Streetcar in front of Reed Opera House, Salem, Oregon, 1893 [Photo: M. Kavanaugh] July 7, 2018 Episode.
Transportation is always a hot topic in communities, both in the past and currently; everyone has an opinion to share. Our guest today is Mark Kavanaugh of the Oregon Electrical Railway Historical Society whose museum is located in Powerland Heritage Park in Brooks, north of Salem. Mark, who grew up riding the streetcars in Brooklyn, New York, indicated their organization began in 1957 with the goal of preserving the history of streetcars which were beginning to disappear all over the state. Their first museum was located in the town of Glenwood, west of Portland on Highway 26. In 1995, the museum was relocated to its current location in order to provide a more appropriate preservation environment for their growing collection.
Transportation is always a hot topic in communities, both in the past and currently; everyone has an opinion to share. Our guest today is Mark Kavanaugh of the Oregon Electrical Railway Historical Society whose museum is located in Powerland Heritage Park in Brooks, north of Salem. Mark, who grew up riding the streetcars in Brooklyn, New York, indicated their organization began in 1957 with the goal of preserving the history of streetcars which were beginning to disappear all over the state. Their first museum was located in the town of Glenwood, west of Portland on Highway 26. In 1995, the museum was relocated to its current location in order to provide a more appropriate preservation environment for their growing collection.
| Mark's passion is the streetcar history of Salem, and he was very knowledgeable and eager to share this with us. He advised that such service began in 1889 with horse-drawn cars that transported folks from the downtown area (probably close to the ferry landing) out to the Southern Pacific railroad station on Twelfth Street, a distance of about one mile. Soon a line could take you to the Capitol Building, out State Street to the Oregon Penitentiary, and even to the Oregon Insane Asylum (now known as Oregon State Hospital) along Asylum Street (now Center Street)--all were located on the far outskirts of town at the time. |  Horse-drawn cars at Southern Pacific railway station, Salem, 1889 [Photo: M. Kavanaugh]  Capital City Streetcars 1 & 2, Salem, 1889 [Photo: M.Kavanaugh]  Turning from Liberty Street onto Chemeketa Street, passing A.N. Gilbert's house, Salem, 1890. [Photo: M.Kavanaugh] |
Dr. Henry Minthorn was the CEO of the streetcar company, and his young nephew, Herbert Hoover, worked for him in 1889-1891--the only known US President to have electric motorman in his resume. By 1900 electric streetcar lines criss-crossed the city, where the typical fare was five cents. Salem had the second largest streetcar system in the state, second only to Portland.
Downtown Salem - High Street in front of Courthouse, c1912, Hubbard/Oregon Electric Depot, left; Masonic/Franklin Building, right [Photo: M. Kavanaugh] Salem also had access to a robust interurban railway system. Portland's Oregon Electric Railway Company extended their lines to Salem in 1908 and south to Eugene in 1912. Salemites could board northbound or southbound trains at several times during the day or night. The trip to Portland took about 1.5 hours, and about two hours to Eugene, stopping at Albany if desired. Fare was about $1-$3 depending on distance. The depot for the railway was located in the Hubbard/Oregon Building on the corner of High and State Streets, kitty-corner from the Marion County Courthouse. If you had an early meeting in Portland and you preferred a smoother, leisurely night passage, you could board the sleeper car as early as 8:00 p.m. The train then left Salem around midnight, arriving in Portland between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. You were allowed to remain on the train until 8:00 a.m., heading off to your appointments while the train returned to Salem.
Dr. Luke Port House, 1894 [Photo: SPL Online History Coll.] The electric railway company was the sole provider of electric power for homes and businesses in Salem. Newspaper advertisements for new housing developments listed the proximity to rail lines as a desirable asset. As the lines were extended, the city grew to meet the new boundaries.
Dr. Luke A. Port, the original owner of what we now know as Deepwood House & Gardens, purposely chose the location to build his home on Mission Street near the Rail Station due to its proximity to the electric rail line. This house was one of the first houses in Salem to be fully electrified.
Dr. Luke A. Port, the original owner of what we now know as Deepwood House & Gardens, purposely chose the location to build his home on Mission Street near the Rail Station due to its proximity to the electric rail line. This house was one of the first houses in Salem to be fully electrified.
Modern Birney Safety streetcar on Commercial Street, near State Street in downtown Salem, 1927 [Photo: M.Kavanaugh] Electric streetcar service ended in Salem in 1927. To encourage ridership on the subsequent bus system, buses were fashioned after the the round-front-and-back design of streetcars. The obsolete railway tracks provided a sturdy foundation for the town's newly paved streets. Even today, Public Work projects often uncover the brick foundations and the steel tracks in the downtown core.
  July 28-29 and August 4-5, 2018 | The Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society's trolley museum, the largest in the Pacific Northwest, includes a carbarn, maintenance facilities, and an interpretive center where you can view their large collection and learn more about our early train systems. Mark operates one of their collection--typically the two-story double-decker car from Blackpole, England--on the weekends as part of their living history ride-alongs. During the Great Oregon Steam-Up, which occurs annually on the last weekend of July and the first weekend of August out at PHP, they will have their cars all decked out and offering rides on the operational units. If you've not yet visited the 52-acre complex of industrial museums that is Powerland Heritage Park, the Great Steam-up is the perfect opportunity to experience this amazing tribute to the great variety of steam-powered workhorses that shaped our western culture. |
Mark collects stories about people's experiences using the Oregon trollies. You can contact him at subwaymark@gmail.com.
For more information, check out these websites: Powerland Heritage Park
Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society: oregontrolley.com
For more information, check out these websites: Powerland Heritage Park
Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society: oregontrolley.com
~~Posted by Deb Meaghers
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