Salem Pioneer Cemetery (also known as the I.O.O.F. Cemetery or Oddfellows Cemetery) is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Overview

Salem Pioneer Cemetery is one of two historic cemeteries located next to each other at the intersection of South Commercial and Hoyt streets. It is just east of

City View Cemetery City View Cemetery is a privately owned cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States that was established in 1893. Its Mount Crest Abbey Mausoleum, opened in 1914, contains the remains of eight governors of Oregon. History The cemetery was establis ...

. The earliest burials center around the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

missionary pioneer David Leslie. The

Methodist Mission The Methodist Mission was the Methodist Episcopal Church's 19th-century conversion efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Local Indigenous cultures were introduced to western culture and Christianity. Superintendent Jason Lee was the principal leader fo ...

was founded by the Reverend

Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to: Entertainment *Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American film and TV actor and former professional skateboarder *Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian American film actor * Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...

in 1834. This was the first mission to the Native Americans in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. After the end of the mission period, settlers poured into the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...

to take advantage of the land that was being granted due to the passage of the

Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, sometimes known as the Donation Land Act, was a statute enacted by the United States Congress in late 1850, intended to promote homestead settlements in the Oregon Territory. It followed the Distribution-Preem ...

, brought to Congress by early pioneer Samuel R. Thurston, Oregon's first delegate. David Leslie became Jason Lee's principal assistant. He was a leader in the movement to organize the provisional government of Oregon, and a lifelong trustee of the Methodists'

Oregon Institute The Oregon Institute was an American school located in the Willamette Valley of the Oregon Country during the 19th century. Begun in 1842, it was the first school built for European Americans west of Missouri. Founded by members of the Methodist M ...

, which was charted as

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

by the

Territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

legislature in 1854. In 1985, the City of Salem's Parks Division agreed to be titleholder and steward of the cemetery, mainly due to work done by the Friends of the Pioneer Cemetery. The Friends of the Pioneer Cemetery consists of a group of concerned citizens working together to raise awareness of the rich local history and to raise funds to supplement the limited public monies available to maintain this historic site.

Notable burials

* Captain Charles H. Bennett (1811–1855) plot #106 *

Tabitha Moffatt Brown Tabitha Moffatt Brown (May 1, 1780 – May 4, 1858) was an American pioneer colonist who traveled the Oregon Trail to the Oregon Country. There she assisted in the founding of Tualatin Academy, which would grow to become Pacific University in F ...

(1780–1858) plot #44 *

Asahel Bush Asahel Bush (June 4, 1824 – December 23, 1913) was an American newspaper publisher and businessman in Salem, Oregon. As publisher of the ''Oregon Statesman'' newspaper, he moved the paper to Salem when the territorial capital moved to that city. ...

(1824–1913) plot #66 * Stephen Fowler Chadwick (1825–1895) 5th Governor of Oregon * Governor John Pollard Gaines (1795–1857) plot #56 *

Alonzo Gesner Alonzo Gesner (March 2, 1842 – March 6, 1912) was an American land surveyor, Indian agent, and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Illinois, he immigrated as a boy to the Oregon Country with his family where he became a deputy su ...

(1842–1912) plot #549 *

Hancock Lee Jackson Hancock Lee Jackson (May 12, 1796March 19, 1876) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the List of governors of Missouri, 13th Governor of Missouri in 1857. Biography Jackson was born in Madison County, Kentucky on May 12, 1796. H ...

(1796–1876), 13th Governor of the State of Missouri * Augustus C. Kinney (1845–1908) plot #603 * Robert Crouch Kinney (1813–1875) plot #588 * David Leslie (1797–1869) plot #135 *

John McCourt John McCourt (February 26, 1874 – September 12, 1924) was an American attorney and jurist in the state of Oregon. He served as the 51st justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Prior to joining the court, McCourt had worked as United States Distric ...

(1874–1924) plot #200 * Isaac R. Moores (1796–1861) plot #9 * Isaac R. Moores, Jr. (1831–1884) plot #18 * John H. Moores (1821–1880) plot #19 * Lieutenant

Frederick Schwatka Frederick Gustavus Schwatka (29 September 1849 – 2 November 1892) was a United States Army lieutenant with degrees in medicine and law, and was a noted explorer of northern Canada and Alaska. Early life and career Schwatka was born in Galena ...

(1849–1892), plot #113 * George K. Shiel (1825–1893) plot #136 * Samuel R. Thurston (1815–1851) plot #076 * Dr. William Holden Willson (1805–1856)SPC: W.H. Willson
/ref>

References

External links

Salem Pioneer Cemetery
(official website) * {{Find a Grave cemetery 1853 establishments in Oregon Territory Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Geography of Salem, Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Salem, Oregon Protected areas of Marion County, Oregon Tourist attractions in Salem, Oregon Odd Fellows cemeteries in the United States