Salem Government #1C: The Circuit Rider Statue

The Circuit Rider on September 4, 2006

The Circuit Rider statue is located on the east side of the Oregon State Capitol. The bronze statue by A. Phimister Proctor depicts one of Oregon's pioneer circuit-riding Methodist ministers and commemorates "the labors and achievements of the ministers of the Gospel, who as circuit riders became the friends, counselors and evengels to the pioneers on every American frontier."

The Circuit Rider on September 4, 2006

The statue was cast by the Roman Bronze Works in New York. It was presented to the state of Oregon in 1924 "in reverent and grateful remembrance of Robert Booth, pioneer minister of the Oregon Country - by his son, Robert A. Booth." The three and one half ton statue was knocked off its pedestal by the winds of the 1962 Columbus Day Storm.

The Circuit Rider on September 4, 2006

Historical Photos:
Circuit Rider Statue, 1924-1935 (Oregon State Library)
Circuit Rider Statue, 1924-1935 (Salem Public Library)
Statue after 1962 Columbus Day storm (Salem Public Library)

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