Minto Park Sherry's Shack

History of Minto-Brown Island Park

In 1970, the City of Salem acquired the 308-acre Minto Island site located 2 1/2 miles from the City center. A Land and Water grant, Willamette Greenway funds, and a donation by the Schindler Brothers left only a small portion of the purchase price to be paid by the City. A year later, Marion County acquired a 525-acre site contiguous to Minto Island that brought the total park area to 833 acres. The site is bounded by the Willamette River on the northwest, Salem Golf Course on the south, River Road on the southeast, and Boise Cascade aeration ponds to the northeast. 

In 1857, Isaac "Whiskey" Brown made his way up the Columbia and Willamette Rivers from Astoria and established his home on an island which became known as Brown's Island. Here, the colorful and untidy Brown raised livestock, farm produce and tobacco. Ten years later, John Minto purchased 247 acres on another island which was to be named after him. At that time, the island was covered with dense brush and flood debris, which he subsequently cleared, turning the land into productive farm land. 

Today, the islands aren't true islands due to periodic flooding which has changed the channel of the Willamette River. The greatest flood ever recorded occurred in December, 1861. Previous to this flood, the Willamette River flowed between the two islands, so that Minto Island was on the east bank and Brown Island was on the west bank of the river. 

After the flood subsided it was discovered that the river had changed its course to the present location. The 1964 flood was almost as great as the one 100 years previous, and many structures were destroyed at this time. Periodic flooding of the Minto-Brown Island area has allowed the site to survive to this day as a low density agricultural area.

Sherry's Shack

This is probably, in the paranormal investigation field, the most known location within the park, although we have found that there have been other locations where crimes have happened. 

It's part of Minto-Brown Park, but is called Sherry's Shack due to the alleged murder that happened there, by a serial killer that is incarcerated for multiple killings in that area.

Sherry Eyerly

On July 4th, 1982 18 year old Sherry Eyerly was at work delivering pizza; and got a call to a fictitious address near Brown Island Road. Her car was found still running with the parking break on; three pizzas were scattered on the ground, and Sherry was never seen alive again.

Sherry was considered a missing person for many years, until William Scott Smith confessed to her murder in 2007, and said that he dumped her body in the Pudding River. However, her body has never been found!

Legend has it around Salem, that Sherry's ghost haunts Minto Brown Park, specifically "the shack," a cement building that is closed off. The reason that locals believe the shack is haunted is because some believe that Sherry's killer actually either murdered her here, or buried her body here. If you go across the cement trail and a little ways down the trail from this cache, you will see the shack.

SALEM, Ore. - A 25-year-old Salem mystery over the disappearance of a young pizza-delivery woman ended Tuesday with the plea of a convicted murderer.

William Scott Smith entered a guilty plea in a hearing surrounded by law enforcement officials and attended by the family of victim Sherry Eyerly.

She vanished on July 4, 1982, while delivering three large Domino's pizzas. The 18-year-old's car was found with the engine running near the address of the order - less than an hour after she left. The three pizzas were on the ground near her car.

Volunteers searched for days but she never turned up.

To crack the case so many years later, investigators in a cold case unit re-examined evidence and confronted Smith in prison, where he confessed.

Detectives said Smith and an accomplice planned to kidnap Eyerly and hold her for ransom.

"One of the facts that never came out publicly ... is that the next day after the abduction there was actually a ransom call that went into Domino's," said Don Abar of the Marion County District Attorney's Office.

Investigators suspected Smith because he was a serial killer.

He is already serving two life sentences for the sex slayings of two other young Salem women in separate attacks in 1984. Both were dumped in Salem near the Pudding River. Smith reportedly told police he also hid Eyerly's body in the same area.

Authorities said Tuesday that searches of the area didn't turn up anything - likely because of significant flooding over the past 25 years. Eyerly's body has never been found.

As part of the plea deal, a third life sentence will be tacked on to the two Smith is already serving.