A Walk in the Park

A cloudy day stroll past the Waite Fountain in Willson Park at the west end of the State Capitol grounds. The park was named for William Holden Willson who is known as the founder of Salem. According to the Salem Public Library, he filed the first plat of the city and held the original title to the land that now comprises Willamette University, the State Capitol, and downtown Salem.

The Library has some old photos of the park [here].

Columns

The remnants are on display near the east side of the State Capitol. Below is the plaque explaining their origin.

Capitol Christmas

The State Capitol has had it's halls decked out for the Christmas season.

Green and Gold on Marble

Entrance to East Wing of the State Capitol.

Tree Sitting

This is Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky. She is about 50 feet above the Capitol grounds in a tall pine. A member of the Eugene chapter of environmental group Rising Tide, she is protesting the Western Oregon Plan Revisions which would increase logging on federal Bureau of Land Management land in Oregon and hopes to sway the governor's decision. The logging plan has been presented to Gov. Kulongoski and it is being reviewed.

Breyman Fountain

The Breyman Fountain, donated by Mr. and Mrs. Werner Breyman in 1904, is located at the far west end of Willson Park, west of the Capitol. It was used as a watering trough for horses. There originally was a decorative statue and street lamps on the top. According to the Salem Public Library, the statue has been gone for many decades, but the fountain is believed to be a memorial to the Spanish-American War.

You can see a photo at the above link of the original fountain with the statue, taken in 1905 and with the old Capitol which burned in 1935 in the background.

The fountain is now used as a planter, no longer as a water trough.

Hoopla 2008

This weekend, the street in front of the Oregon State Capitol was closed off for the 10th annual Salem Hoopla. From their website, "Hoopla is not only Oregon's largest and premier 3-on-3 basketball event, we also are an event committed to bettering our community. Beyond the staging of one of Oregon's most prestigious family-friendly sporting events, Hoopla generates thousands of dollars for local charities annually. Most of these funds are given to organizations that focus on youth athletic or activity programs in the Salem-Keizer area. To date, Hoopla has generated more than $135,000 for worthy nonprofit groups."

Salem Hoopla website

And Tim King of Salem-News.com has posted a video on You-Tube, includes some good interviews.

Cherry Blossom Time

The cherry blossoms on the Capitol Mall are a sure sign of spring. It makes for an enchanted scene, but they last for such a short time. It was a sunny afternoon today, but unfortunately the weather report is for rain throughout next week.

On this day in history...

Oregon was admitted to the Union, February 14, 1859 -- 149 years ago.



One of the reliefs sculpted in marble at the main entrance of the state Capitol in Salem. This one depicts Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacagawea.

Oregon's State Capitol

The 23-foot gold-leafed statue, the “Oregon Pioneer” atop the State Capitol represents the spirit of Oregon’s early settlers. Energy generated from solar panels installed on the roof of the west wing in 2002 is used to illuminate the statue at night.