[3] An inscription on the upper back part of the fountain reads: "PRESENTED TO THE CITY OF SALEM OREGON / BY / BREYMAN BROTHERS / 1904".

[4][5] The fountain was donated to the city of Salem by the family of businessman Werner Breyman in 1904,[4][6] and installed near Cottage Street as a memorial to pioneers.

[2] In the late 1930s, a statue installed atop the fountain was put into storage and went missing.

[4][5] In the 1950s, a sculpture of an eagle replaced the doughboy statue, and flowers grew where horses once drank.

According to family members, the sculptures adorning the fountain were melted and used as scrap metal during World War II.