A brief ride into Salem's streetcar past

Salem's heyday with streetcars was brief, but it left a lasting impression.

According to a March 28, 1951, Oregon Statesman story, Salem's streetcar history began in 1888 when a group of local businessmen gathered at Capital National Bank and decided "street railway lines are a public necessity."

The group formed Salem Street Railway Company. The first president of the business was R.J. Hendricks, who was part owner of the Oregon Statesman from 1884-1928. Another early company was the Capital City Railway Company, which focused on tying East Salem to downtown.

When Salem Street started service in 1889, it wasn't powered by electricity; it was by horse. The first trips on the track, which only was a half-mile, happened Jan. 16, according to reports.

Early cars were named after their destination, such as Depot, State House and Commercial Street, according to a SalemHistory.net story about the transportation in the city.

Future U.S. President Herbert Hoover served as a streetcar conductor in Salem about 1889-91 to help his uncle, Dr. Henry Minthorn, whose company owned the line, author Edwin D. Culp wrote.

Horse-drawn streetcar service ended in 1892.

A Capital Journal story in 1892 said a 5-mile trip from the state penitentiary to Rural Cemetery, now known as Salem Pioneer Cemetery, cost three cents.

In a couple of decades, Salem's streetcar lines criss-crossed the community. They went south to Rural Cemetery. They went east to the Oregon State Hospital and north toward the Oregon State Fairgrounds. Tracks graced many of Salem's downtown streets.

However, despite their popularity and growth, the Salem streetcar lines weren't profitable. In a 16-year period beginning in 1896, the system had four owners, including Portland General Electric, according to SalemHistory.net.

In 1913, the Portland, Eugene and Eastern Railway, a Southern Pacific company, purchased the Salem streetcar business. It was the last owner.

The streetcar lines also served as a target for Halloween pranks. In 1923, the tracks at Commercial and Wilson streets SE were greased to create headaches for the streetcar conductors, according to "Ben Maxwell's Salem, Oregon," a book edited by Scott McArthur based on Maxwell's research into the Capital Journal's past.

On Nov. 24, 1924, the Summer and 17th streets line was replaced by bus service. It was the first streetcar line in Salem that was changed.

Not all residents were happy with the switch. In 1926, Yew Park (the area south of Deepwood) residents petitioned for streetcar service to be reinstated because of inadequate bus service.

Later in 1926, the streetcar line's superintendent asked for permission to end service on the Fairgrounds-Salem Heights route, Maxwell said.

The following year marked the last run of streetcars in the capital city. On Aug. 1, the cars on Chemeketa and State streets were removed, Maxwell said.

Even though the service ended more than 80 years ago, evidence of our rail past remains. Construction projects still unearth the old rail lines in downtown Salem. A July 17, 1954, Oregon Statesman story discussed how "Salem's long gone streetcar tracks have returned from the grave to plague the city."

After streetcar service ended in Salem, the tracks were left in place and paved over. As the ties rotted, the pavement buckled, forcing the city to make repairs.

According to the story, the state highway department considered tearing up the tracks for scrap metal but decided the cost of digging up the rails and repairing the streets far outweighed the benefits.

Recently, the tracks were visible on High Street just south of State Street during paving work, giving a glimpse of a time when rail service seemed like the leading transportation option of the future.

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