Salem: Oregon’s Capital City

The City of Salem dates its founding from the establishment in 1841 of Jason Lee’s movement of the Methodist Mission near to the upriver site of the village of Chemeketa, occupied by Kalapuya peoples. The original name Chemeketa was used for about a year before the township was renamed Salem.

Due to flooding in the original location, Lee moved the headquarters of the Oregon Mission south upriver to the confluence of Chemeketa Creek and the Willamette River (an area just north of what is today downtown Salem.) Chemeketa Creek was later renamed Mill Creek due to the saw and grist mills built there by the missionaries. The first building built was the saw mill, which produced the materials from local timbers to build the Jason Lee House, the Grist mill (connected to the same paddle wheel as the saw mill), and the new Oregon Institute for the education of Native children.

Discouraged in their endeavors to educate and convert the few natives, the missionaries turned their efforts toward laying out a town site and selling lots to finance the Oregon Institute, later to become Willamette University, the first university in the West.

The platting of the new town, originally called Chemeketa and later Salem, both meaning “place of peace,” was completed in 1847. Although designated the territorial capital in 1851, Salem would not become the official capital of Oregon until 1855, after some squabbles with Marysville (now Corvallis.)

Salem grew slowly during the nineteenth century and the community was best described as small town. A stone capitol building was constructed in 1876, with other state and county buildings following. The city became the hub of state government, mid-valley commerce, and a center of education.

The twentieth century brought more growth. Today, Salem is designated as one of the most populated cities in Oregon.

Researched and written by Paul Porter and Susan Gibby.

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This article originally appeared on the original Salem Online History site and has not been updated since 2006.