Zena, Oregon is a former community (now considered a
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
) approximately northwest of
Salem,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, in
Polk County. The community was established in 1858, originally called "Spring Valley". It was renamed "Zena" by Daniel Jackson Cooper and his brother Jacob Calvin Cooper, pioneers from
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
. In 1866, they built a store and located the post office there, renaming the community in tribute to their wives, Arvazena ''Spilman'' Cooper and Melzena ''Spilman'' Cooper, who were sisters. Zena is home to the historic
Spring Valley Presbyterian Church. The 1992 novel, ''The Road to Zena'' by
Joel Redon, is set in Zena and nearby
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln (na ...
.
Arvazena Cooper
Arvazena was born in 1846 in
Cherokee County, North Carolina
Cherokee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It borders Tennessee to its west and Georgia to its south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,774. The county seat is Murphy.
History
This area was occu ...
. She spent many years in Missouri and married Daniel Jackson Cooper in May 1861. Two years later, the family moved west and settled in Oregon's
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley ( ) is a 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, the ...
. She and her husband had 15 children born in Missouri, Oregon and on the journey to Oregon. Arvazena died in 1929 and is buried in
The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles ( ;) formally the City of the Dalles and also called Dalles City, is an inland port, the county seat of and the largest city in Wasco County, Oregon, Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 United ...
.
According to Arvazena Cooper:
Grandpa lbert Emmerson Cooperwent over into Polk County during this week and got a place to stop at from Bolivar Walker. Afterward he bought a place from Nels Walling, paying for it with his outfit he crossed the plains with. It was at a place afterwards called Zena, near a church where Grandpa preached for several years."[by Nancy Cooper Thomas, Arvazena's daughter, in an addendum to Arvazena Angeline Spillman Cooper's ''Our Journey Across the Plains''. This tells the story of the covered-wagon trip undertaken by Daniel Jackson Cooper, his wife Arvazena, their 18-month-old daughter Belle, and Daniel's father, Elbert Emmerson Cooper, across the plains from Missouri to Oregon during the "War of the Great Rebellion".]
See also
*
John Phillips House
*
List of ghost towns in Oregon
According to several historians, the United States, U.S. state of Oregon contains over 200 ghost towns. Professor and historian Stephen Arndt has counted a total of 256 ghost towns in the state, some well known, others "really obscure." The hig ...
*
Spring Valley (Oregon)
References
Further reading
*''Seven brothers and three sisters: Oregon children and descendants of Elder E.E. and Nancy Cooper''. by J C Cooper; M P Cooper. McMinnville, Or.: J.C. & M.P. Cooper, 1913
External links
Historic photographs of Zena from Salem Public LibraryGuide to the A.A. Cooper Collection at the University of Kansas
Ghost towns in Oregon
Salem, Oregon metropolitan area
Former populated places in Polk County, Oregon
1858 establishments in Oregon Territory
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