Advertisement. Oregon Magazine. December 1924. WHC Collections 2008.038.0048b

Salem Gets Stage Terminal

The bold headline read on August 7, 1921 in the Oregon Statesman.  Official intercity bus travel had arrived in the capital city.  A three story annex was being built adjacent to the Oddfellows Hall/Grand Theater building at the southwest corner of Court and High Streets. The new building would be designed to complement the original lodge building that had been finished in 1900. In addition to lodge quarters on the 3rd floor and a hotel on the 2nd, the first floor would be leased to house “the most complete stage terminals in the state.”

J.E. Lewis and L.R. Applegate of Seattle, leased the building from which to run their Central Stage Terminal and Hotel Company. Buses would unload on a covered and paved area in the alley way so as not to disrupt traffic on High Street.  In addition to ticket office and a waiting room for passengers, the new facility had a news stand, beauty parlor, cleaning and pressing parlor, billiard parlor, barbershop, shoe shine parlor, ice cream parlor, lunch counter and restroom.

Control of the company was sold by Lewis and Applegate to W.W. Chadwick in 1923.

Even though the proprietors held a 10 year lease, the stage terminal  was soon supplanted and transferred across the intersection to the northeast corner of High and Court Street to the newly built Hotel Senator.  An announcement in the Oregon Statesman on 08 Jan 1928 reads: “All Stages Now Leaving — from Terminal Hotel will leave from new Stage Depot at hotel Senator beginning today, Saturday morning.”

The hotel remained, however, changing the name from Terminal Hotel to the Grand Hotel.

Sources:

“Salem Gets Stage Terminal” Oregon Statesman 07 Aug 1921 pg 1.

“Company’s Articles are Filed with County Clerk.” Oregon Statesman. 15 Oct 1921 pg 2

“Concessions are Awarded by new State Terminal.” Oregon Statesman 18 Dec 1921

“40 Years Ago.” Oregon Statesman 01 Feb 1963 pg 4

“Salem’s New Auto Stage Terminal.” Oregon Statesman 17 Feb 1922 pg 24 **good image and advertisements”

“All Stages Now Leaving.” Oregon Statesman 08 Jan 1928 pg 15.

“The New Hotel Senator and Stage Depot.” Capital Journal 28 Jan 1928 pg 6.