Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-03-24
RIVER BANK NEVER
OWNED BY SALEM
Now Has Chance To Acquire
Two Blocks From Court
Street North.

lamette river and while the river is ye
offering lower freight transportation
charges, the city of Salem has never
owned not even one foot of river front
age, excepting where Trade street i;
plated to the river bank.
And even this river frontage On Trade
street is not available to any extent,
from the fact that since Front street
was graded and paved and raised to a
the river bank to Front street has been
too steep for general merchandise pur-
lposes.
Even in the days before railroads, the
city fathers Of Salem were not inter-
ested in owning docking privileges and
even when the original city of Salem
was plotted, none of the lots run to the
river bank. The ferries of the Olden
davs and all dock have been owned by
lprivate parties or companies.
Own Bank for First Time
And now for the first time in its his
tory, the city of Salem is given an op-
portunity to own at least two block of
its river bank running from Court to
Center streets, or perhaps half & block
north, midway between the Polk and
Marion county bridge and the South
ern Pacific bridge.
Tht chance for the city to have pos
session and ownership of the river bank
comes from the fact that the Spaulding
Logging company offers to give the city
this two and half blocks of river
frontage in exchange for the foot of
Trade street, which is now only used
as dumping ground, and the streets
and alleys at the foot of State street
which have been used by the logging
company for the past generation.
When the city was laid out in the
early '50's, certain blocks were laid out
between Front street and the river, and
there was then laid out Water street,
30 feet wide. But even with street.
of this width, there was still left several
feet of river bank.
Made Transfers.
Hence when transfers were made Of
the blocks between Front and Water
strets, there was still left the river
frontage, which was of course includ-
ed in the original land claim and pat.
ent of William II. Wilson and his wife,
Chloe A. Wilson. In the original city
charts, Water street begins about where
the present warehouse Of the old Oregon
City Transportation company is located
and extends north until it is intersected
by the river.
The first deed Of record in which note
ls made OF the river bank is dated Dec.
ll.1s57, wherein Chloe A. Wilson deed
ed to Il. M. Barnum all the river bank
extending directly west from the south |
side of State street if extended across
to the west side of Water street, north
along the bank until Water street runs
into the river
In this first deed, the description is
as follows: Commencing 80 feet west
of the northwest corner of block GA, |
running thence on a continuation of the
north line Of said block to the william
cite river; thence down said river to |
the point where line bounding Water
street in said city on the west drawn
through the point of beginning inter
sects said river, thence with the west
boundary of said street to the place of |
beginning, containing one acre more or
less. " The consideration was $780,
Sold and Resold.
And from this first deed by Chloe A.
Wilson to the river bank, this land
has changed hands a dozen or two times.
A year or two later the river bank from
the foot of Court street north was sold
to j. W. Brown for SGUU Mr.. Brown
sold the same to Harrison Smith and in
1874 he sold it to j. N. Matheny and
J. G. Wright. and the value was just
The same, 5000.
Later the Salem Ferry company was
and Il onethird interest of
tic river bank north from the foot of
Court street was purchased from j. n.
Matheny, z. l.. Willis and R. P. Boise.
A few years later, some lots bordering
along the river bank were of so little
value that they were sold for taxes.
The river bank continued to eat into
what was left until on Nov. %, 1905,
$. c, Cross and Thomas Holman, who
happened to own the bank north of the
foot Of Court street at that time, deed.
Cd it to the Spaulding Logging com
pany.
In the early days of the city. the
river bank extended west of Water
street from close to Trade street north
to even beyond the Southern Pacific
bridge. AS time passed the river wore
away the bank and now what is termed
.hc point where the west line of Water
street intcrsects the river is just about
At the big bridge or just midway be.
tween the bridge and the Southern Pa.
cifie railroad.