A Weekend in Independence and Monmouth: Trolley Rides and Historic Salem

Independence, Oregon is a special place to me because my great grandmother moved there in the mid 1950’s. She landed in the area with her husband (who was twice her age) and it was in the Salem area that she raised 6 children.

My grandmother had a Christmas Tree farm west of here, that they sold in 1989. I was just four years old but I remember so many details, the oaks and Willamette river in the air.

I love coming here, to stay close to my early childhood and my family but to learn more about this little “indy” part of Oregon.

Our trip West began bright and early, heading out of the cold and damp Central Oregon Spring over Santiam Pass.

It is customary to stop at Detroit and look at the water levels, thinking always of the fires that decimated the canyon in 2020.

This year there is visible debris from fire erosion. Landslides? Hopefully the little green sprouts of vegetation will take root and anchor the hillsides before an catastrophic rain…which we always want. Nature…what will she do.

First stop, The Wooden Shoe Farm Tulip Festival. This is an Oregon classic, open to the public for over 40 years. I am a romantic for flower gardens in the Willamette Valley. It doesn’t take much to impress me….just organic color and a dirty walk.

I didn’t think I would make it out this year, or I would have worn a dress…but sometimes casual is the vibe. I really love to see people dressed up though, and out together admiring flowers and not minding the rain.

Oregonians are so cool, we have the best backdrops too.

On to Independence, Oregon to stay at one of my favorite hotels in the whole state: The Independence.

I was first introduced to this hotel in 2022 when I was invited as part of a media tour for Polk County. In all my travels since, I prefer to hide out in this particular suite…

Where to begin. Right here on the patio that over looks the Willamette river and a very special Osprey nest. There is a mated pair here and they have their own youtube livestream.

So that shows you, it’s a gorgeous place to be.

There is a bedroom, fireplace, living room, soaking tub, river rock shower, full size fridge.

All of the little details that I love like lots of places to plug in, multi types of lighting options, quality products.

I can settle down here, that is key.

This is a gorgeous hotel, I do like to hide out here. The bathroom floors are heated. I really can check in and not leave…..

In the morning, adventure calls. Another perk is the breakfast spread, which is quite generous. I am in love with their atrium dining area, early in the morning. We sat there and drank coffee and watched the birds for an hour. Such a peaceful way to ease into the day.

Oh, I should mention we actually started our morning on the rooftop….which is also a sitting area. It’s geat at sunrise and sunset. The osprey get up early too.

Off we go to ride the Independence- Monmouth Trolley. I have been wanting to highlight this new public transit option since it’s opening in 2022!

These low emission style busses run up to 14 hours a day and are free to ride. What a great community asset, that is super easy to use and fun to ride.

The trolley circles from Independence (you can get on right by The Independence Hotel) to Monmouth and Western University.

This Trolley line mimics one that ran in 1890 between the two towns, though that was a much more difficult ride. This option gives free transportation to students and residents and is worth the trip to ride for fun!

Lots of cute shops and restaurants are on the trolley line, which runs up to 14 hours a day.

Western University features an art gallery you can visit in Campbell Hall called The Cannon Gallery of Arts. This building dates to 1898 and is the oldest public building in Oregon!

Back in Independence you can visit The Independence Heritage Museum. This is a small, community-built museum that traces the town’s roots from Oregon Trail settlement through its peak as the early 1900s “Hop Capital of the World”!

With exhibits on the Kalapuya, river life along the Willamette, and the agricultural cycles that shaped the valley; housed today in a repurposed historic building.

Independence itself is adorable. I love every visit and I feel that in the last four years, it has blossomed even more.

My husband is particularly fond of a visit to Gilgamesh Brewing; with it’s dapple light open air dining hall. Reminiscent of Bavarian beer halls, shaded in hops climbing the walls.

I love Second Chance Books because we all need….a second, third time figure it out. Besides, books smell good and I have great admiration for anyone who would KEEP all of these, knowing where they go and what they mean and are worth…. that’s a lot of brain power.

Oh, and Brew Coffeeshop and Taphouse is not too bad either….they have an outside seating area which is really cute, and ice cream.

Having explored Monmouth and Independence and knowing I was only an hour away I did what I usually do….and dashed to the coast. I can’t help myself.

I also wanted to show Dave another stop from the media tour in 2022, Salt Creek Cider House.

I really liked their little spot on the way to the coast. You can sit outside or in, next to a pond, overlooking a green orchard. It’s peaceful, it’s serene…..

We only went as far as Roads End, to see the ends of the Earth and stare into the Pacific. Writing this now, I miss it already. An hour is never enough.

I wanted only to prove my point, The Independence Hotel is really quite close to a lot of things. You can zip all around Salem and into the wine country to Dundee.

You can zip up to Portland or The Woodburn Outlets or run to the coast for an afternoon. I’m not sure how we made it, but we left as the sun was hanging low and made it back to the rooftop as it was just dunking below the coast range.

a private rooftop sunset (minus the osprey, who were bedding down).

epic.

Morning light was even more sweet. I love watching the river change colors as well as the sky. The patio is pretty magical, overlooking the greenspace. In fact, little river snails had climbed all the way onto our deck and we found a robins eggshell. Nature, part of the view.

The hot tub is by reservation, so sign me up. I think The Indy is the most chill hotel, which is a great compliment.

Well, onto something that is not so chill but part of why I was in Salem. To visit The Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health.

This one is part of my greater work to understand my own mental health journey but to stand as an advocate for others and break the stigma of “crazy”.

Long story short, I have my own diagnosis and time in the psych ward. The very first thing I did as I drove myself home from the hospital was take a detour to Barnes and Noble to buy ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest’. I’d read it in high school but this time, I knew I needed to write my own version….

(and I have…but that comes later)

I kept notes on my time “in” and also documented my recovery and share that on my socials and podcast.

I feel this visit in my bones.

The museum traces over a century of mental health care, showing how diagnoses and treatments have evolved from early asylum practices to modern approaches, with artifacts, photographs, and a large timeline that reflects shifting medical beliefs and social attitudes toward mental illness.

I have personal feeling about each part of the institution, my own great grandfather came here in the 1960’s for electroshock therapy. I’m lucky to have survived my own ordeal and to have any sort of credibility or career, a decade ago I’d have been silenced successfully.

And so, I prefer to keep to facts with a lengthy dissertation on my podcast to come.

Between the late 1800s and the 1970s, patients who died at Oregon State Hospital were often cremated if no family claimed their bodies, and their ashes were stored in small copper canisters, many labeled only with a name or a number. For decades, more than 3,000 of these cremains sat largely forgotten in hospital storage spaces.

So many without a voice.

That’s why I use mine.

Other points to note, One Flew Over The Cukoo’s Nest was filmed here and so there are props and pieces from the film displayed as well. It’s the best and most lighthearted part of the museum.

BECAUSE HUMOR IS HOW WE CAN TELL THIS STORY.

Oh, and wilderness therapy for mental health. I can dig it.

From The State Hospital to The State Capitol, we continue our tour of things to do in Salem, Oregon. The capitol is open most weekdays from 8-5 and if you call ahead, you may be able to get a guided tour.

I was lucky enough to be invited to visit during the restoration in 2023. I toured the capitol and Oregon’s Surpeme Court Building, which has served as Oregon’s highest court since 1914.

Moving onto more whimsical things to do: The Enchanted Forest is also nearby and an Oregon Cult Classic!

Hand built, opening in 1971 it is a story book world with castles, a haunted house, water log ride, and games. There is really nothing like it, perfect for little ones but worth a wander at any age.

To visit the Enchanted Forest, head just south of Salem off I-5 (exit 248), where the park operates seasonally, typically from spring through early fall, with daily summer hours and more limited spring/fall schedules, so it’s worth checking ahead before you go; tickets are purchased on-site at the entrance, parking is free, and most of the park is walkable with a mix of paths, stairs, and small hills.

Other things to do near the Independence Hotel include exploring the secret parts of Oregon Wine Country. Lost Coast Estate Winery is just around the corner from Independence and a stunning property.

They are a family owned estate set in an oak savannah, where you can have wood fired pizza and walk hiking trails through the property.

The land here is so fruitful because of an ancient event called the Missoula floods which caused rich sediment to flood this part of the valley.

The giant rock in my pictures is from that flood, it marks where the good grapes grow!

Over in Falls City I forged my own Wild Oregon Girl knife with Vonhelmick Knife Co. I can’t gush enough about this experience, I keep the knife next to my computer. I’m staring at it as I type, it’s been my companion for four years now.

This was a fun, honorable experience, because legends aren’t born they are forged….

I recommend reaching out and seeing what sort of knife making day YOU can have! Maybe you need your own cleaver.

Staying at The Independence Hotel puts you right along the Great Oaks Food Trail, an easy loop through farms, wineries, and local producers just outside Independence. It is self guided but pretty awesome.

One of the most unique stops is Wings and A Prayer Alpacas, a small family-run farm that began when the owners left their careers to raise alpacas and build a life around the land.

You can stop in by apportionment and take a walk with the alpacas, which is very therapeutic. They also have a gift shop with the softest socks in Oregon!

I could go on and on about all of the great things to do while staying at the Independence, I feel like the valley so easily rolls on and on into more and more incredible things.

Connecting to our food sources and Oregon history, understanding agriculture and the roads that have lead us to where we are now. Another wonderful roadtrip…..until next time, stay Independent!