Pratum, Oregon

Pratum is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It is located northeast of Salem on Howell Prairie near the Pudding River. Pratum is Latin for "meadow".[2] The community was settled in the late 19th century by a group of Mennonites, many of them of Swiss extraction.[3][4] A branch of the narrow-gauge Oregonian Railway was built through the area in about 1880, and the station there was called "East Side Junction".[2] The railway was eventually converted to standard gauge, and is still in use today by the Willamette Valley Railway. In 1895, the station was renamed "Enger" by a Mr. Larson, who opened the first store there. "Enger" was confused with Eugene, however, and the name of the station changed to "Pratum" in 1898.[2] Pratum post office was established in 1887, and was originally called "Switzerland", then "Enger" and finally "Pratum" in 1898, matching the railroad station.[2] The post office ran until 1964.[2] Pratum Elementary School, was built in 1928 and is part of the Silver Falls School District, and is still operating.[5]

The community is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.