Salem Began Here
Salem Began Here is a historic site in Oregon, at a modelled elevation of 46 m. Mount Sykes stands 614 m to the west-southwest, 24 miles off. The nearest named place is North Mall Heritage Park, a park 0.3 miles away. Silver Falls passes 7.4 miles off.
Sign marking the location where in 1840 Jason Lee and his mission dammed Mill Creek below this bridge
How to reach it
- 7.4 mi off the Silver Falls
Overlooks nearby
- North Falls Viewpoint · 20 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Chapman Hill: 2.0 mi
- Grice Hill: 3.0 mi
- Wallace Hill: 3.1 mi
- Illahe Hill: 4.8 mi
- Zosel Hill: 5.0 mi
- North Mall Heritage Park: 0.3 mi
- Marion Square Park: 0.3 mi
- Grant School Park: 0.4 mi
- Union Street Railroad Bridge: 0.4 mi
- Waldo Park: 0.4 mi
- A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village: 0.5 mi
- Hallie Ford Art Museum: 0.7 mi
- Willamette Heritage Center: 1.0 mi
- Bush House Museum: 1.2 mi
- Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health: 1.6 mi
- The Blessed Virgin Mary: 0.5 mi
- Memorial for the Unborn: 0.5 mi
- Tom McCall (Governor of Oregon): 0.6 mi
- Breyman Brothers Fountain: 0.6 mi
- A Parade of Animals: 0.6 mi
- Audubon Riparian Reserve: 0.9 mi
- Minto Island Conservation Area: 1.4 mi
- Salem Audubon Nature Reserve: 1.7 mi
- Minto-Brown Island Park: 2.1 mi
- Claggett Creek Natural Area: 2.4 mi
- Oregon World War II Memorial: 0.6 mi
- Capitol Mall Parking Structure: 0.6 mi
- Moon Tree: 0.6 mi
- E. M. Waite Memorial Fountain: 0.6 mi
- Fallen Trooper Memorial: 0.6 mi
- Salem Riverfront Carousel: 0.7 mi
- Blue Car Wreck: 3.2 mi
- Steam Sawmill: 7.7 mi
- Aldersgate Camps and Retreats: 8.5 mi
- Mushroom House: 17.9 mi
- Lower South Falls: 18.7 mi
- Echo Creek Falls: 18.8 mi
- Frenchie Falls: 18.9 mi
- South Falls: 18.9 mi
- Lower North Falls: 19.3 mi
- Japanese Garden: 0.7 mi
- Isaac's Garden: 0.8 mi
- Martha Springer Botanical Garden: 0.9 mi
- Rhododendron Hillside: 1.5 mi
- Ellen Lane Community Garden: 3.5 mi
- Eola: 4.3 mi
- Zena: 6.3 mi
- Waconda: 9.2 mi
- Bethel: 9.8 mi
- Buena Vista: 13.6 mi
- Mission Lake Day-Use Area A: 9.2 mi
- Mission Lake Day-Use Area B: 9.3 mi
- Filbert Grove Day-Use Area: 9.4 mi
- Number 2: 12.8 mi
- Turner Lake Beach Area: 7.4 mi
- San Salvador Beach: 19.0 mi
- Santiam River Rest Area: 14.4 mi
- The Cliff: 15.8 mi
- Giesy Spring: 22.7 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 24.3 miles of Salem Began Here. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Sykes | WSW 253° | 614 m | 23.7 mi |
| Mount Brown | W 260° | 591 m | 22.4 mi |
| Forest Peak | SW 217° | 572 m | 23.2 mi |
| High Hill | ENE 78° | 568 m | 23.4 mi |
| McCully Mountain | ESE 123° | 513 m | 24.0 mi |
| Blacktail | ESE 115° | 491 m | 19.2 mi |
| Silverton Hills | E 90° | 461 m | 17.2 mi |
| Rogers Mountain | SE 141° | 439 m | 24.1 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:16 | 18:46 | 19:25 |
| June solstice | 05:26 | 20:18 | 21:03 |
| September equinox | 07:00 | 18:33 | 19:11 |
| December solstice | 07:48 | 15:45 | 16:34 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 42 | 44 | 48 | 51 | 58 | 63 | 69 | 69 | 64 | 54 | 46 | 41 |
| Precip in | 6.1 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 5.9 | 7.0 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Salem AP (mcnary Field), 3 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap element node/11128980592
Day trips start here
Take the scenic way to Salem Began Here.
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