St. Paul, Oregon
Encyclopedia
St. Paul is a city in Marion County
, Oregon
, United States
. It is named after the Saint Paul Mission founded by Archbishop François Norbert Blanchet, who arrived in the Oregon Territory
in 1838 to minister to the Catholic inhabitants of French Prairie
. The population was 354 at the 2000 census. The city is part of the Salem
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
French Prairie settlers built a log church
near this locale in 1836. On January 6, 1839, Father (later Archbishop) Blanchet celebrated the first Catholic mass in Oregon at St. Paul, when he blessed the log church and dedicated it to St. Paul
.
St. Paul Roman Catholic Church was built in 1846 and is the oldest brick building in the Pacific Northwest
.
St. Paul post office was established in 1874. The city was incorporated in 1901.
veteran buried in Oregon
. He had arrived in Oregon in 1811 as part of John Jacob Astor
's American Fur Company
. His is the only grave marked with an upright headstone
in the cemetery. Only one other grave is marked; the rest of the grave markers were mistakenly bulldozed in the 1930s.
Along with Cannon, 535 other early settlers and Native Americans
are buried in the pioneer cemetery, including Étienne Lucier
, known as "The Father of Oregon Agriculture", and François Rivet and Philippe Degre who claimed to be members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
. Rivet had accompanied the expedition as far as Fort Mandan
, and Degre attached himself in to the company while they wintered there in 1804–1805.
A wall of remembrance in the cemetery was dedicated in 2005, with members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
as honored guests. Early French Canadian
settlers often married women from the local tribes, which included the Clackamas, Molala
and Kalapuya.
Archbishop Blanchet was originally buried in the pioneer cemetery, but his remains were later moved to St. Paul Catholic Cemetery a few blocks away. The new cemetery was founded in 1875 and includes a "Nuns Corner", where several sisters who had originally been buried in a corner of the convent garden were reinterred. Early settler and provisional legislator William J. Bailey is also buried at the new cemetery.
, the city has a total area of 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), all of it land.
The city is near Mission Creek, a tributary of Champoeg Creek
, which flows into the Willamette River
.
of 2000, there were 354 people, 123 households, and 90 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,231.4 people per square mile (471.3/km²). There were 128 housing units at an average density of 445.2 per square mile (170.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.25% White, 0.28% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 18.08% from other races
, and 2.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.71% of the population.
There were 123 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.5% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 110.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,750, and the median income for a family was $55,000. Males had a median income of $39,583 versus $25,357 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $19,144. About 3.8% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
since 1935. It is one of the 20 largest rodeos in the U.S. and was voted by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
as the finest rodeo in the Pacific Northwest
in 1991.
(NRHP) in 1982 as the St. Paul Historic District. The district includes 63 contributing properties, with St. Paul Catholic Church, which is also individually listed on the NRHP, as the centerpiece.
through 6
, and St. Paul Middle & High School
serves grades 7
through 12
. St. Paul Parochial School, a private Pre-K through eighth grade
parish school, was founded in 1844 by six Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
as Sainte Marie de Willamette. The sisters ran the school until 1853. In 1861, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
took over the school and ran it through the 1980s. From 1993-2000, the school was served by the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon
.
Marion County, Oregon
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg, a meeting place on the Willamette River. On September 3, 1849, the territorial legislature renamed it in honor of Francis Marion, a Continental Army general of the...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is named after the Saint Paul Mission founded by Archbishop François Norbert Blanchet, who arrived in the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
in 1838 to minister to the Catholic inhabitants of French Prairie
French Prairie
French Prairie is a prairie located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, in the Willamette Valley between the Willamette River and the Pudding River, north of Salem...
. The population was 354 at the 2000 census. The city is part of the Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
near this locale in 1836. On January 6, 1839, Father (later Archbishop) Blanchet celebrated the first Catholic mass in Oregon at St. Paul, when he blessed the log church and dedicated it to St. Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
.
St. Paul Roman Catholic Church was built in 1846 and is the oldest brick building in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
.
St. Paul post office was established in 1874. The city was incorporated in 1901.
Pioneer cemetery
St. Paul Pioneer Cemetery, founded in 1839, is the burial location for William Cannon, the only authenticated Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
veteran buried in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He had arrived in Oregon in 1811 as part of John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
's American Fur Company
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...
. His is the only grave marked with an upright headstone
Headstone
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. In most cases they have the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death inscribed on them, along with a personal message, or prayer.- Use :...
in the cemetery. Only one other grave is marked; the rest of the grave markers were mistakenly bulldozed in the 1930s.
Along with Cannon, 535 other early settlers and Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
are buried in the pioneer cemetery, including Étienne Lucier
Étienne Lucier
Étienne Lucier was a fur trader in what is now the Pacific Northwest. At the time it was called the Oregon Country and claimed by the United States and called the Columbia District as claimed by Great Britain. He was one of two French Canadians to vote for the creation of a government for that...
, known as "The Father of Oregon Agriculture", and François Rivet and Philippe Degre who claimed to be members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
. Rivet had accompanied the expedition as far as Fort Mandan
Fort Mandan
Fort Mandan was the name of the encampment at which the Lewis and Clark Expedition wintered in 1804-1805. The encampment was located on the Missouri River approximately twelve miles from Washburn, North Dakota, though the precise location is not known for certain and may be under the nearby...
, and Degre attached himself in to the company while they wintered there in 1804–1805.
A wall of remembrance in the cemetery was dedicated in 2005, with members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon consists of twenty-seven Native American tribes with long historical ties to present-day Western Oregon between the western boundary of the Oregon Coast and the eastern boundary of the Cascade Range, and the northern boundary of...
as honored guests. Early French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
settlers often married women from the local tribes, which included the Clackamas, Molala
Molala
The Molala were a people of the Plateau culture area in central Oregon, United States. Some consider them extinct, though they are one of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, with 141 of the 882 members in the 1950s claiming Molala descent.-Language:The Molalla language...
and Kalapuya.
Archbishop Blanchet was originally buried in the pioneer cemetery, but his remains were later moved to St. Paul Catholic Cemetery a few blocks away. The new cemetery was founded in 1875 and includes a "Nuns Corner", where several sisters who had originally been buried in a corner of the convent garden were reinterred. Early settler and provisional legislator William J. Bailey is also buried at the new cemetery.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), all of it land.
The city is near Mission Creek, a tributary of Champoeg Creek
Champoeg Creek
Champoeg Creek is a tributary, roughly long, of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The creek is formed by the confluence of its two forks in the French Prairie region of the Willamette Valley and flows generally northeast to meet the Willamette from the river's confluence with the...
, which flows into the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 354 people, 123 households, and 90 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,231.4 people per square mile (471.3/km²). There were 128 housing units at an average density of 445.2 per square mile (170.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.25% White, 0.28% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 18.08% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.71% of the population.
There were 123 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.5% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 110.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,750, and the median income for a family was $55,000. Males had a median income of $39,583 versus $25,357 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $19,144. About 3.8% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Annual cultural events
The St. Paul Rodeo has been held every 4th of JulyIndependence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
since 1935. It is one of the 20 largest rodeos in the U.S. and was voted by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is an organization whose members compete in rodeos throughout North America, primarily in the United States. The PRCA sanctions rodeo venues and events through the PRCA Circuit System. Its championship event is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo...
as the finest rodeo in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
in 1991.
Museums and other points of interest
The center of St. Paul was listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP) in 1982 as the St. Paul Historic District. The district includes 63 contributing properties, with St. Paul Catholic Church, which is also individually listed on the NRHP, as the centerpiece.
Education
Public education in St. Paul is provided by the two-school St. Paul School District. St. Paul Elementary School serves grades Pre-KPre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...
through 6
Sixth grade
Sixth grade is a year of education in the United States and some other nations. The sixth grade is the sixth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 11 – 12 years old...
, and St. Paul Middle & High School
St. Paul High School (Oregon)
St. Paul High School is a public high school in St. Paul, Oregon, United States.-Academics:In 2008, 83% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma. Of 18 students, 15 graduated and 3 dropped out....
serves grades 7
Seventh grade
Seventh grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The seventh grade is the seventh school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 12–13 years old. Traditionally, seventh grade was the next-to-last year of elementary school...
through 12
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
. St. Paul Parochial School, a private Pre-K through eighth grade
Eighth grade
Eighth grade is a year of education in the United States, Canada, Australia and other nations. Students are usually 13 - 14 years old. The eighth grade is typically the final grade before high school, and the ninth grade of public and private education, following kindergarten and subsequent grades...
parish school, was founded in 1844 by six Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is the name of a Roman Catholic order of religious sisters, dedicated to providing education to the poor.The order was founded in Amiens in 1803, but the opposition of the local bishop to missions outside his diocese led to the moving of headquarters to then...
as Sainte Marie de Willamette. The sisters ran the school until 1853. In 1861, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary is a teaching order founded at Longueuil, Québec, Canada in 1843 by Blessed Mother Marie-Rose for the Christian education of young girls.Their motto is: "Jésus et Marie, Ma Force et Ma Gloire" .Since 1843, the...
took over the school and ran it through the 1980s. From 1993-2000, the school was served by the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon
Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon
The Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon are a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1886 in the U.S. state of Oregon. Their convent is located in Beaverton...
.
Notable people
- Herman PilletteHerman PilletteHerman Polycarp Pillette , nicknamed "Old Folks", was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played four seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers . Born in St...
(1896–1960), baseball player
External links
- Entry for St. Paul in the Oregon Blue BookOregon Blue BookThe Oregon Blue Book is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon copyrighted by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. As Governor Ted Kulongoski notes in his introduction for the 2005–2006 edition, it "provides...
- Historic images of St. Paul from Salem Public Library Historic Photograph Collections
- Images of St. Paul from University of OregonUniversity of Oregon-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
Libraries Digital Collections