Pratum is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It is located northeast of

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

Howell Prairie Howell Prairie is an area west of Silverton, Oregon, United States, between the Little Pudding River and the Pudding River. It was named for John Howell, a pioneer of 1843. Howell Prairie post office was established in 1876 and closed in 1881. ...

near the

Pudding River The Pudding River is a tributary of the Molalla River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Its drainage basin covers . Among its tributaries are Silver Creek, Butte Creek, Abiqua Creek, and the Little Pudding River. Historically, the Pudding Rive ...

. ''Pratum'' is Latin for "meadow". The community was settled in the late 19th century by a group of Mennonites, many of them of

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

extraction. A branch of the narrow-gauge

Oregonian Railway The Oregonian Railway was a narrow gauge railroad in the Willamette Valley in the U.S. state of Oregon. History A group of Scot capitalists formed the Oregonian Railway Company, Limited after purchasing the bankrupt Dayton, Sheridan and Grande R ...

was built through the area in about 1880, and the station there was called "East Side Junction". The railway was eventually converted to standard gauge, and is still in use today by the Willamette Valley Railway. In 1895, the station was renamed "Enger" by a Mr. Larson, who opened the first store there. "Enger" was confused with

Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

, however, and the name of the station changed to "Pratum" in 1898. Pratum post office was established in 1887, and was originally called "Switzerland", then "Enger" and finally "Pratum" in 1898, matching the railroad station. The post office ran until 1964. Pratum School, built in 1928 and part of the

Silver Falls School District Silver Falls School District is a school district in the U.S. State of Oregon that serves the communities of Scotts Mills and Silverton in Marion County and Clackamas County, as well as the surrounding foothills along Silver Creek and the Abiq ...

, is still operating.Silverton Chamber of Commerce
The community is part of the

Metropolitan Statistical Area. PratumElev

References

External links

*
Pratum Elementary SchoolHistoric images of Pratum from Salem Public Library

dead link?--> {{Authority control Salem, Oregon metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Marion County, Oregon 1887 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1887 Unincorporated communities in Oregon