armed with
pistols, sometimes appeared
looking for trouble.
Belpassi cemetery had a
singular origination. A stranger
in attendance at a church serv
ice suddenly died. Nothing was
known about the man except
that his name might be Eaton.
Disposal of the remains offered
a problem until several persons
affiliated with the church of
fered a site for a community
cemetery in which to bury a
stranger who died 95 years ago.
After the railroad came to
Woodburn in 1870 Belpassi de
clined rapidly. The church went
to Woodburn and was the be
ginning of Presbyterianism in
that village. Presently the store
keeper packed his wares and
moved to Gervais. On Novem
ber 6, 1871, the Belpassi post
office was discontinued and the
pioneer hamlet with a popula
tion of 188 in 1870 became an-
Mothers . . .
YOU CAN JOIN WITH US in feeding the hungry children of Europe.
H. J. Heinz Company is giving outright to these children one mil
lion packages of Baby Food. In addition, we stand ready to give
one package of Baby Food for every package of Heinz Baby Food
bought by mothers throughout the United States this week, from
April 7 through April 12.
This much needed food will be distributed in Europe by the
American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker relief organization.
The Committee will allot the Baby Food to the. neediest children
regardless of nationality, race or religion.
THE NUMBER OF PACKAGES WE SEND IS UP TO YOU
"The gift of the Henz Company means life and hope for human beings otherwise doomed. It alst
means that the warm heart of America still beats true. Now millions of Americans can have a
direct share in giving food to hungry children. Other companies may find ways of taking similar
action through the relief agencies of their choice, opening wide the floodgates of American generosity.
It is as certain as the stars in their courses that there can be no peace where children are starving. "
MAIL THIS COUPON to H. J.
to Wt will know how much Baby
Europe's
olher ghost town like Wacon
da. Last on our tour frovi .Salem
northward through Marion
county is Aurora, where a col
ony of Christian communists,
under the benevolent guidance
of Dr. William Keil, advocated
"from every man according to
his capacity, to every man ac
cording to his needs."
Willie Keil, ailing son of the
founding father, died May 19,
1855, just as the emigrants were
about to leave Bethel, Missouri,
for Oregon. Dr. Keil had pro
mised his afflicted son that he
would not be left behind, that
an ambulance would be built
to carry him westward with
other brothers and sisters in the
colony.
Now what was to have been
his ambulance was converted
into a hearse. Carpenters
fashioned Willie's coffin and
lined it with lead. After plac
ing the body, the receptacle
was filled with alcohol and
this catafalque, leading the
cortege of covered immigrant
wagons, bore the body of Willie
Keil across the plains to the
Oregon county, where it was
buried near Crockett's landing
on Willapa Bay, December 26,
1855.
When the colonists reached
the Willamette valley they
named their community Au
rora Mills after a favorite
daughter of Dr. Keil. Here
they practiced their high-minded
philosophy that encouraged
industry, thrift, piety and high
moral standards. During the
1860s they practiced scientific
diversified farming. Creations
of their handicraft skills are
now eagerly sought by collec
tors. For years trains stopped
near Aurora hotel, where tra
velers ate the best meals serv
ed in Oregon. Aurora band at
tained national distinction,
Dr. Keil's home still stands
near Aurora, but to the west of
AMERICAN
Heinz Company
Food to send to
hungry children.
Name-
Address-
Purchased
1
Capital Journal. Salem, Ore.,
99E across Pudding river. This
distinguished landmark is now
in a sad stage of deterioration.
Other old colony homes of dis
tinctive architecture and bet
ter preserved may be observed
nearby. Board and batten
houses along the highway in
today's Aurora are relics of lat
er community times. When
Dr. Keil died December 30,
1877, no other person was able
orvilling to assume his leader
ship. About three years later
a division of the community
Husbands! Wives!
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TERMS TO SUIT YOU
Easiest Credit in Town
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STATE TIRE SERVICE
Cottage and State Phone 9268
FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE
H. J. HEINZ COMPANY, Box 57
PITTSBURGH, PA.
Gentlemen: I want to help feed Europe's hungry children. I hive just
purchased- packages of Heim Baby Food for my baby. I under
stand you will send an equal amount to hungry babies in Europe
without further obligation on my part.
-City-
from.
yon prefer, i pwtil eird with th tboe informition will be umfictory.
Thursday, April 10, 194715
property was ordered and ulti
mately each member received
according to his original con
tribution and length of service
in the colony.
Malaria is one of the oldest
known diseases of mankind.
Warren's j
RADIO SERVICE
2017 Fairgrounds
Road f
in the
Heart of Hollywood
Immediate service on your g
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