Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-26
Located in One of the Most At
tractive Valleys Of the World.
FERTILE FARMS AND GARDENS
City Named for Ancient Municipal
ity of Massachusetts, Coast.
Founded by Jason Lee.
BY WILLIAM f.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.

BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.
Special CorreApopdcnce Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
SALEM Ore, September II, 1909.
The capital OF Oregon has recently
awakened from a stupor of two genera
tons, and is becoming one of the liveli-
est towns in the state. The population of
one of the most fertile and attractive
valleys i'm the world actually diminished
in numbers for several years. while AL
the country around was booming, but now
Salem Is going ahead as fast as any place
of its size in the west. In 1890 there were
4,515 inhabitants reported by the census
enumeratOr; In 1900 the number fell Oft
to 4,25s. but everybody expects that the
total for 1910 will be not less than 10000
and 1900 Is confidently expected.
Salem Is located f1fty-two miles south
Of Portland. 1t is the county seat Of
Marion county, as we'll as the capital of
the state and for twenty miles in every
direction is surrounded by orchards, gar
dens, farms, hop fields and other sources
of wealth and profit that are not slrpass-
ed anywhere in the world, while the eli
mate comes as near pleasing everybody
as any climate could possibly do.
Willamette county, as everybody knows,
acres running $50 miles north and south,
with an average width Of about sixty
miles between the Cascade and. Coast
ranges Of mountains. 1t Is one of the
cry prospect pleases" and where very few
men are vile. Indeed. Oregon is the
Connecticut of the Pacific slope. SO far as
morality and sober habits are concerned.
and Salem has always been the head
quarters Of Methodism on this coast.
A Natural Highway.
The Willamette river runs northward
through the valley to Portland, where it
flows into the Columbia. and receives the
waters of many streams which are fed
by the melting SHOWS of the mountain
ranges on either side. 1t furnishes an
abundant supply Of pure, sparkling cold
water; 1t Is a natural highway of great
value for the lumhermen and other in
dustries; 1t can furnish power enough to
turn as many wheels as the Merrimac or
the Connecticut, and although the rain
fall Is abundant for crops and fruits of
every kind, the Willamette might be used
for irrigation II 1t were ever needed. The
climate of the valley is like that of Cali
fOrnia, the temperature never reaching
the extremes of heat or cold, apd sell
dom exceeds maximum of IS degrees In
the summer and minimum of ~ in the
winter, with a mean annual average of 81
degrees. Every hluu VI lIull UT gram III
vegetable known to the temperate zone
will reach perfection in Willamette val
ley, with minimum Of labor and maxi
mum Of profit.
The city OF Salem was founded by Jason
Lee, a Methodist missionary. away back
In 1884. He came from Connecticut, ac-
companied by Daniel Lee, his brother,
and three other laymen, bringing horses.
cattle, implements and household goods.
and originally intended to settle among
IA lott md hfYf va "a
sons selected the center Of the Villa
mette valley instead. where they founded
a mission at an Indian village called Che
mekete. name spelled in various forms,
which means Here we rest
Where They Lived and Prospered.
They built q group of houses. a mill. a
school and various other necessary struc-
lures, and the Lord prospered them. They
cultivated several hundred acres Of
ground and taught the Indians the arts
and crafts of peace, as well as the COS
pei, as expounded by John Wesley. Jason
Lee was great man-an empire builder,
a natural pioneer. full of zeal and faith
and resources; fearless and confident; ca
pable OF mastering any emergency and
shrewd enough to outwit the Evil one,
which he was frequently compelled to do
during his exciting experiences here.
The Presbyterians came into Oregon in
tCOOs lWo SCdIS dItcI 1Cc uIoNc Ills SSdAC
at Chemekete. Marcus Whitman settled
at Wallapel near where Walla Walla
now stands: William H. Gray. at Astoria:
II. II. Spaulding and other devoted men
established schools and churches else
where and 1t was the missionary influence
that kept the Pacific northwest part
Of the United States In opposition to the
fur traders. who tried to make it a part
of Great Britain.
In 1s43 a mass meeting was held at Sa-
1nvSo yu,i,in nv - IN
nexed the Pacific northwest to the United
States. There is humorous side to this
important chapter Of history, but those
contestants for an empire saw nothing
funny in it at the time. Their numbers
were small. but they had enough zeal
and determination to have moved a noun
tain, and fought for the privilege of liv
ing under the Stars and Stripes. That
mass meeting may seem insignificant and
amusing, but was as portentious in its re-
suits as the Tea Party in Boston harbor
Congress Was Generous.
In order to induce immigration Con-
gress was persuaded to pass what was
known as the donation land claim act,
giving to each married man $40 acres
and to each single person 800 acres. The
result was greater than any one expected,
for not less than 5000 immigrants, chief
ly from New England. took immediate
advantage Of the opportunity. and every
enterprising citizen of Oregon immediate
ly got married regardless Of his age OF
previous condition. Many young men
who had no other choice married Indian
maidens; others entered into agreements
with the parents OF children five. six or
ten years Of age to marry them imnledi-
ately and to live with them after they
reached womanhood. There were not
enough women to go around. but the men
wanted the wand and they got it-840
acres for themselves, 800 acres for their
wives and an equal amount for each Of
their children.
The consequences Of permitting single
family to acquire so large an area were
to retard the development of the country,
because the owners had an excessive esti-
nation Of the value Of their farms and
would not sell except at high prices,
hence newcomers went to other parts of
the valley. where they could locate home
steads or buy as much land as they
wanted at reasonable rates.
There was no transportation, except
wagons and stages, no railroads, no
steamboats,. no market for produce. and
it was useless for the residents of this
part of the valley to raise any more than
they needed for themselves. They thus
acquired easy habits and an Incidence
which. has kept back the development of
this section. Later. when steamboats, and
railroads made the valley accessible, it
took long time for the people to change
their habits. The lethargy was not
broken until recently; the large farms