Today we are leaving the desert behind, and trading it for the amazing greenery of Western Oregon in the city of Salem.
People have been living in the area of Salem for quite a long time, long before it was ever called Salem, or any of the many other names it has been called over it’s history. The original inhabitants of the area were the Kalapuya people. There were many groups of people who fall under this banner, mostly because they spoke some dialect of the kalapuya language. Their descendants still live in Western Oregon today. They called the place Chimikiti, which I am told means resting place.
Later settlers came in the fo
rm of trappers who traveled from the coastal region in Astoria Oregon, and others who made their way along what would become the Oregon trail. As the trail taken was expanded and further developed, it became passable by wagons. The Oregon trail was born, and larger numbers of people began moving into the area.
In 1840 a Methodist mission put down roots and named the place Chemeketa, something I suspect they borrowed from the natives already calling it this. It was also about this time that our current city of Salem was being called the Mill. There may have been a mill here at that time, but it was apparently called this because of its proximity to Mill Creek.
Also in 1840, the Methodists started the Oregon Institute, which is today called Willamette University. Establishing the institute led to the place being called “The Institute”. In 1844 the mission was dissolved. I don’t know if they continued their missionary work, had converted everyone they could, or simply gave up on the area, but the town was formally established.
A few short years later the place being called Salem, the Institute, Chemeketa and so on, became the capital of the new Oregon territory. I guess it was time to settle on a name. Several of the cities founders, including W.H. Wilson who we will be paying a visit to later, wanted to give it a biblical name. Someone apparently suggested using the last part of the word Jerusalem, and it stuck.
Salem is still the capital of the state, and so it is home to the Capitol building. The grounds around the capitol are very park like. There are brave squirrels that live here, brave enough that they actually jumped on my shoes. The capitol grounds have a lot to see, including beautiful plants and flowers, sculpture, and more.
Also on the capitol grounds are some memorials for fallen heroes. There are so many names, it is a reminder that the life we live came at a great cost.
Oregon is home to many artists, and those who appreciate the work of artists. The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is a great place to appreciate amazing works of art here in Salem. There is a lot here from near and far. The section displaying Native American art is a favorite of mine. There are some truly amazing works in here. The display of arctic images is also amazing.
I also enjoyed having a look at some art from the days of antiquity from around the world. Some of it even sort of reminded me of home.
Earlier we mentioned visiting W.H. Wilson, one of the founders of Salem. I wish he were able to have a conversation with us about what it was like back then, but if that happened then I think this would be a very different kind of blog. He is buried in the pioneer cemetery along with many of the city’s oldest residents. His grave is easy enough to find, right between two roads.
I have to say this is a city that has done a lot to preserve its past, and in this case to keep it alive. The Willamette Heritage Center has a fully preserved textile mill, and much more. It was originally water powered, and you can see the shoots where they would divert the water from the river to power the machinery.
The place is amazingly well preserved, as if the workers just left everything and went home one day. Today there are barriers to keep visitors from getting caught in the machinery, but I imagine it was quite hazardous work back in the day.
There is a lot to see inside the mill building, including an exhibit on music from the area. It seems you can learn a lot about textile manufacturing here. I have even heard that they have enthusiasts who actually make fabrics at the mill today.
Downstairs there is even more to see, and a lot of information about each of the stations.
If you remember all the way back to the beginning of the post, Salem started off as a Methodist mission. Many of the buildings that were part of that early settlement are preserved here to see. I wasn’t sure what a parsonage was before visiting. Apparently it is just a house provided for a member of the clergy. The Jason Lee House, also on site, is the oldest standing frame structure in the entire Pacific Northwest. In addition to the two houses, they also have the old church house as well.
The next stop took us a bit out of town, but it's well worth seeing. I am of course talking about the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. This place is massive, and features some pretty incredible air and spacecraft. I was barely inside, but was already amazed by being so close to all these military jets.
The A-10 is like a flying tank. It’s not really fast, but it makes up for that in toughness.
The A-10 was slow, this one is the opposite. Apparently this crazy looking airplane can travel at speeds over mach 3. I guess that’s one way to avoid trouble, just run faster than the bad guys. It looks so futuristic, its hard to believe they were making them in the 1960s.
They have some great mockups of the lunar surface on display. The space suits look a bit wilted when they aren’t pressurized or in a vacuum, but its still pretty amazing. They also have an Apollo space capsule on display. It’s hard to imagine three people fitting inside. I guess leg room was a bit of a luxury that couldn’t be afforded.
There are a lot of rockets at Evergreen. Some big, some small, some for peaceful purposes, and others a bit more menacing. Here is a bit of the menacing side I mentioned. I feel as if I have entered a scene from the end of the world here. They seem to have recreated the launch room for an ICBM. East and West got their start from captured German WWII tech and scientists. Their creation, the V2 is also on display to see.
The missiles have me thinking of the cold war, and sure enough there is a piece of the Berlin Wall to go along with the theme. It reminds me that there is hope for humanity after all.
The first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, rode there in a pods called the Vostok 1. The museum actually has a vostok pod on display to see. It isn’t the one Yuri flew in, but its amazing to see just the same.
Outside in the heat there are more jets to see, like a Mig 29. There is also an F-14 Tomcat for all the Top Gun fans. The F-14 has variable wing sweep technology. Both jets look pretty high tech, but the F-14s have been retired from service for quite a while.
The last stop in Salem was the Riverfront City Park. If you just want a walk through a beautifully sculpted park, you’re covered. They also have plenty to offer families with small children, like a splash pad in the summer.
Apparently this used to be an industrial site. It was redeveloped as part of an urban renewal project. They did a very good job, it is hard to imagine this as an industrial site.
I hope you enjoyed the visit to Salem Oregon. This is a beautiful part of the world, and the people here have done so much to preserve their history for future generations to see. See you next time.
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