Salem

Capital of Oregon, U.S., and the seat (1849) of Marion county. It lies along the Willamette River, 43 miles (69 km) southwest of Portland. Methodist missionaries, led by Jason Lee, settled the site in 1840. Its Kalapuya Indian name, Chemeketa, meaning �place of rest,� was translated into the biblical name of Salem (from Hebrew shalom, �peace�). A settlement was laid out in 1844, and home sites were sold by the