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Electric Railway |
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Origins of the Oregon Electric
Railway
The run from Portland to Salem, and possibly even
Eugene--and back, along the route of the new Oregon Electric
Railway, was one of the symbols of the new economic explosion
that has hit Oregon. Excitement still was in the Oregon
air from the Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland in
1905 that triggered these boom times. We hear about how
the 21st century, will be the "Century of the Pacific."
The economies of the Pacific Rim countries are booming
and Oregon is sharing in that upsurge. Learn
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Waconda, Hopmere and Quinaby
Stations
Looking ahead as we leave Concomly, we find we are
approaching Waconda, Hopmere, Quinaby and Chemawa. The
Oregon Electric decided to use famous Indian names in
locating the stations along its route. So how did Hopmere
get in there? Well, that's a story in itself, but first,
we've got to get to Waconda. You are running through some
of the richest farming land in one of the most productive
valleys in the world. By the end of the 20th century,
125 marketable crops would be grown in Marion County,
through which you are traveling. Learn
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Chemawa Station Heading
To Salem
The next station on our route is Chemawa, although
the little Oregon Electric station house is a half-mile
west of Chemawa itself. We associate Chemawa with the
Indian school which bears that name. The school was moved
to Salem from Forest Grove in the 1880s. The campus was
built on both sides of the Oregon & California Railroad
track, later to become the Southern Pacific. Learn
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Arriving at Salem
As we make our way into Salem, we discover one of
the reasons the Oregon Electric Railway was the most popular
of the interurban lines. We are paralleling Broadway street,
just a dirt road at this time. Our route will take us
to the heart of the downtown area. At the time of the
first Oregon Electric trains, all of Salem's wide downtown
streets were dirt. Actually, they were mud most of the
year, much to the discomfort of Salem ladies, who had
to lift their dresses to cross the streets, but not high
enough to display the ankles, of course. Learn
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Salem To Independence
Your route south towards Eugene takes you out of Salem
past the old paper mill, along Minto-Brown Island. The
first station, two miles along the track, is Hazelau,
now lost to history. It was named for the native German
birthplace of a nearby landowner. The name of the next
station, Croisan, is perpetuated as Croisan Creek. It
was named for John Henry Croisan who came to Oregon on
the Applegate Trail in 1846 and settled... Learn
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