THE OFFICIAL WEBPAGE
OF ROBERT D. WEST
Living in Salem, Oregon for two years, I amassed a lot of pictures of the city; so many that one page wasn't enough. This is Part 1, featuring Salem's main historical sites. The following links will jump to the other sections.
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Part 1: Historical Sites |
I referred to many internet resources for this project, including the City of Salem, the Salem Historic Landmarks Commission, Salem Online History, the Oregon Historic Photograph Collections, Salem Historical Quarterly and the Salem Oregon Community Guide. Other internet resources are linked throughout the pages. I also used a 1965-1966 copy of the Oregon Blue Book. Historical photographs and some graphics were photographed from interpretive displays at various locations in Salem. Most other graphics, including maps, are my own creations, though they may be based on maps from other sources.
Please note that while this page does not include West Salem, Keizer, Turner, Aumsville, Stayton, Brooks, Gervais or other nearby towns, I do have a separate page about Antique Powerland in Brooks.
Introduction
The location now known as Salem, Oregon was originally called Chemeketa, a Native American term the roughly translates to "place of rest." The word "Salem" comes from the Bible; it is derived from the Hebrew word shalom, and means peace. The Methodist missionaries who first settled here adopted the term in the late 1840s for their new town. Oregon's territorial capitol moved from Oregon City to Salem in 1850, and there were discussions in the territorial legislature in December 1853 of changing the name of the capitol city. One of the main suggestions was a return to the name Chemeketa, but other names considered included Chemawa, Woronoco, Multnomah, Willamette, Thurston, Bronson, Valena, Durham, Corrona, Victoria and Corvallis (which ended up being given to another city). Among the more interesting names suggested were Pike, Algebra, and Valleyopolis. In the end, the name of Salem was retained. Salem became the official Oregon state capitol in 1864 by popular vote. By 1920, Salem was one of four cities in Oregon with populations greater than 10,000 people; the other cities were Astoria, Eugene and Portland.
Salem is currently Oregon's third largest city, after Portland and Eugene. Salem once had a major cherry-growing industry, and is nicknamed the Cherry City. Salem has held cherry festivals in the past, and the local bus system is called Cherriots.
1. Grier Building
960 Broadway NE
The Grier
Building was built in 1972 and might seem to be an unusual place to
start telling the story of Salem, but it is located on the banks of Mill
Creek near the site of the Methodist Mission of Salem's first settlers,
and is the original site of the Jason Lee House, the first wood-frame
house in Salem, which is now located
at the
Mission Mill Museum. After
the Jason Lee House was moved, the Grier Building, designed by architect
Payne Settecase Smith, was constructed by general contractor L. D.
Mattson in 1972. The building originally featured a plaque commemorating
the site's history; I couldn't find the plaque myself, though it might
be inside. Near the building is a large historical marker that reads as
follows:
OREGON HISTORY
SALEM BEGAN HERE
IN THE FALL OF 1840, THE OREGON METHODIST MISSION UNDER JASON LEE DAMMED MILL CREEK BELOW THIS BRIDGE WEST OF WHAT IS NOW LIBERTY STREET. THEY ERECTED A LUMBER MILL. TWO YEARS LATER A FLOUR MILL WAS ADDED. IN 1856, THE WILLAMETTE WOOLEN MANUFACTURING COMPANY CHANNELED MORE WATER FROM THE SANTIAM RIVER TO MILL CREEK FOR A NEW FACTORY, THE FIRST POWER-OPERATED WOOLEN MILLS ON THE PACIFIC COAST. THE MILLS BURNED IN 1876.
IN THE SPRING OF 1841, THE MISSIONARIES BUILT THE FIRST HOUSE IN SALEM, WHICH WITH ADDITIONS STOOD AT 960 NE BROADWAY. IT HAS SINCE BEEN MOVED TO THE MISSION MILL MUSEUM. OCCUPIED BY FOUR FAMILIES INCLUDING THAT OF JASON LEE, IT LATER HOUSED SALEM’S SECOND STORE, FIRST POST OFFICE, AND THE TREASURY OF THE TERRITORY OF OREGON. LATER MOVED TO THE BRICK BUILDING AT 888 NE LIBERTY.
CENTENNIAL MARKER
MARION COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Historical Photos:
Grier Building Detail, 1972-1973
Grier Building Plaque, 1972-1973
2. Mission Mill Museum
1313 Mill Street SE
The Mission Mill Museum presents two separate pieces of Salem's history: Jason Lee's Methodist Mission and the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill.
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Reverend Jason Lee
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Sent by the Methodist Church, Reverend Jason Lee accompanied Nathaniel Wyeth's fur trading expedition to Oregon in 1834, leading a small missionary party. The group arrived at the Hudson Bay Company's Fort Vancouver and Dr. John McLoughlin advised Lee to select a mission site in the Willamette Valley. After examining the valley, Lee took the advice and established the Oregon Methodist Mission on the banks of the Willamette River about 10 miles north of what is now Salem, erecting log houses and a school for native-American children. This site is now Willamette Mission State Park. More missionaries continued to arrive at the mission, coming both by sea and overland on the Oregon Trail, and by 1840 the mission was home to over fifty men, women & children. In the fall of 1840 they built a dam on Mill Creek at a place called Chemeketa Prairie and built a water-powered sawmill. In the spring of 1841 they built Oregon's first wood-frame house at Chemeketa Prairie using wood from the sawmill and relocated the mission there. This location is now called Salem. As the missionaries started farming and raising livestock and came to view Oregon as their home, their efforts changed from evangelizing to the native-Americans to building a town, and the Methodist mission was disbanded in 1844.
Additional Links:
Jason Lee at Salem Online History
The leadership of the Methodist Church called Jason Lee back to the east coast in late 1843. Though he intended to return to Oregon, he fell ill while visiting friends and family, and died at his family home in Stanstead, Canada on March 12, 1845 at the age of 41. Salem's history was continued by who originally came to Oregon as Methodist missionaries. Here is some information about some of those who shaped early Salem.
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Lewis Hubbel Judson
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Lewis Hubbel Judson was born in 1808 and came to the Methodist Mission in 1840 aboard the Lausanne with parts for the saw and grist mills. His training as a wheelwright gave him the ability to oversee the construction of the mills and the Jason Lee House, where he lived for a time. After the mission disbanded in 1844, Judson and William Willson purchased the sawmill, and Judson surveyed the route of the Salem Ditch to divert water from the Santiam River to Mill Creek. Judson went on to be active in various business enterprises and served as a magistrate in Oregon's Provisional Government and as Marion County Surveyor. Judson passed away in 1880.
Additional Links:
Lewis Judson at Salem Online History
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William Holden Willson
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William Holden Willson was born in 1805, and came to Oregon in a group of Methodist missionaries in 1837. He was assigned to the Willamette station in 1841, after serving at other stations. His experience as a former ship's carpenter proved useful as he helped to construct buildings at the mission's new site in what would become Salem. Later, he helped develop the Salem Ditch, platted the town of Salem and gave it its name. Willson married Chloe Clark, first teacher of the Oregon Institute, which later became Willamette University, and Willson himself served as a trustee of the school. Willson died in 1856. The grounds surrounding the Oregon State Capitol are named Willson Park in his honor.
Additional Links:
William H. Willson at Salem Online History
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Reverend Alvin F. Waller |
Alvin F. Waller was born in 1808. Reverend Waller came to Oregon with the Methodist Mission's Great Reinforcement of 1840, and built Oregon's first Protestant Church building in Oregon City. He was put in charge of the mission station in The Dalles in 1844. Waller moved to Salem in 1847 and served as agent for Willamette University, raising funds for the school's first brick building. Waller owned a large amount of property in Salem, and donated much of it to Willamette University and the City of Salem. He also donated the tract for a dam on Mill Creek to divert water to the mill race. The dam is named the Waller Dam in his honor, as is Willamette University's Waller Hall. Reverend Waller died in 1872.
Jason Lee House
The
Jason Lee House was built in 1841. This house with its simple
federal-style architecture was the first house in Salem and is the oldest
frame house still standing in the Pacific Northwest. It originally stood
at 960 Broadway NE, the current site of the Grier Building. A large
house for its time, it housed three other missionary families in
addition to Jason Lee's family. It went on to serve as Salem's second
store, its first post office and the treasury of the Oregon Territory.
Over the next century, it became a private home, and various additions
and changes made the house almost unrecognizable. In
1963, the house was stripped to the original structure and temporarily
moved to a vacant lot on Front Street. On July 23, 1965, it was moved
again to its current location at the Mission Mill Museum. During this
last move, the house briefly got stuck under the Center Street Bridge,
and air had to be let out of the tires of the trailer it rode on for it
to complete its journey. The Jason Lee House has been restored to its
original appearance from when it was built in 1841. It was placed on
the National Register of Historic Places on April 23, 1973.
Next
to the Jason Lee House is this rose bush. Adelia Judson Leslie brought
this rose with her aboard the Lausanne on her way to Oregon with
her brother, Lewis Hubbel Judson in 1840. She married Reverend David
Leslie, who came to Oregon with Jason Lee in 1837, and was in charge of
the mission when Lee was away. This rose was donated in 1989 by C. Felix
& Dorothy French.
Historical Photos:
Jason Lee House in preparation for move, February 28, 1963
Jason Lee House in preparation for move, March 5, 1963
Jason Lee House moving under Center Street Bridge, July 23, 1965
Methodist Parsonage
Designed
by Hamilton Campbell and built by Methodist missionary Gustavus Hines in
the fall of 1841, just after the Jason Lee House, the Methodist
Parsonage was the second wood-frame building in Salem. It served as the
home of many Methodist missionaries and circuit riders, including
Reverend David Leslie. Its original location was on the north side of
the Thomas Key Woolen Mill, where the water tower now stands. As the
mill expanded, the parsonage was moved a short distance to 1325 Ferry
Street. It was later moved to its current location on the grounds of the
Mission Mill Musuem, near its original location.
It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December
31, 1974.
Historical Photos:
Methodist Parsonage, 1945-1965
Methodist Parsonage ready to be moved, 1965-1975
John Daniel Boon House
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John Daniel Boon |
John Daniel Boon was born in 1817. He became a Methodist lay minister and came to Oregon in 1845. He built a single story house on Mill Creek across from the Jason Lee House. Boon was Lewis Judson's brother-in-law, and he worked at the saw mill and grist mill. He went on to incorporate the Willamette Woolen Manufacturing Company, which was the first woolen manufacturer on the west coast, operating from 1857 to 1876. Boon served as treasurer for the Oregon Territory and the State of Oregon, and was involved in various businesses including dry goods merchandising, and railroad and telegraph communications. He passed away in 1864.
The
Boon House was built in 1847. Its original location was on NE High
Street & It was moved here in 1972. It was placed on the National
Register of Historic Places on January 17, 1975.
Historical Photos:
Pleasant Grove Presbyterian Church
The
Pleasant Grove Presbyterian Church was built in 1858 in nearby
Aumsville, Oregon. It was moved here to the Mission Mill Museum in 1984,
and was placed on the National Register
of Historic Places on February 10, 1987.
These
two pictures show the relation of the Jason Lee House, Methodist
Parsonage, John Daniel Boon House and Pleasant Grove Presbyterian Church
to each other on the grounds of the Mission Mill Museum
Thomas Kay Woolen Mill
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Charles Craft |
After the Methodist mission was disbanded, Lewis H. Judson and William H. Willson purchased the mission's sawmill and grist mill and put them in the charge of Charles Craft. Craft had come to Oregon in 1845 by way of the Oregon Trail. With the mission closed, Craft was able to live in the nearby Jason Lee House while he managed the mills. Craft also operated a tannery, and he was involved in the creation of the Salem Ditch, a channel designed to divert water from the Santiam River into Mill Creek to provide enough water to keep the mill operating during the summer, when Mill Creek's natural water level was very low.
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Willamette Woolen Manufacturing Co. Mill, 1857 Oregon Historical Society, #OrHi 59797-A (930-E)
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Kinney Flour Mill, 1898 Oregon Historical Society, #OrHi 35533 (930-E) |
The Salem Ditch began as a natural trough between what is now Stayton and Aumsville that Lewis H. Judson and William H. Willson located. They determined that the trough could be enhanced to divert water during the summer, giving them a constant source of water power from Mill Creek for year-round milling operation. Oregon's Provisional Government gave them permission to create the diversion channel, and Judson began surveying the project. Progress on the Salem Ditch was slow at first, with various problems delaying construction. The creation of the Willamette Woolen Manufacturing Company by Joseph Watt and John D. Boon in 1855 pushed the project along, allowing it to be completed in 1856, in time to power the first woolen mill on the west coast, which the Willamette Woolen Manufacturing Company opened in 1857. With the additional flow in Mill Creek, more industries could be powered by it, but there was only so much
room on its banks.In order to make room for more water-powered industries in Salem, the
Waller Dam was built in 1864 to divert water from Mill Creek into a manmade channel called a millrace. The millrace diverges from Mill Creek and flows through Salem in a southwesterly direction, emptying into Pringle Creek to the south, just before that creek empties into the Willamette River. Water-powered industries could now be built along the millrace as well, allowing for more industries to make their home in Salem. Salem-area industries powered by Mill Creek or the millrace included the Salem Capitol Flouring Mills, the Oregon Electric Light Company, the City Ice Works, the Oregon Pulp & Paper Company, the Salem Water Company, the Paulus Brothers Cannery and the Pioneer Oil Company.
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Thomas Lister Kay |
Another Salem industry that was powered by the millrace was the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill. Thomas Lister Kay was born in 1837 in Yorkshire, England and was raised in the woolen textile industry. Kay emigrated to America, and initially worked in the woolen trade in New Jersey. He later came to Oregon and was hired as a loom boss at a woolen mill in Brownsville in 1862. Kay moved to Salem in 1888, and purchased the land and millrace rights of the Pioneer Oil Company, a linseed oil mill which had been the first industry to be powered by the millrace when it was established in the 1870s. On this site, Kay built his own woolen mill.
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Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, 1889 |
The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill opened in 1889. It was a large wood building, and the machinery inside was powered by a system of belts connected to overhead rotating shafts, which took their power from a turbine that was spun by the flow of water in the millrace. In 1895, a fire destroyed the original building, and the current brick mill building was built the following year. Thomas Kay died in 1900, but his mill continued to operate under his family's management until the 1960s. The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1973 and was designated an American Treasure by the National Park Service in 2004.
Thomas Kay at Salem Online History
The main mill building of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill was used for
various processes. Though the current museum is condensed onto the first
two floors, all four floors originally had their own specific use. The
first floor, or basement, was used for wet and dry finishing,
and
featured pulling mills, washers, a press and a
shear. The second
floor was equipped with looms for dressing and weaving. The third floor
with carders and spinning mules was used for
the carding and spinning processes, and the fourth floor drying loft was for
the tentering, or air drying, of fabric.
The
four floors of the main mill building were connected by an elevator
that, like the rest of the machinery at the mill, took its power from
the drive shaft connected to the water-powered turbine. The elevator
transported loose wool, unfinished wool and partially-finished wool from
one floor to another.
The Salem Oregon Community Guide has an excellent tour of the inside of the main mill building and its equipment. Click here to see their tour.
Historical Photos:
Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, circa 1905
Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, circa 1950
Before most wool ever made its way
to the main building, it went through various processes in the mill's
accessory buildings first.
Just about any industry employed the use of a warehouse, and the Thomas
Kay Woolen Mill was no exception. The warehouse building was divided
into three main sections: the Rag Warehouse, the Stock Warehouse and the
Wool Warehouse. Today, The warehouse
building
serves as the main
entrance for the Mission Mill Museum. The Rag Warehouse is used as law
offices, the Stock Warehouse contains retail shops and visitor
information and the Wool Warehouse contains a café.
A sheep's wool picks up debris such as burrs, seeds, twigs, leaves and straw naturally as the sheep goes about its life on the farm. These items had to be removed from the wool before it could continue in the milling process, as the debris could damage the machinery. Inside the unheated and poorly-lit 19th century brick Picker House, raw wool was put through an English Standard Picker called "Big Ben" to pick out the debris. Used 100% wool rags also came through the picker house, going through a Clark & Sons picker machine. These rags would be shredded for use as shoddy, a wool fiber that was mixed with virgin wool for fabric production (an early form of recycling).
A number of important processes took place in the Dye House and its
Scouring Room before the wool could be sent to the main mill. Even after
picking, domestic wool still contains impurities like dirt, lanolin and
the sheep's perspiration. These impurities, which make up about 60% of
domestic raw wool, is removed by scouring. The Thomas Kay mill used a C.
G. Sargent scouring train that used a soap and alkali solution and
oscillating forks, rakes and squeeze rollers to mechanically clean the
fleece. Another process that took place in the dye house was
carbonization, a chemical process that removed all remaining traces of
vegetable matter form the wool. Wool rags were also carbonized before
being used for shoddy. After carbonizing, wool and rags were pounded to
increase thickness. The main process in the dye house was, of course,
dyeing the wool. Dyes were mixed into water by hand by the dyemaster in
large wooden vats and heated with steam, then chemicals like chrome and
sulfuric acid, also known as Vitrol, were added. The dye house was hot,
steamy, wet, and smelly and although steam was vented out through the
louvered cupolas in the roof, it was still usually warm enough to create
fog on winter days. The dyeing process took about three hours per batch.
After dyeing, the dye baths were dumped into the millrace, leading to
the rumor that an outsider could tell what color fabric was being made
by the color of the water in the millrace.
Reconstruction of the Dye House was provided through funding from the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, Portland General Electric, the Salem Foundation, U. S. National Bank, Pacific Northwest Bell and Willamette Industries.
The
Thomas Kay Woolen Mill's need for heat, hot water and steam necessitated
a Boiler
Room. The Boiler Room is off-limits to the general public, but here is
the entrance.
As
with any machinery, the equipment at the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill was
subject to periodic maintenance and repairs, which was taking place
constantly somewhere in the mill. In the days before highways and air
freight, spare parts for these machines had to be made from scratch
on-site by the millwright in the machine shop.
The
machine shop contained the equipment like a lathe, drill press and saws,
all driven by belts connected to the drive shaft to the turbine, as well
as a forge and all the hand tools and other materials needed to keep the
mill operating. The Mentzer Machine Shop was dedicated October 4, 1986
in memory of Wayne Mentzer, who was the millwright for the Thomas Kay
Woolen Mill from 1924 to 1984.
Salem's
millrace flows through the middle of the Mission Mill site, and all of
the machinery at the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill was originally powered by a
turbine driven by the flow of water in the millrace. The mill was
powered entirely by water power until 1940, when a supplementary
generator was added. The water power system is located in the wheel
house near the dye house, which remains almost exactly as it was when
the mill was in operation.
A turbine is a type of horizontal water wheel that harnesses potential energy from falling water from the millrace. At the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, water falls from a height of 12 feet into the top of the turbine. The force of the water falling against the blades causes the turbine to spin. The rotating shaft in the center of the turbine transfers this energy to the rest of the mill.
For
most of its history, the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill was powered by a 1914
Samson 45 turbine like this one made by
James Leffel &
Company. The Mission Mill's turbine is still in place, and though it
has been severed from the drive shaft and small motors
now power the museum's restored machinery, the turbine is connected to a
generator and
still
produces up to 20 kilowatts of electricity, enough to light 200 100-watt
light bulbs or run 12 computers, which is sold back to
Portland General Electric. The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill's turbine is the only vintage
turbine in the western United States that still generates power from a
millrace.
The
turbine is connected to a vertical shaft that leads to the
crown gears, which transferred the power from the vertical shaft to the
horizontal shaft that led to the main mill building. The crown gears no
longer connected to this vertical shaft, and although the crown gears
were motionless when I was there, they are apparently connected to the
generator the produces electricity from the turbine.
The actual
turbine that powered the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill cannot be seen, and the crown gears
are no longer connected to the shafts throughout
the mill. In order to explain how the turbine used water to generate
power, and how it is then transferred to the machinery,
Portland General Electric built a Water Power Interpretive Exhibit in 1999.
The
Water Power Interpretive Exhibit features a "Water Power in Action"
model that shows how power from the crown gears is transferred to the
mill machinery The crown gears are connected to a main drive shaft. This
shaft is connected to the machinery by various pulleys, belts and gears.
As the above diagram and the pictures illustrate, the model shows the
main drive
shaft
powering fans, the elevator, and an electrical generator that provided
electric power for lighting. The main drive shaft also powered all of
the mill's machinery and the large tools in the machine shop. The
following video shows the "Water Power in Action" model "in action,"
with the fans, elevator and generator actually being powered by the main
drive shaft.
The
Marion
County Historical Society is also located on the grounds of the Mission
Mill Museum. The society is located in a building that was originally the retail store
for the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill. The society was founded in 1950 to
preserve the Asahel Bush House, and has gone on to save the houses
located here as well as the Dr. Luke A. Port House, also known as
Deepwood.
These
four cast-iron columns at the Mission Mill Museum were originally part
of the House of Representatives chamber of the old Oregon State Capitol,
which was destroyed by fire on April 25, 1935. These columns were
preserved and are maintained by the
Marion
County Historical Society.
For more information about the Oregon State Capitol, see PART 3.
The
grounds of the Mission Mill Museum are well maintained and are quite
scenic. These pictures show a group of Mallard ducks in the millrace,
which flows through the grounds and appears here to look lake a natural
stream.
Additional Links:
Mission Mill Museum at Salem Online History
Mission Mill Museum at Salem Historical Quarterly
Mission Mill Museum at the Salem Oregon Community Guide
Marion County Historical Society at Salem Online History
Marion County Historical Society at Salem Historical Quarterly
Marion County Historical Society Museum at the Salem Oregon Community Guide
3. Waller Dam & Mill Race Park
2100 Ferry Street SE
Mill
Race Park is located on the bank of Mill Creek where the millrace is
separated from the creek by the Waller Dam. This small park is
maintained by the
Salem Parks Foundation and the
Southeast Salem
Neighborhood Association.
Mill Creek's watershed originally consisted of about 209 miles of streams, but in 1856, the Salem Ditch was constructed to divert flow from the North Santiam River to Mill Creek to provide a constant supply of water power for Salem industry.
In
1864, the Waller Dam was built to divert water from Mill Creek to a
millrace, that would allow more industries to have access to water
power. The Waller Dam creates a five-foot change in the water level of
Mill Creek. The dam includes a spill gate that can be opened during
times of high-water flow to keep the water level behind the dam low.
Next to the spill gate is a fish ladder that allows the fish that call
Mill Creek home to get past it.
The
millrace is over one mile in length and passes through the grounds of
Willamette University and two downtown parks, before emptying into
Pringle Creek to the south. The flow of water in the millrace is
regulated by the control gates located here.
The Salem area is home to a variety of fish species that can be found in Mill Creek. These fish include Sculpin, Speckled Dace, Redside Shiners, and Northern Pikeminnow, as well as three species of salmonid fish: the Chinook Salmon, the Steelhead and the Cutthroat Trout.
The Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) is the least abundant of all the salmon species but is also the largest, sometimes reaching 100 pounds or more. Chinook salmon lay their eggs, or spawn, on gravel bars in the Willamette Rivers and its tributaries between August and October. The female digs a redd, or nest, in the gravel and lays about 5.000 eggs, which are immediately fertilized by the male. Within a few days of spawning, the adults die. In two to four months, the eggs hatch, and the juvenile fish spend several months near the place they were born, feeding and growing larger until the spring, when they migrate down the Willamette and Columbia Rivers to the Pacific Ocean. The fish live in the ocean for three to five years, migrating as far north as the Bering Sea before returning to where they were born to spawn, completing the cycle.
Most Chinook Salmon in Mill Creek return from the ocean in the spring. These Spring Chinook are native to the area. The entire Upper Willamette River system had no native Fall Chinook. Fall Chinook fingerlings from state hatcheries were first planted in Mill Creek by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in 1968. The first adult Fall Chinook returned to Mill Creek to spawn in September and October of 1970. The early runs averaged 6,000 fish annually. A sign was posted on the fence on the opposite side of Mill Creek from Mill Race Park by the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife explaining the program when Fall Chinook were still being planted in Mill Creek and it remains there (as of 2007), largely forgotten. Fall Chinook are no longer stocked in Mill Creek, but a few Fall Chinook, descendents of those planted fingerlings, occasionally return to spawn.
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Juveniles |
Juvenile to Adult Phase |
Migrate from the Ocean |
Spawn |
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Spring Chinook (Native) |
Stay in the Willamette and its tributaries for several months. |
3-5 Years in the Ocean |
In Spring |
Fall |
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Fall Chinook (Introduced) |
Stay in the Willamette and its tributaries for several months. |
3-5 Years in the Ocean |
In Fall |
Fall |
The Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) can be found migrating throughout the year. Winter Steelhead are native to the area, leaving the ocean in the winter and swimming up the Willamette River in March and April to spawn in the spring, but Summer Steelhead that leave the ocean during the spring & summer and spawn in the winter have been introduced. Steelhead spawn in the area they were originally born, but do not die after spawning and may return to the ocean and come back to spawn again. Young Steelhead rear in the Willamette River and tributaries like Mill Creek for a year or two before migrating to the Pacific Ocean, where they live for another year or two before returning to spawn.
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Juveniles |
Juvenile to Adult Phase |
Migrate from the Ocean |
Spawn |
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Winter Steelhead (Native) |
Stay in the Willamette and its tributaries for 1-2 years and then migrate to the ocean. |
1-2 Years in the Ocean |
In Winter |
March-May and may return to the ocean. |
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Summer Steelhead (Introduced) |
Stay in the Willamette and its tributaries for 1-2 years and then migrate to the ocean. |
1-2 Years in the Ocean |
In Spring and Summer |
In winter and may return to the ocean. |
Although Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarki clarki) in some areas do migrate to the Pacific Ocean, the Cutthroat in the Salem area cannot because Willamette Falls in Oregon City acts as a natural barrier to them. Fluvial Cutthroat spawn in streams like Mill Creek and migrate to larger rivers like the Willamette to fed and grow, while Resident Cutthroat live their entire lives in the same stream.
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Juveniles |
Juvenile to Adult Phase |
Migrate from the Ocean |
Spawn |
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Cutthroat Trout (Native) |
Fluvial – rear in large rivers, then migrate to smaller streams to spawn. Resident – remain in the same stream all of their lives. |
3 Years |
Our cutthroat trout cannot migrate past Oregon City due to the Willamette Falls and are thus landlocked. |
In Winter |
Because
the artificial millrace is not an appropriate habitat for fish, the City
of Salem installed a fish screen at
the entrance to the millrace during
the summer of 2003 to keep fish like the endangered Chinook
Salmon and
Steelhead from entering it. The openings in the screen are small enough
that even newborn fish are unable to enter the millrace. Adjustable
tuning vanes behind the screen regulate the water flow to prevent fish
from being trapped on the screen, and an automatic system of
high-pressure nozzles keeps the screen clear of debris. A trash rack
ahead of the screen prevents large floating debris from damaging the
screen.
When
the fish screen was installed at the entrance to the millrace, the
Waller Dam's fish ladder was modified to make it easier for fish to go
through it. The number of pools in the ladder was increased from 5 to 7
to lower the jump height between pools to about 8 inches. The pools are
about 3 feet deep, and redesigned weirs ensure water always flows
through them.
4. Willamette University
900 State Street
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Reverend Jason Lee |
A
young
Kalapuyan
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Jason Lee and the Methodist missionaries originally came to Oregon to spread Christianity to the Native Americans and educate them. The Salem area was populated by a group known as Kalapuyans, and the missionaries began building the Oregon Indian Mission Manual Labor School. The Kalapuyan population had dwindles due to diseases introduced by early white explorers, and the remaining Kalapuyans were not receptive to the teachings of the missionaries. The school building ended up
becoming the Oregon Institute, a school for the children for the missionary settlers. The
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The Oregon Indian Mission Manual Labor School, later the Oregon Institute & Willamette University.
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Oregon Institute was established February 1, 1842. The original Board of Trustees consisted of David Leslie, Jason Lee, Lewis H. Judson, Josiah L. Parrish, Alanson Beers, Gustavus Hines, Ira L. Babcock, Hamilton Campbell & George Abernethy. The Oregon Institute began with six students being taught by Chloe Clark Willson, wife of William Holden Willson. The building also served as a meeting house for the early government until the first capitol building was built. The Oregon Institute became Willamette University, which was chartered in 1853.
Historical Photos:
A monument on the grounds of Willamette University commemorates the creation of the Oregon Institute and the members of the original Board of Trustees. It was placed by Lewis Judson on February 1, 1972, the 130th anniversary of the founding of the Oregon Institute.
Historical Photos:
Monument Dedication, February 1, 1972
Willamette University granted its first degree to Emily J. York, a "Mistress of English Literature." It is the oldest university in the West.
Additional Links:
Willamette University at Salem Online History
Willamette University Historic Buildings at Salem Historical Quarterly
A. Waller Hall
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Waller Hall
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Waller Hall is the oldest building on the Willamette University campus and was the university's first brick building. It was built in 1867 and was originally called University Hall. It was renamed for Reverend Alvin F. Waller, who was responsible for raising the funds for the building, served as agent for the university during its construction & donated land to the university. A fire in 1891 destroyed the top two floors. It was rebuilt with a mansard roof and a tall tower. A second fire in 1919 left only the outer walls, and it was rebuilt closer to its original appearance. Waller Hall was was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1975. Waller Hall was renovated in 1989 and is home to the Cone Chapel and a number of administrative offices, including the President's Office on the top floor.
Historical Photos:
Waller Hall on fire, September 16, 1891
Waller Hall after fire in 1919
Next
to Waller Hall is the Victory Bell, "in honor of sounding the spirit of
Willamette." It was made by Z. T. Wright of Portland, Oregon and was
presented to the university by the physical plant and the Class of 1988
on September 28, 1991.
B. Lausanne Hall
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The original Lausanne Hall |
William and Chloe Willson lived in a large house they built at the northeast corner of Court & Capitol Streets in the early 1850s. After William's death in 1856, Chloe allowed students to live in the large house, an arrangement that continued until her death in 1874. In 1880, the large house was moved onto the Willamette University campus, becoming a women's dormitory and being named Lausanne Hall after the ship that had brought the original supplies for the school in 1840. Lausanne Hall also housed the new Women's College and Musical Institute. The original Lausanne Hall was demolished in the 1920s.
Historical Photos:
After
the old Lausanne
Hall was demolished, this new Lausanne Hall residence hall was
constructed. In addition to housing students, it also housed a U.S. Navy
training unit during World War II.
Historical Photos:
C. Gatke Hall
Gatke
Hall was built as the Salem Post Office in 1903. It was moved on rollers
down State Street to its current location in 1938, a six month process.
It housed the College of Law until 1967, when the Truman Wesley Collins
Legal Center was completed. Gatke Hall is named after Dr. Robert Moulton
Gatke, Willamette University's first professor of political science and
historian.
Additional Links:
Salem Post Office at Salem Online History
Historical Photos:
Gatke Hall as Salem Post Office, 1902
Gatke Hall as Salem Post Office, 1905
Gatke Hall as Salem Post Office, 1913
Gatke Hall as Salem Post Office, 1930
Gatke Hall as Salem Post Office, 1937
D. Art Building
The Art
Building was built in 1905 and originally housed the Willamette
University Medical College until it moved to Portland in 1913. It then
housed a college preparatory school called Willamette Academy from 1913
to 1920. It has housed the Art Department since a 1977 renovation, and
was renovated again with an addition in 2003.
Historical Photos:
E. Eaton Hall
Eaton
Hall was built from 1908-1909 and is named for Abel E. Eaton, the owner
of the Union Woolen Mills who provided a $50,000 grant for the hall's
construction. It has been remodeled in 1982 and 2003 and currently
houses the departments of English, history, philosophy, religious
studies, anthropology and rhetoric and media studies.
Historical Photos:
In
front of Eaton Hall are these pillars, which were gifts to the
university from the Class of 1915. The pillar on the left features a
plaque that was donated by graduated of Willamette University in the
medical profession in honor of the one hundredth anniversary of the
founding of Willamette University's Medical College and the service of
the doctors educated in it. Willamette University established its
Medical College in 1867. It was the first medical school in the Pacific
Northwest and the third west of St. Louis. The Medical College merged
with the University of Oregon School of Medicine in Portland in 1913,
and was consolidated on the Portland campus. The plaque dates from about 1967,
and features an image of a pioneer saddlebag doctor by Gerald D. Kessel.
F. Smullin Hall
Smullin
Hall was built in 1938 and originally served as the library. After a new
library was built, this building was converted for use by the political
science, economics, psychology, sociology, speech, math and computer
science departments in 1988. It is named after broadcasting executive
William B. Smullin.
Historical Photos:
G. Star Trees
The
Willamette University Star
Trees are giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) that were
planted by the Class of 1942 in honor of Willamette University's 100th
anniversary. Since 1997, the university has lighted the trees from
mid-December to January, making them the tallest Christmas trees on an
American college campus. As of 2003, when the trees were 61 years old,
they were 154 feet high with a circumference of 21 feet, 6 inches.
H. Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center
The Truman
Wesley Collins Legal Center was built in 1967. It houses the College of
Law and the J. W. Long Law Library. It is named for an alumnus and
member of the board of trustees.
Historical Photos:
Collins Legal Center Under Construction, December 23, 1966
I. Granite Erratic
Granite
Erratic was transported by floating ice from a glacier in northeastern
Washington to the West Salem hills in the Pleistocene Epoch, over
25,000 years ago. It was placed on display on the Willamette University
campus by the Salem Geological Society.
J. Town & Gown