History of Salem, Oregon

Trappers and farmers established some of the earliest permanent settlements in the Willamette Valley region, nestled between the Cascade and Coast mountain ranges. The trappers arrived in the early 1800s and some remained and turned to farming. Methodist missionaries who came to minister to the Native Americans in 1834, encouraged further settlement and were the founders of Salem. Missionary leader Jason Lee and his group built a mill on the Mill Creek. In 1842, they founded the first institution of learning west of the Rockies--the Oregon Institute, which is now known as Willamette University. Salem was originally referred to as Chemeketa, a Calapooia Indian name meaning "place of rest". The missionaries, however, preferred the name "Salem", an anglicized form of the Hebrew word shalom, meaning "peace". In 1843, an overland migration arrived over the Oregon Trail to settle in the Willamette Valley. The influx of settlers traveling the Oregon Trail increased and agitation for U.S. control of Oregon resulted in the 1846 settlement between the U.S. and Great Britain. This action established the 49th parallel as the dividing line between British territory and the United States. The Territory of Oregon, with its capital at Oregon City, was recognized in 1849. When Oregon gained statehood in 1859, Salem was sanctioned as the official capital.

Oregon History

The Pacific Northwest was Indian land for more than 10,000 years before the first European explorers sailed along its coast. Sir Francis Drake touched the southern coast in 1579 on his search for a northern sea passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic. In 1788, along with others, Robert Gray, American sea captain, entered Oregon, the first white men known to do so. George Vancouver came in 1792 and that same year, Robert Gray in his ship "Columbia Rediviva", discovered the river which he named after his vessel.

Lewis and Clark led the first overland expedition to the Oregon territory in 1805-06. Their expedition gave the United States a strong claim to the Oregon Country against the claims of the British.

Oregon's settlement really began in 1811 with the founding of Astoria by John Jacob Astor's fur company. Although this enterprise was short lived, the successor British firm, the Northwest Company, and later the Hudson's Bay Company, led by Dr. John McLoughlin, was the dominate factor in the region's economy and government.

In 1834, Methodist missionaries established the first permanent American settlement in the Willamette Valley. Reports of the region's agricultural promise, new opportunities, and healthy climate began to attract interest. The first important overland migration came in 1843 when about 900 pioneers made the 2000 mile, four to six month journey along the Oregon Trail to settle in the Willamette Valley. By 1845, as many as 3000 had traversed the Oregon Trail.

To make their living most pioneers depended upon agriculture, and although many crops were tried, wheat was the staple. With the discovery of gold in California in 1848, the settlers began shipping their crops southward. The California export trade gave rise to urban rivalries in Oregon.

The United States Government created the Oregon Territory in 1849. In 1853, Oregon's present boundaries were set that separated Oregon from Washington at the Columbia River. Oregon became the nation's 33rd state on February 14, 1859.