Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-06-21
OREGON'S CAPITAL CITY.
Salem, the Hub of the Rich
Willamette Valley.
PHENOMENAL GROWTH THE PAST YEAR.
The Best City OH the Pacific
Coast TO Live and DO
Well.
PHENOMENAL GROWTH THE PAST YEAR.

ulation, ranking next to Portland.
It's location Is particularly favorable
for the Up-building OF great com
mercial center, and outside Of the
prestige naturally attaching to Sa
lem as Oregon's capital, the great
wealth of the city from business
standpoint has accorded it a recog-
milton all over the coast as one OF
the most prominent centers Of Ore
gon or Washington.
The city lies on the east bank Of
the Willamette river, in the very
heart ofa rich valley Of the sam,
name. 1t takes one trip alone
through this garden spot Of the
coast to convince the visitor of the
immense possibilities Of the country
Immediately tributary to Salem. 1t
is not improbable that the VILLAIN
cite valley, taken as II whole, is ca
pable Of supporting more people to
the square mile than any other por
ton of the United States of equal
area, and it is in the very richest
portion of this valley that Salem Is
located. Thus the hub of this rich
and extensive country, more de.
tailed mention of whose resources
will br made later on, is Salem.
In laying out the city the townsite
projectors Of what is now Oregou's
capital tanned well. The streets
are wide, the average width Of the
main throughfares being 100 feet,
while the principal blocks are $50
feet square, Early in the history Of
the place the town people adopted
the wise policy of planting shade
trees, and these taking firm root in
the soil, and growing ms such trees
do only in the Willamette valley,
Salem is now one Of the best shaded
cities on the coast. Sidewalks lead
everywhere, the streets are kept well
watered i'm summer and good
system Of paving allows these streets
TO be kept in perfect condition dur
ing the entire year.
In addition to being the capital of
the state, Salem is the seat of Marion
county. One of the objects in Salem
to which every citizens points with
pride is the county court house.
This is conceded to be the handsom-
est piece of public architecture in the
state. The cost ofthe building as it
stands to-day was upwards of $780,
600. Salem has public buildings
everywhere. Salem has the state
capital, the city has the state asylum,
the penitentiary, the Willamette
university, the buildings of which
are all fine structures in themselves,
and all n source of no little revenue
to the trade of the place.
Salem was first established rs n
mission OF the NJ ethodist church in
1910. Its early history is replete
with interesting and pathetic anec-
dotes, and many were The struggles
gone through here by the sturdy
pioneer who paved the way for a
later generation. Salem early be-
came an important trading point in
the valley, and long before the COM
pletlon of the railroad through
Western Oregon it was one OF the
leading towns of the state. During
the past two years the growth of
Salem has been phenomenal, rs evi'
dence the fact that while the present
population of Salem is in the neigh
borhood of 10000, 5000 of this
number represent the actual growth
of the past year. While the public
spirit of Salem's citizens has had
much to do with this large increase
in population, II has been rendered
possible by the growth of the sur
rounding country, aud by the ad-
vent of important manufacturing
industries In her midst. 1t Is the
boast of Salem that her growth has
been on most substantial footing,
and that there has never been the
least tendency in the place to inila-
tion of real estate values, so often
attending the rapid growth of other
trade centers.
The Willamette valley proper is
about sixty miles wide, extending
from the Coast range on the west
To the foot hills of the Cascades on
the east, and is measured in length
by the distance covered by the
Willamette river, about 1870 miles,
This river has many tributaries,
about forty smaller streams pouring
their waters into the Willamette
from the junction of the two main
forks TO its mouth. Ii is this perfect
watering Of almost every part of the
| Willamette valley which has had so
much TO do with its productiveness
aud II Is these numerous streams
which afford such excellent trans
portation facilities TO the people of
this part Of the state To the markets
of the coast,
Included in the Willamette valley
are upwards Of 5,OO0,OO0 acres o
land. This consists of great stretch
es Of most beautiful prairie land
interspersed with abundant forest
Of hue timber. IL Is distinctivel.
an agricultural country. Will
wheat growing has thus far engrose
the attention Of the farmers OF th
valley la this section of the stat,