Oregon State Capitol Tour Tower, Oregon Pioneer and Capitol Grounds
Tour and Images Main Page | Oregon's Capitol | Entrances | Rotunda | | Senate and House Chambers | | Governor's Suite | Galleria (First Floor) | | Tower, Oregon Pioneer and Capitol Grounds |

Tower and Oregon Pioneer

The Oregon Pioneer statue that tops the building is another work by Ulric Ellerhusen. This heroic figure represents the spirit of Oregon's early settlers.

Cast in bronze and finished in gold leaf, it weighs 8.5 tons and is hollow inside. The base of the 23-foot high statue is 140 feet above the ground. The statue is reached by 121 steps spiraling up into the tower from the fourth floor of the building out onto a deck providing a spectacular view of Salem.

Capitol Grounds
Designated as the State Capitol State Park in 2007, the grounds surrounding the Capitol feature ornamental and native trees and shrubs.

The east side of the Capitol is the setting of three statues representing major forces in Oregon history: The Circuit Rider by A. Phimister Proctor is symbolic of the many missionaries who came to Oregon; Gifford Proctor sculpted both Reverend Jason Lee, and Dr. John McLoughlin. Lee, a minister, played a major role in the American colonization of Oregon.

Lee was also the founder of Oregon's oldest university, Willamette University located south of the Capitol. McLoughlin was the chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company and was the first man to govern the Oregon territory, although he held no official title.

Also located in the Capitol Park are fragments of Corinthian columns salvaged from the Capitol destroyed by fire in 1935.

Willson Park, to the west, was a city park from 1853 until 1965 when it officially became part of the Capitol grounds. It is the setting for the Walk of the Flags, Waite Fountain, Parade of Animals sculpture, a Liberty Bell replica, and a gazebo constructed in 1982.

Dedicated in 2005, the Walk of the Flags features state flags for all 50 of the United States.