From 1906: Boise

Taken from the address "Earliest of the Pioneers"[1] given by the Hon. Reuben P. Boise:

"He died at his work for Oregon in another distant State and was buried there, far away from the fields of his labors, and now, when the members of this church, which he founded, who with grateful hearts revere his sacred memory, have returned his remains to this scene of his active life, we with reverent hands commit his ashes to final sepulture beneath the green sod of Oregon in the beautiful cemetery which bears his name, to rest beside his family and coworkers in the mission, where the spreading oak casts its grateful shade and the snow-capped mountains look down in wild and solemn grandeur."

Source: Salem (Oregon) Public Library Historic Photograph Collections

The above photograph is taken in the 1890s at 960 Broadway St., Salem. Reuben Boise is seen here with his second wife on the left and one of his daughters on the right. They stand in front of the former home of Jason Lee, the first house built in Salem. Several years after Jason Lee passed away the house became the homestead of a successful farm just north of modern downtown Salem. In 1870 Boise purchased it, but over time he sold the land into plots and divided it into subdivisions. He was still living there when he died in 1907. Reuben Boise was, among many achievements, one of the compilers of the first book of laws governing the territory of Oregon[2].


1. Lee, Jason. "Memorial Services at Re-internment of Remains of Rev. Jason Lee." Salem: Salem Public Library, 1906; pg. 38.

2. Judicial History of Oregon