Salem in 2005

World Events

• The Kyoto Protocol goes into effect, affirming climate change and committing the 192 signature nations to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. US does not ratify.
• Egypt holds its first multiparty presidential elections: Israel demolishes settlements on the West Bank and withdraws their army from Gaza Strip.
• North Korea announces it possesses nuclear weapons as  protection from the hostility of the US.
• Four Islamic suicide bombings in London target underground transportation.
• Pope Paul dies, succeeded by Benedict XVI, the 265th pope.
• Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles, his long-time companion, in a civil ceremony at Windsor.
• Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans and the Gulf Coast; killing over a 1000 people and causing $108 billion in property damage.
• The first YouTube video is uploaded, "Me at the Zoo".
• The most talked-about film this year was "Brokeback Mountain", but the Academy Award went to "Crash" (US) and "Tsotsl" (South Africa). Prize-winning books: Europe Central, William Vollmann and Gilead, Marilynne Robinson.

A Liberty Street view of our Historic Downtown

In Salem
In 2001 our downtown, with many heritage buildings in need of repair, was successfully nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. This honor focused attention on improving the commercial health of the city core: it encouraged owners and developers to work with the city to use available funding for renovations. In 2005, restoration continued on Liberty Street, assisted by the city's "Toolbox" Grant and Loan Program using tax-increment funding from the Riverfront Downtown Urban Renewal Area. (Renewal areas are able to bond by utilizing property tax dollars resulting from increases in assessed value within the urban renewal district.) These grants and loans rehabilitate older buildings in the district such as the Adolph Block on State Street (Wild Pear, tenant), the Reed Opera House (with multiple tenants on several floors) and neighboring buildings to the south on Liberty Street. These include the former Montgomery Ward Building and the Bishop Building. The Metropolitan Store (pictured above) had been vacant for many years, but now offers commercial space on the first floor with new apartments on upper floors. This program is administered by the city's Urban Renewal Agency. This year, a new citizen group is created to advise on these investments in our historic commercial district, the Downtown Advisory Board.

When you visit
For a preview of the Downtown Historic District, a slide show is offered on SHINE. The city has also published a booklet, based on this tour, which is available through the Community Development Department of the city (depending on supply). For casual walkers, many of the historic buildings have markers, identifying the original owners and past uses. The downtown district comprises a compact seven-block area with construction dates from 1878 to 1950 with the earliest along Commercial Street. In the early 1900s, local business and professional activity moved east to High Street to meet county and state offices. At Ferry Street, south of the business establishments, there were railroad tracks and industrial plants. Since the 1970s, our Civic Center and urban parks have replaced these. To the north, the mid-20th century Salem Center development at Center Street limits the historic district. Front Street, to the west, was also industrial until the 1998 creation of Riverfront Park, A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village and the Union Street Bridge and Trestle. Our redeveloping downtown is truly the heart of the city for the residents and a growing potential for heritage tourism.

Other events

• The Salem Conference Center opens in February. The $32 million facility attracted events immediately and promises to add vitality to our city, particularly to downtown. It features 14 rooms, totaling almost 30,000 square feet that can be configured for any combination of convention, theater, banquet, trade show or classroom. Attached to the conference center is the Phoenix Grand Hotel (now Grand Hotel) that has 193 rooms, a restaurant and a dignified lobby that will add to the city's appeal for travelers.
• The Marion County Courthouse, on our historic High Street, is damaged by a Keizer resident who crashes his pick-up truck through the glass entrance doors and sets fires inside the building. Wounded by police officers, he is apprehended and will stand trial for numerous charges. The courthouse is closed for several months while repairs are made. (Inside the County Clerk's office, there are several photographs of the damage and reconstruction.)
• A man who has placed a rope around his neck stands on the outside of the Marion Street Bridge railing, threatening to jump. For 15 hours, traffic was disrupted, bringing downtown traffic to a standstill. Police are finally able to grab and pull him to safety. Questions about how to remedy traffic problems and protect public safety are subjects of heated community discussion after this incident.
• Sprague High School became the first Salem-Keizer team to win state championships in both football and baseball in the same year.

Meier and Frank retained its familiar logo for 50 years

• The downtown Meier and Frank department store, a feature since 1954, will lose its name in 2006. For many years owned by the May Company, it will soon carry the Macy's logo. Hundreds of past and present employees as well as city leaders gathered to celebrate the store's golden anniversary at the Elsinore Theatre. (In 2010, a plaque outside the store entrance outlined the history of the building.)
• Bill Frey Drive is completed off Portland Road as part of the urban renewal projects in the Northgate neighborhood. It will improve traffic flow and offer access to new development, including the possible future Kroc Center.
• Two new features are added to Riverfront Park. In April the new boat dock and overlook are completed; in October the Rotary Pavilion opens. This "front lawn" of our city continues to attract residents and visitors for casual strolling, Willamette Queen river tours and dining, children's Carousel entertainment and community cultural activities such as the annual Salem Multicultural Institute World Beat Festival.

Salem in 1976

World Events

• Mao Zedong of Communist China dies after a mortality record of causing up to 70 million deaths due to executions and forced labor.
• IRA bombs explode in London. Ten thousand Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace in Northern Ireland. (Irish rock band U2 is formed by drummer Larry Mullen.)
• The US celebrated its 200th anniversary. Jimmy Carter is elected as President after a Democratic convention keynote address is delivered by a first African-American, Barbara Jordan.
• "Legionnaires' Disease" strikes in Philadelphia causing 29 deaths. The Ebola virus occurs in Yambuku, Zaire.
• The (supposed) last U.S. convertibles roll out of Detroit, new Apple Company, founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
• At Uganda's Entebbe Airport, Israeli commanders free 103 hostages held by Palestinian hijackers of an Air France plane.
• Viking 2 spacecraft lands on Mars: NASA releases Mars photo. 
• Nadia Comaneci earns the first of 7 perfect scores 10  in gymnastics at the Summer Olympics in Montreal.
• Academy Awards: "Rocky" (US) and "Black and White in Color" (France). Prize-winning Books: J R, William Gaddis and Humboldt's Gift, Saul Bellow.

In Salem
A 40-year Salem controversy between a local cooperative, Salem Electric and PGE over electric power service was resolved this year, bringing underground wiring to downtown. Salem Electric was founded in 1938 by a group of West Salem residents led by Harry Read. Mr. Read stubbornly refused to limit SE's growth into downtown Salem commercial area, linking its West and North Salem service areas. During 1968, after several years of discussions, Salem Electric and PGE reached agreement on service boundaries for the Salem/Keizer area. In 1972, Salem Electric received its third point of delivery, Brush College Substation, from Bonneville Power Administration, providing a 70% increase in the co-op's available capacity. In 1975, Salem Electric's Board approved a $1 million loan to continue its acquisition of the remainder of PGE facilities and for conversion of overhead to underground facilities in the downtown area. When the project was complete, Liberty Street gained this improved appearance (seen in 2007) as part of a revitalized business environment.

When you visit
Salem Electric has moved from its former headquarters adjacent to downtown Salem. In 1968, Salem Electric had constructed a new office building and warehouse located adjacent to the old headquarters on the northwest corner of Front and Union Streets. But in 1976, the City of Salem condemned the co-op's eight-year-old headquarters as a part of its Front Street widening project. The current headquarters are on Seventh Street in West Salem.

The historic downtown, one of our most attractive civic features, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the designated Local Landmark buildings have informative plaques at their entrances. For an online walking tour, please click on that image on the homepage of SHINE. For a copy of the 2011 booklet that is a guide through the history of downtown Salem, call the Community Development Department at 503 588 6173.

Other Events

• Craig Metten provides a dramatic sight for pedestrians on the ground as he scales the First Methodist Church tower during repairs. The steeple is replaced at this time. An even more startling photograph is taken looking down at Craig and the street below at the intersection of State and Church Streets.

View from Methodist Church steeple

Dining atop the Equitable Building

• The new Equitable Building at Center and High Streets, now completed, rises above the one-story businesses to the south at Chemeketa Street. This new six-floor tower has a bank on the ground floor with offices above. But the real treat is the opportunity for a downtown view from one of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Loft Restaurant on top floor. Unfortunately, the restaurant was open only a few years.
• The Oregon State Capitol undergoes an expansion this year with wings at the north and south along State Street.
• Karr's Tavern occupies the historic Boon Store; the renovation to contemporary use of this 1860 building is yet to come. The interior had the appearance of a living room in a residence. The 1846 Boon House had been removed to Mission Mill Museum property and placed on the National Register of Historic Places the year before.
• Our McNary Airfield Air Control Tower receives an award for meritorious service by the Oregon National Guard. United Airlines is serving Salem this year with regularly scheduled commercial and passenger flights.
• In August, Salem residents enjoy rides over the city in a Goodyear blimp. Refer to Oregon Historic Photographs Collection for many aerial views of Salem in 1948 and 1976.
• The Downtown Development Advisory Board is created this year. Composed of a total of 11 members, 6 presently represent the interests of business, property owners and others with interest in the Riverfront Downtown Urban Renewal Area and 5 represent the community at large. Two members represent West Salem specifically.

The Reed Opera House undergoing renovation

• A major rehabilitation of the Reed Opera House provides space for almost two dozen small retail stores in the basement and first floor. An attractive mezzanine opens the area for attractive vistas of the interior. Due to the attention being given to Salem historic preservation, the building is successfully nominated for the National Register in 1978. The Reed Opera House is featured on the Historic Downtown walking tour slide show on SHINE website.

Five neighborhood associations are organized this year:

• Morningside, which is generally bordered by Madrona and Kuebler Drive as you travel south, east of Commercial and west of Fairview Industrial Drive. Businesses line both sides of Commercial Street, but the neighborhood remains residential. It was originally an area of orchards and a few properties still reflect that history. The SHINE Morningside photograph album shows 2 Local Landmark structures moved to the neighborhood, 3 that were in orchards, a significant International style home and another associated with one of Salem's most prominent early families.
• Southeast Salem Neighborhood Association (SESNA) is located south of State Street where early middle class families as well as laborers of the Kay Mill and the railroad built their small craftsman houses 100 yeas ago.
• Sunnyslope, is a relatively new South Salem section of the city and has had little historical research. The Wingate house on Kuebler Drive is the only representative so far.
• Highland was organized by Henry Minthorn as a Quaker community. It later featured the suburban Hollywood Business area along Portland Road.
• Grant, just north of downtown, is one of our oldest neighborhoods (and the smallest), containing many historic properties. The neighborhood is working on establishing a historic district. The city maintains support of these organizations and provides information on the Neighborhoods page of the city website.

Salem in 1901

World Events

• Queen Victoria dies on January 22 at the age of 81. Her son becomes Edward VII. (He is the great-grandfather of Elizabeth II.)
• William McKinley, 6 months after his second inauguration, is assassinated on October 21st at Buffalo, N.Y. Pan-American Exposition: Vice President Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 28th U.S. President.
• A month later, Roosevelt invites African-American leader, Booker T. Washington, to the White House. Southerners react angrily at the visit and racial violence increases in that region. Booker's autobiography, Up From Slavery, published this year, is a best-seller.
•  In foreign relations, Roosevelt advised, "Speak softly and carry a big stick".
• The Hays-Pancefote Treaty cedes control the Panama Canal to the U.S.
• J. P. Morgan's US Steel is the first billion-dollar corporation.
• Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of radio, sends a signal spanning the Atlantic Ocean: Cornwall, England to Newfoundland, Canada.
• August Deter is examined by German psychiatrist Dr. Alois Alzheimer, leading to a diagnosis of a condition to be known by the doctor's name. 
• Influential new book: The Octopus by Frank Norris. It depicts the conflict between traditional ways of life (farming) and the power of industry (the railroads). 

photo used courtesy of Carole Smith

In Salem
This undated photograph of Court Street shows the commercial architecture of this period. To the left, the 1877 Italianate England Block where "Wades," sells agricultural and household equipment, later pioneering the use of sprinkler irrigation equipment known as "Wade Rain." W.S. Fitts acquired this building in the mid-1920s. In 1901 he opened Fitts Fish Market in the 400 block of Court Street, between Liberty and High Streets. On the opposite side of the street (to the right in photograph) is the "White Corner" mercantile store of the Breyman Block. Further down Court Street is the Reed Opera House and Odd Fellows Hall.

When you visit
Both corner buildings were extensively renovated after World War II, removing all decorative elements to achieve a more modern style. "Fitts" is still in business after over a hundred years, but is now in a different location. This downtown corner is featured in the SHINE Historic Downtown Walking Tour slide show.

Other events

• The ninth grade is added in East School.
• Rural mail routes are established outside city limits and federal funds were allocated for a Salem post office building and construction began on a site near the Marion County Courthouse for Salem's first federal post office. The two-story steel and brick edifice would feature Oregon products; granite and sandstone from Ashland, brick and interior woodwork of Salem manufacturer. The relocated building is now the Gatke Building at Willamette University.
• A train wreck occurs near the Salem rail station. An engineer and fireman are killed.
• According to the Capitol Journal: While F.R. Funk, who supported his family by hauling wood, was driving across the track of the Salem Light & Traction Company's State Street car line, was involved in an accident that caused the death of one of his mules. The trolley wire on the State Street line was broken and lying in the street, and the animal, stepping on the deadly wire, received the full force of the current and dropped dead in its tracks. Mr. Funk has called on the management of the company for a settlement, but refuses $90, asserting that he could have $100 for the mule.
• The Oregon Statesman reports that "The Capital City has an excellent sewerage system and has one of the best and most complete water works systems on the coast. Salem also has a well-equipped and popularly conducted fifteen miles of road-bed, an electric light and power company, a gas light company and a paid fire department."

• McEvoy's is a shop in the Bush-Breyman Building. A photograph of this year is in several local collections. It seems to record a celebration, or sale, at the shop with a crowd of young boys clustered at the doorway and on the sidewalk, many holding sheets of paper. Several are turned toward the camera in an upper floor across the street. Notice the unpaved streets and the seemingly unoccupied city lots looking toward the river. Riverfront property would would be used for industry for the next century ~ until the development of our Riverfront Park.

• The Brown House, now a Local Landmark, is built on 21st Street in the present SESNA neighborhood. Rebecca N. Shenafield purchased the lot in 1901 and she is recorded living in this house with her carpenter husband, Isaiah Shenafield, the next year. In 1910 Charles E. and Margaret Brown bought the property; Mr. Brown was listed as a farmer and later was employed as an electrician for Pacific Telephone and Telegraph. Charles Brown died 1915, but Margaret Brown continued to live here until 1937.

• On a large farm several miles south of the city (on the present Boone Road) the Dent farmhouse is built. The farm property stretched north from this homestead to the present Hrubetz Road and east to Commercial Street. In addition to the responsibilities of his property, Mr. Dent worked at the State Hospital. After his retirement, he moved to another nearby residence, selling the farm to his niece and her husband, Marie and Richard Chesley. The farm home property became the Boone Road Nursery, later known as Chesley Flowers. The general profile of the house retains the original character of the more than 100 year-old home. It is in the Faye Wright neighborhood of South Salem.
• The Oregon Historical Society is organized with a first duty to recognize the Champoeg territorial meeting of 1843 by erecting a memorial at the site of this town, drowned in the 1861 flood.
• In January, 1896, the First Church of Christ Scientist, Salem, Oregon, was officially organized with the congregation meeting in a rented room at the corner of Court and Liberty streets. The Second Church of Christ Scientist, Salem, Oregon, was organized in 1900, and in 1901, purchased a lot on the south side of Chemeketa St. between High and Liberty streets. Here, the first Christian Science Church to be built in the state of Oregon was constructed. It was dedicated on Easter Sunday April 12, 1903. This handsome building was demolished in 1963.

Salem in 1900

World Events

• Secretary of State John Hay proposes an Open Door policy, promoting trade among European powers and the U. S. with China on an equal basis, keeping any one from domination. The anti-colonial movement in China leads to the Boxer Rebellion this year.
• The people of the Philippines revolt against American rule.
• The Boer conflict between Britain and the two Boer (Dutch word for farmer) colonies in South Africa. The Dutch-founded South African Republic and the Orange Free State were part of the Dutch-founded areas annexed to Britain in 1902.
•  Spectators at Lake Constance in Germany see the inaugural flight of a Zeppelin, later to be the first commercial airliners.
• The Davis Cup tennis tournament is created; the American League in baseball is organized in Philadelphia.
• Notable new books: The realistic novel, Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser and as fantasy for children, Wonderful World of Oz by L Frank Baum. Sigmund Freud publishes The Interpretation of Dreams. The Guide Michelin appears for French motorists. (The first American guide is published in 2005.)

photo used courtesy of Carole Smith

In Salem
The local enthusiasm was for the elegant new "Odd Fellows" Hall where the Grand Theater opened with John Phillip Sousa's comic "El Capitan". In a building designed in Richardson Romanesque style, this lodge was among the most successful fraternal orders of 19th century America, providing member benefit funding for illness or funerals, administrative training and community services. The Grand Theater provided popular stage, and later, movie entertainment. After the Elsinore opened in 1927, the attraction of this theater declined and it closed in 1950.

When you visit
After a period of temporary occupation by renters, the current owners, Carole Smith and Eric Kittleson, have extensively remodeled the proud old building. On the top floor, the large ballroom is frequently used for meetings and celebrations. The theater has reopened under the management of a Friends Board and is the scene of regular stage and film attractions. The tower, unfortunately lost in a storm many years ago, has not been replaced. The adjoining Central State Terminal and Hotel (now the Hotel Annex) was completed in 1921. It is now occupied by Travel Salem, a tourism marketing organization. Both structures were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Other events

Northeast over Capitol Street with 12th Street and East School on right

North between Summer and Capitol Streets.

• Census shows Salem population has reached 4,258. These two remarkable photographs of this year show how small the city was at that time. The large, white A.N. Bush house figures in both (at left and at right).
• Due to the opening of the Grand Theater, the Reed Opera House gives a final theatrical performance featuring the Great Barlow Minstrels. It is followed by a farewell speech by the manager, Hal Patton.
• The Catlin Linn Building is erected at 246 State Street. This is the site of earlier Tiger Engine Fire House, No. 2, organized in 1869 that continued as a volunteer organization until 1893 when the city created a paid fire department. A garage with concrete floor was a feature of this building through the 1920s, testifying to its early use for auto storage and repairs. 
• Two residences new to city in 1900 are found on the same street, but in two different neighborhoods: the still graceful, Queen Anne styled Perkins House is at 198 21st Street NE in NEN, named for a 1930s owner, Granville Perkins who worked in the local canning industry. It was originally in the Waller Donation Land Claim. The Zielinski House at 212 21st Street SE in SESNA. The first occupants that are recorded here are Burt and Ellen Zielinski who lived there between 1924 and 1932. In almost original condition, it is another example of the fine craftsman workmanship that went into the Queen Anne style homes of the late twentieth century.
• The Bethel Baptist Church builds a parsonage beyond the city limits on Cottage Street, in the present Grant neighborhood. The words “Baptist Parsonage” have been pressed into the cement of the step leading up to the front door of this historic residence, always owned by the church next door. Pastors who lived there included Gustave W. Rutsch (1932-5), John F. Olthoff (1940-5) and Rudolph Wolke until 1954. By 1957 it had become the Sunday School Annex. The simple vernacular architecture of this building is relieved by lacy scrollwork under the arch of the upper front eave.
• Our only existing image of the Leslie House is a drawing made this year. One hundred acres of the Leslie property, including the house, were sold to Asahel Buch in 1860. The house was the family home fir 17 years until the present Bush House was built in 1877-8. The house was moved at the time and later demolished.

• North of the city on Garden Road (now Market Street), the Swegle District established its first school, now in the ELNA neighborhood. The school was built when George Swegle sold one acre of land on Garden Road (Market Street) to the District for $80. The first section of the school as we know it today was built in 1923-4. By the 1938, the school had four classrooms, three teachers and enough students to field a sports program. In one year girls were recruited to fill out the baseball team: the lack of funds for uniforms forced them to play after-school games in their dresses. The school's 100 year history was celebrate with many former students in attendance.
• Thomas Lister Kay, the founder of the Kay Woolen Mill died this year. He was responsible for much of Salem's early industrial growth and the development of the textile industry in Oregon.  Born in 1837 in England, he had an early background in woolen mill operations. Kay was succeeded in management of the mill by son Thomas Benjamin Kay (four times state treasurer), grandson Ercel Kay, (founder of the Salem Golf course), and great grandson Thomas Kay Jr. (a Salem businessman). The mill closed in 1959 and became the centerpiece of the Mission Mill Museum ( now Willamette Heritage Center), 1313 Mill St SE in Salem. It is an irony that Thomas Lister Kay's daughter, Fannie, who was passed over for management, later founded with her husband Charles Bishop and their sons, the Pendleton Mills.

Salem in 1876

World Events

• Korea is forced to sign a treaty opening ports to Japanese trade, beginning the Japanese domination of Korea.
• Carlist Wars in Spain end after four years: revolutionary military forces of Carlos VIII defeated and he goes into exile. King Alfonso XII enters Pamplona, historical capital of Navarre.
• 20 disputed electoral votes prevented either Tilden or Hayes winning the presidential election until the Compromise of 1877 settled the question: Republican Hayes becomes President after an agreement to end that political party's Reconstruction policies in the former Confederate states.
• Plains Indians have their last great gatherings. At the Battle of the Rosebud Creek, Sioux and Cheyenne under Crazy Horse beat back General Crook's forces. At the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Lt. Col. George Custer's 7th Cavalry is wiped out by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Also in the west: Colorado is admitted as 38th state.
• A Centennial Exhibition opens in Philadelphia displaying America's industrial wonders in the Machinery Hall, including the new Bell telephone.
• US National Baseball League founded.
• Librarian Melvil Dewey first publishes the Dewey Decimal Classification system.

In SalemSalem has become quite a grand city by this year and begins to solve its drinking water problem. In the photograph of an artist's drawing seen above, to the right of the steamboat in the Willamette River, can be seen the 80 foot water tower, built this year. With a 45 feet deep cistern, and water from the Willamette, it marks the beginning of the Salem Water Company. This system of water supply accommodates the Reed Opera House (1869) and the Chemeketa House (1871) by allowing water to be supplied to these multi-storied buildings. However, the water tower soon began leaking and the river became too polluted to be an acceptable source of water. Other solutions were found a decade later.

When you visit
One of the most remarkable of Salem's early artifacts is this drawing, much reproduced, that gives an aerial view of the city. The tower was almost in line with State Street where the Riverfront Park (and the Carousel) is located now, so the urban landscape is much different today.
Notice the landmarks that are familiar: the present Capitol is in the same place as the State House of 1876, but the current building faces north instead of west; the former Victorian-style Marion Country Courthouse is in the same place as the current structure; the historic First Methodist Church (not completed until 1878) is barely visible just a block away and to the south; Waller Hall of Willamette University is in the background, to the right of the State House. At the intersection of Ferry and Commercial, the large building with dark roof is the Marion House hotel (later Chemeketa House). Diagonally across the intersection is the Holman Building that had housed the original legislature of Oregon and would now continue to serve the city with the Salem Theater. Along the river, at the slough, the Willamette Mill stands over Pringle Creek where the Boise-Cascade facility is now (2012) being demolished. A block south is the Commercial Street bridge. Counting three more blocks south, one may see an indication of the Smith House (now Smith-Fry House) at the top of the hill at Oak Street. Continuing in the same direction, the hill falls at City Line (now Mission Street) and another hill then rises to the Leslie House that would stand there for another year. Asahel Bush would remove it and begin building his own home there in the next year. On the Willamette River there is some industry and steamboats are busily chugging toward town. Notice the small area of business and the surrounding farmland. West Salem appears to be uninhabited as evergreen trees stand in the foreground.

Other Events

• General Sherman of Civil War fame visits Salem. (Sherman County was named for him in 1889.)

• The new State House is completed at the head of Willson Avenue. This second statehouse was classically inspired but it reflected a revived interest in the monumental architecture of the Italian Renaissance. This building, resembling the nation's capitol, was far larger than the previous structure. To contain all the departments of government as well as the legislature and officers of state, the building was three stories tall and shaped in the form of a cross. The long axis extended north to south the length of 264 feet. Minor arms, or projecting sections were centered on the east and, especially, the west front that was considered the ceremonial entrance. Walls were constructed of brick above the ashlar (building stone) ground story of native Oregon sandstone from the Umpqua region. Upper stories were trimmed with limestone and ultimately were given a stone gray finish. The monumental exterior stairways and porticoes would not be added until 1887-8 and the copper-clad dome completed in 1893. The cost of the building was $550,000.
• The Falk House, now a Local Landmark on Candalaria Boulevard, is built by a member of the Fabritus Smith Family. (Mr. Smith, a farmer in this area, was elected to be a state legislator this year.) In 1891 Samuel A. Clarke is noted in the Salem City Directory as residing in this location. Clarke is believed to have named his fruit farm "Candalaria", a name later given to that area of Salem. A later resident was Adam Ohmart, son-in-law of Fabritus Smith, who lived there in 1902. Long-time owners Conrad and Nellie Falk moved here before 1909; the Falks had a prune orchard on the property and continued to reside on the property through the late 1940s. The house, although much altered, still rises proudly above Commercial Street in the South Salem neighborhood.
• Seth Lewelling is best remembered for his work in developing new fruit varieties. In 1875, a planting produced a promising seedling that he named "Bing" after his faithful Chinese helper. When Bing cherries were exhibited this year at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, people at first thought, because of their size, they were crabapples. According to reports, the large Bings averaged 35 cherries to the pound and sold in the East for three cents a cherry.

Salem in 1869

World Events

• Former general, Ulysses S. Grant is elected as 18th President.
• Suez Canal opens providing a sea-level passage between the Mediterranean and Red Sea.
• In Australia, prospectors find the world's largest gold nugget, the "Welcome Stranger".
• A golden spike at Promontory, Utah connects the rails to complete our first Transcontinental Railway.
• "Black Friday", September 14, signals the beginning of the Fisk-Gould financial panic.
• The American Museum of Natural History is founded in New York.
• New American Books: Bret Harte's Outcasts of Poker Flat and Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad.

In SalemAs the world is coming closer to Salem with trans-continental rail service, the city is also moving along with its own transportation innovations. Excitement on State Street is due to organization of the volunteer Tiger Engine Company #2 at the site of the present Catlin-Lynn building. The company's log acknowledges the contribution of uniforms from local merchants and delivery of this Hunneman fire engine. Salem's volunteer firefighters had sporting competitions and tournaments among the 3 companies, but were a close-knit brotherhood. When a fellow firefighter was seriously injured at a fire, his comrades pooled their money to ease the burden of the family. When a fellow firefighter died, even due to illness, the fire hall would be draped in mourning, and firefighters would wear the badge of mourning for 30 days.

When you visit
This photograph was taken in front of the old City Hall (now demolished) after 1882 when the engine was retired. It was kept for display and can be seen by appointment at Salem Fire Station #5, 1520 Glen Creek Road NW in West Salem. (Or you can just look through the windows of this Fire Station Museum.)

Other events

• L.S. Scott was elected Mayor and served two years. During his tenure, the City Board of Aldermen authorized the first piped water system to supply the businesses and residents of what is now downtown.
• The Patton Block, soon to become the leading mercantile establishment in Salem, is erected on State Street. Thomas McFadden Patton, the builder, was a local political leader and in 1884 was appointed United States consul at Hiogo, Japan. When he returned to Salem, he concentrated on his various businesses enterprises. His obituary of 1892 concludes, "Being a shrewd businessman and cautious in his investments, success attended him and he leaves considerable property."

This photograph of the Diamond Square in Lee Mission Cemetery is used courtesy of Elisabeth Walton Potter.

• Lee Mission Cemetery is incorporated by the state of Oregon. Originally part of the Parrish land grant, its first burial had been that of Lucy Thompson Lee (1809-1842), Jason Lee's second wife who died soon after the Salem settlement. His first wife, Anna Maria Pittman Lee (1803-1838) and Rev. Lee himself (1803-1845), were reburied here in the Diamond Square. It became the burial place of many other mission members and early Salem residents. This year, Elizabeth Parrish, wife of Josiah Parrish, was buried here.  It was listed on the National Register in 1978.
• Pioneer Methodist missionary, David Leslie died. Salem's newspaper reported that his funeral service "was crowded to its utmost capacity, and the procession to the cemetery, is said to have been the largest ever seen in this city. "   Rev. Leslie had arrived in Oregon in 1837, among the first reinforcement group at Mission Bottom, the Methodist mission. He received a large tract of land (south of the present Mission Street) and built a home on the site now occupied by Bush House Museum. He been a community leader through the difficult years of mission controversies, the settlement of Salem and its acceptance as the state capital. In his personal life, he had lost his first wife and six of his seven daughters, several through tragic circumstances at early ages. He was survived by his second wife, Adelia Judson Leslie (herself a widow twice before marrying David Leslie) and by one unmarried daughter, Helen.
• The United Presbytery of Oregon establishes a Presbyterian church in Salem, meeting on the second floor of the Gill Building on State Street. Rev. Wilson, Rev. Irvin, Dr. Gray and nineteen additional members formed the congregation.
• Reed Opera House is built this year and opened in 1870. Above the retail stores, the auditorium on the second level had a seating capacity of 1,500. The Oregon State Supreme Court and the State Library were located on the top floor. The Opera House provided a stage for traveling drama companies, gubernatorial inaugurations, political meetings, community celebrations, dances and lecturers.
• Flags at the State Capital hung at half-mast and the businesses on Commercial Street were closed to honor John Webster Perit Huntingon. He had died suddenly, without revealing the location of a recent gold shipment. Huntington served as State Representative, Oregon’s fifth Superintendent of Indian Affairs, a shareholder in several silver mines, and was part owner and editor of the Oregon Statesman newspaper. His home at 738 N. Front Street was destroyed in the Columbus Day windstorm of 1962.
• William Lincoln Wade builds a residence on Liberty Street in the same block as his dry goods store, a few doors south of the Boon Store. It has been moved to John Street and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.