Bobbie the Wonder Dog put Silverton on the map

BOBBIE THE WONDER Dog, a.k.a. Silverton Bobbie, is still today Silverton’s most famous celebrity. And that’s saying something; the town has been home to some very notable personalities, including Clark Gable and political-cartoon legend Homer Davenport. This picturesque little town nestled right between the east side of the Willamette and the west flank of the Cascade foothills, about 15 miles out of Salem, has gotten a lot busier in the last decade or two as visitors to Silver Falls State Park and the Oregon Gardens have noticed its particular small-town charms. But back in 1923, it was basically a quiet little timber-and-sawmill town. A little town that was home to a dog that, when he got lost during a road trip to Indiana, somehow found his way home — 2,300 miles, in the dead of winter — on foot (or rather, on paw). (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/2406a-1101a.silverton-bobbie-the-wonder-dog-104.652.html)