Silverton Union High School - Silvertonia Yearbook (Silverton, OR)

Page 7 text:

THE Sl LV ERTONIAU '2 Illf1IlIl'A'l'ION 'Pu Sl'l l'. B. 'l'. Y0l'l+lL, who has by his l'UllSi1lIlf oifm-ts kept. the stamlurcl of thc' school high, und uho has nssistvtl in all studvnt :wt- ivitivs, do wc- thc' UMASS of 1919 llmlivutv this Silv0:'tonin

Page 9 text:

THE Sl LVEli'l'0NIA 5 SILVERTON-PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE How many citizens and business men of this city re- member the old oak tree that used to grow on the corner of what is now First and Main streets? We venture the prediction that only a small percentage of those who take the trouble to read this article would recognize the picture on the opposite page as the main business corner of Sil- verton 30 years ago. Yet it has not been long since the tree, the corner, and the high wheeled bicycles were fa- miliar objects to everyone in this part of the country. What a change has been wrought since Silverton's only claim to fame was the Silverton band, led by Homer Dav- enport, and which numbered among its members the man who led the Third Oregon in France-4Col. John L. May. We doubt if Homer Davenport could recognize in the thriving and up-to-date city of today the sleepy village that he made famous. Instead of being remembered only as the home-town of a genius. Silverton's growing indus- tries, busy streets, and beautiful homes have given it a reputation all through the Willamette Valley such as few cities enjoy. A more prosperous city for its size would indeed be hard to find, but there are as yet too many undeveloped resources which must be developed before Silverton ap- proaches the limit of its possibilities. It is in the center of an unusually rich agricultural section which produces an abundance of fruit and vegetables. Another asset which has been almost overlooked in the past is scenery. Beautiful views can be had from almost any road leading out of Silverton. This is especially true of the canyon road. Other scenic attractions such '.s Silver Creek Falls, not far from this city, are not po- sessed by every community. When the six-year good roads program adopted by Marion county is carried out, all these points of interest will be easily accessible. But we cannot swell out our chests and heads and ad- vertise Silverton as the model city until certain public improvements have been made. A national guard com- pany must be raised before an armory is assured. Every city of this size should have a city hall or auditorium, an efficient fire department is needed, and last but not least the high school must have a gymnasium!