Oregon Motor Stages Company Employees

The Oregon Motor Stages Company took over the franchise to run city buses in the city of Salem in 1931 and would operate until being bought out by the City Transit Lines in 1948.  During this time Pryor Robertson, a former street car operator worked for the company.  In 1940, during Salem’s celebration of its Centennial, a series of portraits of drivers and mechanics for the company were taken.  Many of the employees were sporting Salem Centennial garb like ties, buttons and whiskers, which were usually prohibited by company policy.  An exception was made for those “Whiskerinos” men who were growing facial hair (beards, goatees and sideburns) to approximate an imagined ideal of what hairstyles were like in the 1840s.  These portraits were pasted into a page of the Robertson family album until they were donated to the museum in 1995.  While several individuals were identified, many more are not.  Do you recognize anybody?  Leave a comment (with the number of the photo) below!

For more information on the Oregon Motor Stages, Whiskerinos and the Salem Centennial see this article.

Known Employees of the Oregon Motor Stages

Thanks to some good sleuthing by genealogist, historian and research Christy Van Heukelem and some social columns in the newspaper about OMS employee get get-togethers, we’ve been compiling a list of employees of the company.

Primary Documents

Notice. Capital Journal Newspaper. 15 May 1935 pg 7

Employees of the Oregon Motor Stages and their wives entertained with an informal card party at Cold Springs park Saturday night.  A late supper was served.   

Present were Mr. and Mrs. Robert Barnett of Corvallis, Mr. and Mrs. A.M. Cummings of Silverton, and from Salem were Mr. and Mrs. Riley Robertson, and Mr. and Mrs. P. R. Robertson, Mr. and Mrs. Homer Haneson*, Mr. and Mrs. William Allen and daughter, Louise.  Mr. and Mrs. Charles Brock, George P. Elliott, Mr. and Mrs. Art Eld, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Eld, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Dick, Mr. and Mrs. J. Rubies, Mr. and Mrs. V. L. Seamster, Mr. and Mrs. George Walker and daughter Eula, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Walker, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Kelley, Leland Franklin, Mrs. Frank Ertler, W.L. Elliot, Miss Veroka Elliott, Paul Baker and their hosts Mr. and Mrs. George McGurer. 

*Think this is probably a misspelling of Homer Harrison

Bus Drivers Win Awards. Oregon Statesman (Newspaper).  31 March 1945 pg 10

Twelve Bus Drivers of Oregon Motor Stages who have made safety records in the last year received awards in a ceremony Friday night at the Marion hotel.  The awards were made by Mayor I.M. Doughton. Arrangements for the ceremony were made by Ira T. Butterworth, safety supervisor for the company.  Those receiving the awards were:

Henry Eld with seven years’ service without a chargeable accident; Virgil Seamster, six years; Riley Robertson, five years; James Storer, four years; Pryor Robertson and C.W. Brock, three years each; Orville Hale, Marion Sullivan, Edward Dolan and Raymond Salter, two years each; F.M. Stewart and Clarence B. Costa, one year each.

That safety is a major item in the operation of bus service in Salem is indicated further by the fact that the 25 Oregon Motor Stages drivers in Salem won the state plaque for the best record last year, and are now in second place in the national contest sponsored by the National Safety Council.  The contest ends the last of June. Mr. Butterworth said the three top cities of comparable size, including Salem, are in very close competition for the national honor.  Maryo Doughton praised the drivers warmly for their record in Salem.

Photograph.  Capital Journal Newspaper. 28 Jun 1950 pg 17