Syracuse was a historic community in
Linn County,
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
, United States. It was located along the Santiam River, about two miles west of
Jefferson. Syracuse was the first pioneer settlement in Linn County, predating
Albany.
The area's original inhabitants were the
Santiam people
Santiam people are an indigenous people of the Northwest Plateau, living in Oregon.[" ...]
of the
Kalapuya
The Kalapuya are a Native American people, which had eight independent groups speaking three mutually intelligible dialects. The Kalapuya tribes' traditional homelands were the Willamette Valley of present-day western Oregon in the United Sta ...
tribe.
Some of the last remaining Santiam people in the area were forced to move to the
Grand Ronde Reservation
The Grand Ronde Community is an Indian reservation located on several non-contiguous sections of land in southwestern Yamhill County and northwestern Polk County, Oregon, United States, about east of Lincoln City, near the community of Grand ...
in 1906.
[
Syracuse was founded by ]Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...
native Milton Hale, a pioneer who came to the Oregon Country
Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, c ...
on the Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...
from Burlington, Iowa
Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000 United States ...
in 1845.[ He established a ferry on the ]Santiam River
The Santiam River is a tributary of the Willamette River, about long, in western Oregon in the United States. Through its two principal tributaries, the North Santiam and the South Santiam rivers, it drains a large area of the Cascade Range ...
downstream from what is now Jefferson.[ Hale's Ferry became an important crossing point for the expansion of Oregon Trail settlers into Linn and ]Lane
In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads ( highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in eac ...
counties.[ The town of Syracuse was on his ]land claim
A land claim is defined as "the pursuit of recognized territorial ownership by a group or individual". The phrase is usually only used with respect to disputed or unresolved land claims. Some types of land claims include aboriginal land claims, ...
on the south bank of the river.[ Syracuse post office was established in 1850, with ]Jacob S. Conser
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Isla ...
as the first postmaster.[ In 1852, the post office moved, and the name was changed to Santiam City, a rival city founded by Samuel S. Miller on the north bank of the river in Marion County.][ Syracuse and Santiam City eventually lost business to Jefferson, which was founded by Jacob Conser.][ Santiam City post office was moved and renamed Jefferson in 1861.][
Both Syracuse and Santiam City across the river were washed out by the ]Great Flood of 1862
The Great Flood of 1862 was the largest flood in the recorded history of Oregon, Nevada, and California, occurring from December 1861 to January 1862. It was preceded by weeks of continuous rains and snows in the very high elevations that began in ...
and never rebuilt.[
]
Polk County
There was also a Syracuse post office in Polk County near Falls City from 1885 to 1889.[
]
See also
*Historic ferries in Oregon Historic ferries in Oregon are water transport ferries that operated in Oregon Country, Oregon Territory, and the state of Oregon, United States. These ferries allowed people to cross bodies of water, mainly rivers such as the Willamette in the ...
Further reading
*
*
References
External links
Historic image of former Syracuse post office in Polk County
from Salem Public Library
Former populated places in Oregon
Former populated places in Linn County, Oregon
{{LinnCountyOR-geo-stub