Salem

Long before the city of Salem got its name, the lush valley was a favorite winter camping location for the Kalapuya tribe. Jason Lee first ventured to Oregon in 1834, at the invitation of Northwest tribes, creating a mission and a settlement here. Native Americans called it Chemeketa. William H. Willson, who laid out the city plan in 1851, called it Salem. Both words mean peace. Salem's central location, in the middle of the Willamette Valley's agricultural belt, made it an ideal location f...