Salem Heritage Network (SHINE)

SHINE on Salem

2011-12-30T15:07:00.000-08:00

The 1913 railroad bridge across the Willamette River was restored for pedestrian use in 2009.

Salem's history began with an 1840 Methodist missionary settlement on Mill Creek. An interpretive plaque on Broadway Street, north of the creek, tells the story. Two years later, a school was built nearby: it became Willamette University. But it was a few blocks to the west, on the shores of the Willamette River, that the village grew. A ferry crossing was at the street that still bears the name. That intersection at Commercial Street was the location of the Territorial and then the 1959 State of Oregon government offices before the town of 1129 residents gained a charter as a city in 1860.

This website outlines the story of the city of Salem from that date.

Th read about any event or year, use the white box in the upper left corner of this page to search. Write in the name and click the spyglass symbol to the right. This is an index, so you may see several references before you scroll down to the information you want. Like searching in an encyclopedia, you may be distracted by the variety of information! If you want to browse, the most recent past year is below, the earlier years following in sequence.

At the end of each article, there is an opportunity to comment. We welcome suggestions and corrections. Anonymous entries will not be published as we can not reply to that viewer.

Thank you for reading SHINE in the Statesman Journal. We are indebted to the managing editor, Bill Church, and his staff, especially Michelle Maxwell, for introducing SHINE to so many viewers. The online issue you read here offers additional photographs and references to other articles on the Salemhistory website.

While you are here, take any of our six historic walking tours listed on the right column of this page. Created in 2008, we try to update them as historic structures and the cityscape change.

We hope you enjoy our "armchair" journeys through these years of Salem history.

Salem in 2011

2011-12-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

World Events

Osama Bin Laden dies in a raid by Navy Seals on his Pakistani hideout.
Japan suffered a 9.0 earthquake that caused a devastating tsunami and nuclear emergency.
Use of social media triggered an "Arab Spring" of popular revolution in against dictators Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Syria.
Global fiscal crisis hits European union, political stand-offs in US Congress and "Occupy" movements protesting Wall Street practices across America.
Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, meeting with constituents, survives a gunman who kills 6 others, wounds 13.
US combat troops leave Iraq after 8 years, but Security Contractors will remain in Baghdad.

In Salem

A 2011 Welcome Information Center at the Liberty and Court Street intersection in our historic downtown.

Our downtown streets are blooming with attractive information signage thanks to a Preserve America grant, a federal initiative that encourages community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural heritage. Four Preserve America Presidential Awards are given annually to organizations, businesses, and government entities for exemplary accomplishments in sustainable use and preservation of cultural or natural heritage assets.
It is no surprise that Hazel Patton was the leader in promoting local interest in this program: she is well known for her many successful historic preservation efforts in Salem. The eight Welcome Information Centers you now see in downtown Salem (like one above on Liberty Street) are among the benefits of our participation this program.
Mrs. Patton's original 2007 suggestion resulted in a four-person committee composed of Hazel, Kuri Gill, Julie Osborne and Virginia Green to write an application for Salem's designation as a Preserve America Community. City Council approved the application in December of 2007 with the designation awarded by Laura Bush on June 1, 2008, and accepted by Darlene Hooley on the city's behalf. A grant to the Community Development Department was awarded in the amount $142,731 ($70,000 grant funds, the balance a City match).
The first stakeholder meeting, led by that department's Director, Vicki Hardin Woods, was in held in January 2009 with the following projects completed by the year of 2011:
A Downtown Historic Marker Program to promote preservation and increase citizen awareness of the assets in the downtown historic district; a unique historical downtown logo which appears on the thirty-three historic markers installed on historic buildings in our downtown district; designing a downtown walking tour booklet printed in both English and Spanish (the first Spanish language historically focused walking tour in the state), along with creation of a new website, the "Salem Heritage Portal", that allows residents and tourists to explore downtown Salem online.
Since there were additional funds available, the City of Salem was also able to complete the following projects: (1) Replace a historic marker memorializing Salem's old city hall; (2) Replace two historic markers on the recently renovated Union Street Pedestrian Bridge; (3) Install an interpretive panel in the Salem Convention Center describing the significance of the key intersection of Commercial and Ferry Streets; (4) Translation and printing of our downtown walking tour into Spanish; and the installation of way-finding signs. These signs are of two designs (created by Rick Yurk of BAM): eight Welcome Information Centers (similar to the one pictured above) and 46 colorful directional posts as seen below.

(This photograph used by courtesy of Ron Cooper)

We are indebted to the staffs of the Community Development Department, the Urban Development Department, and the Urban Renewal Agency Board as well as the many other professional and volunteer members of the Task Force who made this concept a beautiful and useful reality.

Our special thanks to Debra Meaghers and Courtney Knox for their help in compiling this entry. Additional photographs of Preserve America projects by Todd Klocke.

When You Visit

The eight Welcome Information Centers are found in the following intersections: Front and Court Streets, Ferry and Liberty Streets, Liberty and Court Streets, Chemeketa and Liberty Streets, Marion and High Streets, State and High Streets, Trade and Church Streets and at Church and Center Streets. Each has a map on one side and information about that location's historic significance on the other.
The 46 Way-Finding Directional Posts are located in a wider area, bounded on the north by the newly revitalized Broadway District at Market Street, to the south to Bush Park,
from the east by the Willamette Heritage Center on 12th Street, and on west to Riverfront Park on Front Street.

Other Local Events

The Salem-Keizer School Board names the new West Salem middle school for former Gov. Bob Straub and the adjoining elementary school (both on former Straub family property) for the Kalapuya tribes. This is the first school named in honor of a native culture.
February 11th Wallace P. Carson, the third generation of his family in Salem, is honored as the 61st Citizen of the Year. Judge Carson was Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court for 14 years.
Truitt Brothers announces that the long-established cannery will lay off about 100 employees in their front Street packing plant this year.
In April, the City Council approved a deal with SeaPort airlines to provide commuter air service to Portland, Seattle and Newport. (The service was ended after only 2 months.)
Yoshikai Elementary School librarian Kristen Truman is named Oregon School Librarian of the Year. (Along with other local school librarians, she lost her position in September.)
The City Council voted to pay the owner of the Willamette Queen sternwheeler $250,000 up give up use of the Willamette Slough. This August agreement will enable the city to construct a footbridge over the slough connecting Riverfront Park to Minto Brown Park.
In October the Occupy Salem movement, part of the national protest that claims our political process favors the wealthy over the average American, camps in Willson Park for two nights until forced to leave.
The names of four contenders to make Courthouse Square repairs are made public by Marion County commissioners.
The renovation of the Boise Cascade property has proceeded to a point where Pringle Creek, flowing into the Willamette River, is almost completely "daylighted". Plans for a trail from the Civic Center, under the Commercial Street bridge to Riverfront Park are being formulated.
Rich Harcourt, President of Oregon Artists Series Foundation, leads in creating Sculpture Now, a program of Oregon Artist's Series 5th Annual Exhibit. Opening in the Salem Conference Center Plaza in September, it features five city-owned sculptures, plus seven others by artists throughout the Northwest.
The City Council accepts the recommendation of the Historic Landmarks Commission to designate the Stirniman house on Myers Street South as a Local Landmark.

Local Events photographs taken in December by Thomas N. Green, Jr.

Salem in 2010

2011-01-01T08:18:00.001-08:00

World Events

Natural disasters: Earthquake in Haiti, floods in Pakistan, Chilean miners rescued after 69 days trapped in tunnel collapse, December snow storms disrupt holiday air travel.
Deepwater Horizon oil rig explodes causing massive environmental and economic losses in Gulf of Mexico and adjoining southern states.
Health Care reform passes in Congress.
November Congressional elections give Republicans majority in House of representatives, Lame Duck session boosts President Obama's agenda with compromise tax-cut extensions, repeal of DADT in military, arms control treaty with Russia, medical care for 9/11 rescue workers and a food safety bill.
Technology: iPad introduced, popular Facebook inspires a movie, Twitter & YouTube redefine social communication and influence US elections.

In Salem

Courthouse Square, occupying an entire block of downtown Salem for the last ten years, has been the subject of both pride and debate: it provided a convenient hub for Sale-Keizer bus users and an office building for Marion County (across High Street from the courthouse itself). But leaking windows and uneven floors inside, along with paving irregularities in bus lanes caused increasing concern. In July, employees heard an internal explosion that engineers determined was probably the rupture of a steel cable within a concrete slab. Further investigations led to the entire area being evaluated as too dangerous for occupancy and so was evacuated . The $34 million facility is empty, enclosed by a chain-link fence. The construction responsibility and future for the property is at present undetermined. A nearby, temporary transit hub is being used and county offices have been relocated.

When You Visit

Residents acquainted with the history of downtown remember this as the site of the Senator Hotel, conveniently located across High Street from the former city hall. The photograph above is taken here. A closer view shows the early excavations in the bus lanes.
A walk following the fence around the property might begin south of this location on High Street where the you see the five-story office building behind the clock. Cross the street to see public art work has been placed in front of this Marion County Business Services Building. Turning onto Court Street, you pass the Chinese restaurant which was forced to close. Next you see the doors of the Marion County/Transit District office entrance. Looking back to the west, you see the historic Grand Theater. Turning north at Church Street you will see the office building on the left and pass the central structure which continues through the parking bays from the clock tower on High Street. As you complete the walk on Chemeketa Street, signs are posted to prohibit crossing the fence.
The loss of the property for public and county use has had a negative effect on more than the one business that was on the site itself. However, the reclamation of Courthouse Square, if indeed possible, seems to be uncertain ~ and certainly in an unknown future.

Other Local Events

Anna Peterson was chosen as next mayor after a congenial and dignified campaign was conducted by her and rival candidate Chuck Bennett. Bennett will remain on City Council.
National television zoomed in on our Oregon School for the Deaf as "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" rebuilt a boys' dormitory and the boosted school revenue with a new facility for their Haunted House site for Halloween events
Yes, Trader Joe is coming to Salem ~ a building formerly occupied by Albertson Grocery on South Commercial is being refitted for a summer 2011 opening.
Local supporters of the Oregon Ducks celebrated a winning season and a possible college football championship.
Marion County Courthouse was the scene of two trials for murder after a failed bombing of a Woodburn bank caused the death of two police officers. The jury voted death as penalties for Bruce and Joshua Turnidge.
The economic downturn effects downtown housing: many new condos remain vacant. Plans for development of Boise property also stalls.
After a tenure of 12 years, Willamette University President Lee Pelton accepts an offer at Boston's Emerson College.
Salem Art Association charges admission for the July Art Fair at Bush's Pasture Park.
Former Governor Kitzhaber is re-elected.
Mexico extradites Salem fugitive accused in the 2009 murder of 21 year old Montez Bailey in Northgate Park.
The year ends with a 9 p.m. celebration and lighted "ball drop" for hundreds of visitors to the A. C. Gilbert Discovery Village.

Salem in 2009

2010-08-16T07:01:00.001-07:00

World events

Hamas rocket attacks on Southern Israel answered with air strikes in 22 days of war.
North Korea conducts a second successful nuclear test; war in Gaza.
US Jobless rate hits 10.2 % despite stimulus measures.
Congress wrestles with health-care reform.
Sonia Sotomayer becomes first Hispanic justice on Supreme Court.

In Salem
After an intensive local campaign, 20 months and three competitive phases, the Salvation Army was awarded a portion of the Ray and Joan Kroc fortune to build and operate a Kroc Center in Salem. The Kroc grant provided nearly $35 million for construction and the same amount for an operating endowment, but the Salvation Army asked Salem residents to kick in $8 million, a royal sum in the city of about 154,500, without many deep pockets. They charged into fund raising. More than 1,700 donors pitched in, from kids who held penny drives, to foundations and individuals such as Gerry Frank who gave $1 million to help pay for the center's aquatics center. In all, residents raised more than $10 million. The center is faith-based and no tax dollars were used.

When you visit
The Kroc Center is within the circle of Bill Frey Drive and can be reached by car from Portland Road or Industrial Drive. There are bus lines that accommodate the site. The doors are open to visitors seven days a week and receptionists will supply information about recreational programs, classes and other services.
Salem sold the Salvation Army this 11-acre parcel in the Northgate neighborhood, which borders Keizer and is defined by industrial properties, a city natural park area, housing and vacant lots. Designers, craftsmen and construction workers built an angular, L-shaped structure, filled with materials and decorative themes that evokes Oregon: boulders from the Columbia River Gorge, sturdy wood beams, and massive glass walls that let in ample light even under slate-gray Northwest skies.

Other events

Linda Norris, the City Manager, conducts community meetings before the first Budget Committee meetings in April to explain the shortfall in the city budget and cuts that would have to be made. The Library is reduced from a Department to a division of Administration and the Director position eliminated. Other department responsibilities and personnel are shifted in order to cut the budget by $5 million.
In May, the transformation of the Union Street Railroad Bridge and Trestle is complete and opens to the public with an official ceremony and parade. Three interpretive panels had been produced by Ed Austin, local designer and author of books about regional railroads, and were places at either end of the bridge and trestle. The bridge was an immediate success and was filled with local families, bicyclists, individuals with their dog companions, and visitors to the city. The walk north from Riverfront Park and the A. C. Gilbert Discovery Village connects with Water Street at the Union Street entrance and parking is available. The lofty walk over the Willamette River gives views at one of the widest parts of the river to the north and toward the city and Willamette Slough to the south. The Trestle continues over Wallace Marine Park and at the end, paths lead down into the park or straight on the Wallace Road in West Salem. (The pedestrian/biker path closed in November in order to encapsulate the lead paint, but opened again in May of 2010.) This City of Salem project has already gained recognition, winning an Engineering Excellence Award, the Oregon Heritage Award and the national Transportation Planning Award.
Sanyo Solar of Oregon LLC opens a $40 million plant in Salem. In the 80-acre Renewable Energy and Technology Park, Sanyo's 130,000-square-foot factory houses the first two steps of solar manufacturing: growing crystals and slicing them into wafers.
Oregon State Hospital continues to be the target of complaints about patient care while the demolition of the historical buildings continue on that site. Taking measures to save the original front aspect of the "J" building has been a local concern: the tower has been removed for repair. Creating a museum to honor the former patients and the staff is still being planned within the renovated building.
Broadway Town Square, a TELOS mixed-use project on the site of the former Eagles Building at the intersection of Market and Broadway is completed with a ribbon cutting as the Salem Cinema moves into the new 3-theater facility. Town homes, apartments and retail spaces are also available.
The modern, copper-clad Ford Hall rises next door to the historic Gatke building on the Willamette University campus.
Several other construction projects are put on hold during the economic crisis. Downtown they include demolition of the First National/Wells Fargo Bank on Liberty Street for a mixed-use project including the parking lot where the old City Hall stood and prospective building on the McMahon Furniture Store site. The Meridian and Rivers condominiums projects are completed.
In legal and criminal news: Sunwest Management Inc. and founder Jon Harder of Salem are sued by the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission; parents are arrested after three children report abuse since their arrival from the Ukraine in 2003; Marion County Sheriff Russ Isham resigns after accusations of personal misconduct.

Salem in 2008

2010-08-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

World events

Barack Obama wins the US presidency with 53% of popular vote.
In the national economic collapse, the Federal Reserve props up banks, automakers & mortgage agencies.
China hosts Summer Olympics.

In Salem
Portland Road was once just that: the highway to the city north of Salem. With the construction of I-5 in the 1960s, that changed: without the commercial stimulus of heavy traffic, Portland Road's economy faltered. Beginning in 1972, urban renewal attempted to make the area more productive and more livable. One of the most recent and most attractive projects is the area formerly the Goodwill site. The triangular property, owned by the Salem Urban Renewal Agency, is bounded by Portland Road, Brooks Street, Pine Street and the new senior facility, Center 50+. It was sold to Hollywood Renewal LLC, comprised of Mountain West Investment Company. (No commitment of public resources, in the form of a loan or grant, was required of the agency to support this project.) By 2008, unfortunately the year of the great "Recession", the new residences of Hollywood Station (above) are completed and ready for occupancy. The project includes 24 town homes and a 2-story, 23,ooo square feet office/retail building. This is one more civic project in North Salem where the business community and the city staff work together to make living in Salem more attractive for both the "natives" who have shared its history and the newcomers who will make it their new home.

When you visit
Perhaps you have also driven east on Pine Street, or along Portland Road, during the last few years, wondering what the new highway configurations, landscaping and construction would produce. We may expect that even more improvements are on the way for the old Hollywood business district. The senior center relocation (Center 50+), the new businesses (we wish them well!), the KROC Center and this Hollywood Station have all brought welcome new enterprise to the area of North Gateway, truly the historic entrance to our city. The North Gateway Redevelopment Advisory Board is an avenue by which residents can provide input to present and future projects in this part of our city.

Other events

As new structures rise in Salem this year, old ones are threatened. In January, the Oregon State Hospital had been issued a report from the US Department of Justice siting violations of patient safety, supervision and treatment failures. The hospital sponsors tours through the unused, historic buildings as plans for a $458 million renovation and reconstruction are being formulated. Local historic preservationists, lead by Hazel Patton, submit a successful, whole-campus nomination for National Register to protect the most valuable parts of the institution, particularly the "J" Building (above). The Historic Landmarks Commission hears evidence that many buildings most be demolished. Note: By 2011 the OSH facade had been dramatically remodeled.
The Carnegie Library on State Street, for 60 years our Salem Public Library, is rededicated as the Oregon Civil Justice Center of Willamette University. The ceremony includes a ribbon cutting by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the US Supreme Court.
With the retirement of Bob Wells, Linda Norris becomes Interim City Manager: she is officially appointed City Manager in June. Sean O'Day became Interim Deputy City Manager in February and was officially appointed to that position in October.
John Ritter, a local historian and former professor, erves this year as a historian for the Oregon Corrections Enterprises. He produces an Exhibit Guide outlining the 150 years of inmate work programs as displayed in the interpretive museum at 3691 State Street. Exhibit artifacts and background photographs on the wall outline the various programs that have been active in this time span. As the brochure explains: the exhibit begins when the State Penitentiary had its start as the Territorial Prison in Oregon City as a small brick structure and moved to Portland in 1854 where inmates were used to grade streets, crush rock and log trees. In 1866 the Oregon State Prison was moved to Salem and remains here. Over 24 artifacts, actual products made at the Salem institution, are displayed in the exhibit, including the infamous Oregon Boot, a devise worn by inmates when outside to keep them from "wandering away". Other exhibits illustrate today's work programs. For times when the exhibit is open to visitors, call 503 378 2449 or 503 378 2677.
The new YWCA facility is opened in the Broadway Plaza, a TELOS construction on the northwest corner of the Market and Broadway streets intersection.
Delta ends flights from McNary Field after less then a year of service. However, Sale is moving forward with plans to expand the terminal and lengthen the runway. Lottery dollars will help pay the $4.75 million improvements.
Barack Obama has a town hall meeting at the Armory during his campaign for president: Bill Clinton speaks at Chemeketa Community College less than a week later, and returned twice more, on behalf of his wife's campaign. Hillary Clinton answers the phone in her Reed Opera House campaign headquarters: Senator Obama visits the Iris Fair in Keizer.
The red-light camera system goes into effect at two of the city's most dangerous intersections: Mission at 25th street and Commercial at Marion Street. If a car passes over the sensor after the light has turned red, a video is taken to record the vehicle's license-plate number. That information is forwarded to the police.
Fire guts the governor's ceremonial office in the Capitol and damages the building. This brought back memories of the two previous fires that destroyed our Capitols in 1857 and 1935.

Salem in 2007

2010-08-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

World events

Housing boom unravels with mortgage banking crisis; gas prices rise.
Virginia Tech shooter kills 33 persons on campus.
Last Harry Potter book is published; iPhone is introduced.

In Salem
Toe Salem developers, Larry Tokarski and Dan Berrey, purchase the industrial site occupied for 46 years by Boise Cascade's paper-converting plant. Bisected by Pringle Creek, with Commercial Street to the east and the Willamette River to the west, adjacent to Riverfront Park, this is prime land for the redevelopment encouraged by the ULI representatives last year. The prospects for this $7.25 million investment depend on the outcome of environmental studies (considering the past contamination of the land and water) and rezoning the property for mixed-use development.
To the left in the winter time photograph above, the 1926 Fry Warehouse looks like a fortress, rising behind Eco-Earth. The main body of the plant is in the center of the picture and above Pringle Creek, which emerges into the slough of the Willamette River at this sand bar location. The section of the plant to the right, in the distance behind the orange towers, is another structure on the site of the old mill building. Unseen is the railroad track running along the structures in this side.

When you visit
Today, in summer of 2010, there have been substantial changes. The Fry Warehouse is gone, the first structure to be demolished, with Mayor Taylor punching out the first block of concrete with a wrecking crane. Also in 2009, the main structure fell until only the structure south of the creek remained. The northern section will have new buildings for retail business and offices, restaurants, condos and other purposes. The site south of the creek will possibly be retained as a parking garage due the strength of the construction. Of great interest are two public-use features of the future: one is "daylighting" the creek by removing all but the railroad crossing so a pedestrian path can lead from the Civic Center Park, under the Commercial Street Bridge and to the slough; the other is a bridge from near the Eco-Earth to Minto Brown Island.

Other events

Bill Wingett, a resident of the Sunnyslope neighborhood, returns to the European battle sites in May of this year as a guide for a historical project. A veteran of World War II, he is a former member of the celebrated Band of Brothers, the 101th Airborne Division of the US Army, recently honored in a TV mini-series based on the book by Steven Ambrose.
Air service returns to McNary Field with Delta offering twice-daily flights between Salem and Salt Lake City.
Marion County lost its first deputy in the line of duty when Kelly James Fredinburg, 33, headed to Gervais to assist police, siren and lights running, is struck by a car that unexpectedly pulled into his lane on Highway 99E. He died at the scene of the crash as well as a passenger in the other car. The other driver survived, critically injured. More than 1000 people filled the Salem Armory for his memorial service.
The Vision 2020 Action Plan, originated by City staff and 3500 involved residents, aims to revitalize downtown into a vibrant community gathering place and a magnet for visitors. Committees organized this year will work to realize the concepts of the program and will make quarterly progress reports.
The land-use conflicts continued with Measure 49 that left owners confused about which set of rules apply to projects they filed under the 2004 property-compensation law, Measure 37. The new measure limits the number of houses built on prime farm and forest land, but projects underway may have "vested rights" to proceed.
Salem's oldest resident, Luella Patton Charlton, died on December 23, just a 7 weeks before her 110th birthday. Luella was born in 1898 in her family's Cooke-Patton mansion on Court Street (demolished in 1938 for the construction of the State Library). Her great-grandfather (who built the house) was an early Salem steamboat owner and merchant, her grandfather was a US consul in Japan and her father and uncle, Cooke and Hal Patton, were prominent in Salem political and business life. After her marriage in 1925, she and her husband built a home on 23rd Street where she lived the rest of her life. The couple had one son; Luella became a widow in 1959. She read widely, kept up with the news on TV, generously entertained friends, enjoyed humor in conversation and was a beloved neighbor. Luella was possessed of a sharp intellect and invested wisely in the stock market: she owned original issues of Coca-Cola stock and remarked with a smile that they had "split many times". Luella was a treasury of historical year-old facts about Salem families, businesses and state institutions (Gov. Chamberlain rented a room in her family's home in 1903 while serving in Salem). She is the last of the Pattons to be buried in the family mausoleum in Pioneer Cemetery.

Salem in 2006

2010-08-13T05:48:00.000-07:00

World events

The US leads military forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
North Korea detonates a nuclear device.
US immigration reform is debated.
The conviction of Lobbyist Abramoff leads to resignations in Congress.

In Salem
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue into the third year as partisan struggles within each country and against the occupying military and aid workers have caused thousands of civilian and over 3,000 American deaths. Salem is the first community to memorialize local military losses with the Afghan-Iraqi Freedom Memorial begun in 2005. The fountain, seen above, is completed by Memorial Day this year and is dedicated with a ceremony attended by Governor Kulongoski, state and military representatives, veterans, Gold Star families and hundreds of local citizens.
This memorial project was the goal of M. J. and Clay Kesterson whose son, Chief Warrant Officer Eric Kesterson, a Blackhawk helicopter pilot, died in Iraq. Planning and construction were made possible by the contributions of many business and veteran organizations, by private individuals, and by the state in providing the site location.

When you visit
The Oregon Department of Veteran Affairs is located at 700 Summer Street NE, north of Union Street. The lobby of the building houses an exhibit of Oregon military memorabilia that is well worth a visit. The park around the building has military memorials for the Spanish-American War, World War I, Korea, Vietnam, and recipients of the Oregon Medal of Honor. This site follows Mill Creek from Capitol to Summer Street and is a beautiful place for strolling or meditation in all seasons of the year.

Other events

The most sensational event, at least downtown, was the August four-alarm fire at McMahon's Furniture Store at the southwest corner of State and Commercial Streets. The fire, discovered in the basement during the early morning hours, caused the employees to vacate and the fire department to respond in full force by 8 a.m. Two hours of firefighting were successful in extinguishing the flames, but fire crews remained at the site for several days to check for hot spots. The building, with a value of $5.5 million, was completely destroyed. There were minor injuries to fireman, but none to civilians. The flames drew many on-lookers during the fire and for days afterward. The site is still (2010) empty.
On the same day, four pipe bombs are found in and around the city and some suspected a serial pipe bomber was at fault. First, a bomb was found attached to a car in the parking garage of Salem Hospital. Then one was located in the parking lot of a Roth's grocery store. Another was found attached to a car in a parking lot in Dallas, and another found alongside a Salem roadway. The Salem Police Bomb Squad detonated the bomb outside Roth's and rendered the rest of the devices safe. The culprit, who was trying to kill his ex-wife, was found and convicted.
On the invitation of the City of Salem, SEDCOR and Boise, the Urban Land Institute sent ten experts in the fields of redevelopment, finance and environment to Salem to discuss with city officials, business leaders and involved residents the prospects for a Boise Cascade property redevelopment. The weeklong interviews and studies of site potential resulted in a report that was submitted in November.
Jane Aiken is elected as Municipal Judge and assumes office in January 2007. Court sessions are open to the public and a current schedule is found here on the City of Salem website.
The Mill Creek Meadows facility for disabled adults is built at 218-256 25th St. NE. This federally sponsored program, administered by the Salem-Keizer Community Development Corporation, is the first home environment that has been available to Salem residents in need of special housing because of physical challenges.
The Salem Multicultural Institute moves its offices downtown and opens the World Beat Gallery at the Reed Opera House with an exhibit entitled Diversity in the Philippines. The gallery has since hosted other cultural exhibits, including Holidays Around the World, Black Voices from Salem’s Past, Scotland and Her People, Windows into China and a series about international marriage customs.
Salem is selected for a Kroc Center to be administered by the Salvation Army. The location will be a 10.6-acre parcel in North Salem near Industrial Drive. The actual construction awaits $8 million in matching funds.
77 headstones are vandalized in historic Lee Mission Cemetery. No suspects are found, but many offers of support to repair the damage have been received, the largest from Willamette University.
The Salem Film Festival began this year with 30 independent or foreign films showing at the Salem Cinema, Elsinore and grand theaters. Salem Cinema also was one of eight national theaters to present Oscar-qualifying documentaries.
Jackson's Books, a landmark for nearly 30 years, closes as competition with big retailers is too difficult. The owner said goodbye to employees and customers on the last day with music, appetizers and soft drinks.

Salem in 2005

2010-08-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

World Events

Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans.
London's underground transportation bombed.
Pope Paul dies, succeeded by Benedict XVI

In Salem
In 2001 our downtown, with many heritage buildings in need of repair, was successfully nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. This honor focused attention on improving the commercial health of the city core: it encouraged owners and developers to work with the city to use available funding for renovations. This year, restoration continued on Liberty Street, assisted by the city's "Toolbox" Grant and Loan Program using tax-increment funding from the Riverfront Downtown Urban Renewal Area. (Renewal areas are able to bond by utilizing property tax dollars resulting from increases in assessed value within the urban renewal district.) These grants and loans rehabilitate older buildings in the district such as the Adolph Block on State Street (Wild Pear, tenant), the Reed Opera House and its neighboring buildings to the south on Liberty Street. These include the former Montgomery Ward Building and the Bishop Building. The Metropolitan Store (pictured above) had been vacant for many years, but now offers commercial space on the first floor with new apartments on upper floors. This program is administered by the city's Urban Renewal Agency. This year, a new citizen group is created to advise on these investments in our historic commercial district, the Downtown Advisory Board.

When you visit
For a preview of the Downtown Historic District, a slide show is offered on SHINE. For guests at the Grand Hotel, printed copies are available. The city is also publishing a booklet, based on this tour, which will be available. For casual walkers, many of the historic buildings have markers, identifying the original owners and past uses. The downtown district comprises a compact seven-block area with construction dates from 1878 to 1950 with the earliest along Commercial Street. In the early 1900s, local business and professional activity moved east to High Street to meet county and state offices. At Ferry Street, south of the business establishments, there were railroad tracks and industrial plants. Since the 1970s, our Civic Center and urban parks have replaced these. To the north, the mid-20th century Salem Center development at Center Street limits the historic district. Front Street, to the west, was also industrial until the 1998 creation of Riverfront Park, A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village and the Union Street Bridge and Trestle. Our redeveloping downtown is truly the heart of the city for the residents and a growing potential for heritage tourism.

Other events

The Salem Conference Center opens in February. The $32 million facility attracted events immediately and promises to add vitality to our city, particularly to downtown. It features 14 rooms, totaling almost 30,000 square feet that can be configured for any combination of convention, theater, banquet, trade show or classroom. Attached to the conference center is the Phoenix Grand Hotel (now Grand Hotel) that has 193 rooms, a restaurant and a dignified lobby that will add to the city's appeal for travelers.
The Marion County Courthouse, on our historic High Street, is damaged by a Keizer resident who crashes his pick-up truck through the glass entrance doors and sets fires inside the building. Wounded by police officers, he is apprehended and will stand trial for numerous charges. The courthouse is closed for several months while repairs are made. (Inside the County Clerk's office, there are several photographs of the damage and reconstruction.)
A man who has placed a rope around his neck stands on the outside of the Marion Street Bridge railing, threatening to jump. For 15 hours, traffic was disrupted, bringing downtown traffic to a standstill. Police are finally able to grab and pull him to safety. Questions about how to remedy traffic problems and protect public safety are subjects of heated community discussion after this incident.
Sprague High School became the first Salem-Keizer team to win state championships in both football and baseball in the same year.
The downtown Meier and Frank department store, a feature since 1954, will lose its name in 2006. For many years owned by the May Company, it will soon carry the Macy's logo. Hundreds of past and present employees as well as city leaders gathered to celebrate the store's golden anniversary at the Elsinore Theatre. (In 2010, a plaque outside the store entrance outlines the history of the building.)
Bill Frey Drive is completed off Portland Road as part of the urban renewal projects in the Northgate neighborhood. It will improve traffic flow and offer access to new development, including the possible future Kroc Center.
Two new features are added to Riverfront Park. In April the new boat dock and overlook are completed; in October the Rotary Pavilion opens.

Salem in 2004

2010-08-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

World Events

President George H. W. Bush is reelected; Barack Obama wins an Illinois Senate seat.
Tsunami ravages the Indonesian coastline causing over 200,000 deaths.
"Friendly fire" is discovered to have killed former professional football player, Pat Tillman, in Afghanistan.
Facebook launches.

In Salem
Anyone approaching Water Street, to go to A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village or Riverfront Park, has to turn in from Union Street. As one makes the turn, this is the scene in 2004. The railroad bridge had not been used for many years and the city has an opportunity to buy it for $1. The three-year option is about to close and no action had been taken.
The bridge, originally designed for passenger service across the Willamette River, opened in 1913 to connect two north-south lines: one line ran through our Salem railway station on 12th Street, the other through a station in Gerlinger, just beyond West Salem. However, by the time the long-planned bridge and trestle were finished, the automobile was beginning to be an alternative to the train for travelers. The bridge was increasingly used for freight until the 1950s when trucking supplanted commercial rail transport. Even the track leading to the bridge, along 12th Street on the east, and 2nd Street in West Salem, became disconnected as city streets were improved.
This is the situation when the vote to buy the bridge is taken at city council this year. Only seven members are present that evening to hear Mayor Taylor make a passionate plea to save this potential asset. There is opposition because of the cost and doubt of its value. The vote is 4-3 in favor.

When you visitThe bridge and trestle renovation took five years with the result seen here. Cost was borne by federal and state grants, city urban renewal funds and private donations. It opened in 2009 and was instantly popular with residents for the beauty of the walk across the river and as a handy, and safe, bicycle path for recreation and transport between home and work. The final piece of the project was encapsulating the lead paint: federal stimulus funds to Oregon Department of Transportation were used for this purpose, causing the bridge to close for seven months, much to the disappointment of Salem users, until it reopened in May of 2010. The Union Street Bridge and Trestle has won state and national awards for its engineering, utility and value as a community asset. It is an excellent example of local cultural preservation providing a wholesome, family amenity for residents while promoting valuable heritage tourism.

Other events

In January, Bob Wells was named Interim City Manager. He was officially appointed Manager as in September. In December, Linda Norris was hired as Assistant City Manager.
The Conference Center and adjoining Phoenix Grand Hotel (now Grand Hotel) opens this year providing another important asset to our city and the downtown area. The Conference Center stands on the site of the venerable Marion Hotel, a hundred-year old establishment that burned in 1971. The lobbies of the two buildings are connected by a corridor lined with historic photographs of the former hotel. On the glass-walled landing of the steps leading to the second floor of the Conference Center, an interpretive panel describes the historic buildings of the Ferry and Commercial Street intersection visible outside.
A proposal to create a local Library District, elect a Board of Directors, and become independent from the on-going crisis of the city's general fund, gains enough support through petition to be placed on the ballot. Volunteers feel confident after addressing local service clubs and canvassing neighborhoods for support, however the proposal is soundly defeated in the November election.
Salem has four charter schools this year: the alternative high school downtown, popular with 300 students applying for the 30 to 40 spaces open; the Jane Goodall Environmental Magnet School, within Waldo Middle School; the West Salem Language Academy; the Optimum Learning Environment; and the Howard Street Charter School.
In October, flu shots were in short-supply and elderly or ill residents lined up at the Marion County Department of Health on Center Street, waiting for hours at one of the two clinics.
Salem is competing for a multi-million dollar Salvation Army community center funded by the estate of the late Joan Kroc. The Salem proposal, judged best of the nine Oregon submissions, requests $70 million, half each for the construction and later maintenance. It may include swimming pools, library, gymnasium, classrooms, theater and other amenities.
Another project moving forward is Keizer Station. The developer is obtaining permits for construction of Target and Lowe's, the two major tenants.
Train deaths continue with four in the same number of weeks at the Union Pacific track near downtown. None were judged to be suicides, with unawareness or a rush to beat the approaching train as likely causes.
Sixteen soldiers with Salem ties die in the Iraq war this year. More than 1,700 National Guard are serving there with other units deployed at Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan. Other military personnel are scheduled to depart for overseas duty in 2005.

Salem in 2003

2010-08-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

World events

US leads invasion of Iraq, but no predicted Weapons of Mass Destruction are found.
NATO begins peacekeeping role in Afghanistan.
"Mad cow" (BSE) disease affects cattle in Washington State.
"Chicago" wins Academy Award.

In Salem

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were the events on everyone's mind this year, however it will be two years in the future when a graphic remembrance of that conflict begins construction in Salem: the Afghan-Iraqi Memorial at the Oregon Veterans Affairs Park on Summer Street. Ironically, this year it was a symbol of peace that attracted attention in our most public arena ~ the Eco-Earth in Riverfront Park.
This sphere was originally a large pressurized tank used by Boise Cascade to hold acids that were used to "cook" wood chips into pulp. It was a 5-year process to transform this "acid ball" into a beautiful piece of art that includes 86,000 tiles depicting the entire globe, created by local artists and students, reflecting the diversity on land and water. On the opening day, after the playing of "What a Wonderful World" and a crane lifting off the giant cover, many children quickly moved forward to admire the colorful globe.

When you visit
The Eco-Earth stands at the south end of Riverfront Park, above Pringle Creek. In the photograph above, you can see the interpretive panel that gives more information about the fabrication of this art and the white border along the base identifies the mosaics. The orange tower in the background is one of two Boise Cascade structures that are on the opposite side of the creek. They will both be demolished as the renovation project continues on the Boise cascade property. In the distance, you see a bench and railing: that is approximately the location for the footing for the future Minto Island Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge.

Other events

Leading up to the invasion of Iraq, the Statesman Journal reports "On February 24,the Salem City Council voted against joining more than 100 local governments in signing a resolution opposing a possible war in Iraq, The vote climaxed weeks of local anguish about a war and emotional protests." Two local men who died in the war this year were Sgt. Donald R. Walters and Army Chief Warrant Officer Erik C. Kester. Large numbers of Oregon National Guard were deployed, worrying families and inconveniencing employers.
Janet Taylor took office as mayor in January with three new councilors: Jim Randall, Bruce Rogers and Dan Clem. The new councilors formed a majority that reversed some of the plans of the previous council, saying they viewed growth and the business community in a more favorable light. Budget shortfalls caused the Council to approve an $83 million general fund cut limiting library hours, park maintenance and other services.
The Keizer City Council approved a zoning plan for a 225-acre commercial and industrial development to be named Keizer Station. The location is near Volcanoes Stadium, off I-5 at Chemawa Road.
The North Mall Office Building is completed (to the right in photograph above) and the Oregon Parks Department, including the Oregon State Historical Preservation Office, moves in. Also completed is Heritage Park at the north end of mall, creating the transition between the large state office buildings (in progress of construction since 1937) and the residential area north of D Street. Seven historic former residences have either been refurbished or moved into this area, between Summer and Winter Streets on the south side of D Street. Five of these CAN-DO neighborhood houses are Local Landmarks: McGilchrist, Adolphson, Huntington, Irwin and Stiff (also to right of Mill Creek). Mill Creek runs through the property, making a quiet park at the rear of these small office buildings.
A contentious zoning debate was settled when voters rejected the annexation of the Hazel Hill property in South Salem at Kuebler Boulevard and I-5. The opponents warned that the proposed housing and commercial development would overload area streets with traffic.
Salem Hospital opened an updated Emergency room, doubled in size through a $4.2 million expansion and remodeling project. Salem Hospital had the state's busiest ER.

Salem in 2002

2010-08-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

World events

Richard Reid, the "Shoe Bomber", pleads guilty.
Homeland Security Act is established.
Sour Biscuit fires rage in Oregon and California.
Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City.
Murder charges against Ward Weaver of Oregon City dominate national newspapers.

In Salem
In this year, due to the declining use of industrial property and the age of residences in the Edgewater and Wallace Road areas, the West Salem Redevelopment Advisory Board is established as an eleven-member group advising the city's West Salem Urban Renewal Agency. The duties of the Board include considerations of conservation, rehabilitation, and redevelopment matters within the West Salem Urban Growth Renewal Area. The formerly prosperous canning industry, which brought business and residential growth to the Edgewater and Wallace Road areas, had declined to the extent that the neighborhood needed assistance in promoting new business, recovering property values and increasing public services.
Notice was already being taken of the historical value of some residential properties. The Historic Landmarks Commission had designated nine properties as West Salem Local Landmarks. The new Board could now work with the city agencies and departments to recognize both the residential needs and the potential for business improvement of the whole urban renewal area.

When you visit
Among the attractive residential areas of West Salem, Kingwood in the Edgewater area stands out. This house at 270 Kingwood Drive was featured on the cover of the Edgewater Walking Tour brochure of 2009. The neighborhood spans over a century of construction dates, beginning in 1900. The first plats were dated in the late 1800s and Kingwood Park in 1909. Homes were built by different builders or by homeowners themselves, giving the neighborhood a diversity of style and size not always reflected in newer residential areas. There are several large homes, but small cottages are really the heart of Edgewater, many built in the 1930s as jobs were created in the local canneries or the paper mill across the Willamette River.
A subject for discussion by the West Salem Redevelopment Advisory Board (2010) is the possibility of a future West Salem branch of the Polk County Museum. (See 2000 in this series.) To learn more about current activities of the Board, contact a city staff member at 503-588-6178.

Other events

Janet Taylor is elected as mayor to take office in January of 2003. Mike Swaim gave up a run for a fourth term as mayor in a bid for Oregon's House of Representatives. He lost to Billy Dalto.
The Statesman Journal reports the top story of the year is the opening of the West Salem High School in September, "a $49 million dream come true for residents on the other side of the Willamette River and Salem-Keizer's first new high school in 23 years. It immediately became home to more than 1,300 students and a center of activity for the area Friday night football games." At the same time, the state's ongoing budget crisis affected local schools as bus routes are longer and classroom programs cut or scaled back.
As Superintendent of Public Instruction, Susan Costello is the first Hispanic woman to be elected to statewide office.
The City Council approves a downtown Conference Center facing Commercial Street on the former Marion Hotel site. The project will constructed in cooperation with VIPS, owner of Phoenix Inns. A hotel will be adjacent on the Liberty Street side of the block south of Ferry Street. Our newspaper reports, "Supporters see the conference center as the engine to pull downtown out of an economic rut."
Property crime increases due to Salem being a hub for narcotics activity and budget problems causing jail capacity to dwindle as property thieves are released to make room for violent offenders.
Section 62 of the City Charter adds Ethical Standards. The goal of the measure is to ensure public confidence in the impartiality of elected or appointed city officials. Each is required to disclose any past or present business or family relationships, any direct and indirect campaign contributions or gifts that might influence any decision.
A Community Police Review Board is established to review unresolved complaints against members of the Salem Police Department.
Former governor Bob Straub dies. The Statesman Journal reports, "He has been praised been for his many public contributions during 20 years in office, including the governorship 1975-79: protecting Oregon beaches and the Willamette River, defending land-use planning. He was also remembered for many personal acts during the three decades he and Pat lived in a farmhouse in West Salem: helping others less fortunate, donating land for a city park..." (Above, the house as it looked in 2010.)
The Olympic torch passes through 8 miles of Salem, between lines of school children and state workers. A crowd of 2,500 converged on the State Capitol to celebrate the lighting of the cauldron.

Salem in 2001

2010-08-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

In June there was a celebration for the opening of the Carousel

2001
World Events

George HW Bush is inaugurated as president in January, promises tax cuts as his priority.
Almost 3,000 are killed in the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Towers (which collapse), the Pentagon and rural Pennsylvania when terrorists take control of US airliners in suicide missions.
Anthrax spores are sent through US mail: 22 persons exposed, 5 die.
The US invades Afghanistan.

In SalemIn November a memorial was erected to a local victim of the 9/11 attack

After the 9/11 disaster, vigils at Riverfront Park give residents of Salem an opportunity to express public sympathy for the loss of life in the terrorist attacks on our citizens. Two months later, a memorial is erected at Basket Slough for Rich Guadagdo who died in Pennsylvania during the attack.
At Riverside Park in June, a joyous occasion is celebrated as the Carousel opens. Hazel Patton, a local community activist in historical preservation, inspired the project. The mission of the carousel is to enhance the quality of life in the Willamette Valley by invigorating community cohesiveness, fostering cultural and educational opportunities, creating a living history, and increasing tourism. The project brought together artists and experts in many creative occupations and is enjoyed by residents and visitors of all ages.

When you visit
A visit to Riverfront Park should include a stop at the Carousel, even without children. No one can resist the appeal to listening to the familiar music (if you are old enough to remember the experience from your own childhood) and watching the joy of the children passing as they ride the horses around in a lively circle. As you leave, notice the mementos inscribed in tiles along the walkway. In this fashion, local families have contributed to the lasting heritage of this historical entertainment. Hours of operation vary, but generally it is opens every day, 11-5, rides costing children $1.50 (no cost to accompanying parent).

Other events

Bob DeLong is appointed City Manager.
The City Council also experiences changes, giving Mayor Mike Swaim his "first friendly majority since his election in 1996". The Statesman recorded the council's opposition to "unfettered growth", years-old rules concerning land use for builders, as they raised minimum wages for city workers and employees of contractors and began work on "corporate disclosure that would require contractors to submit information on environmental, labor and consumer relations records." Mayor Swaim announced he would not seek re-election next year.
In a local poll taken at the end of 2001, readers of the Statesman Journal report the outstanding local story of the year was the economic crisis when low rainfall and federal decisions caused Detroit Lake to be drained to meet fish needs and water quality downstream. Because of the hardship caused to recreational business and families sustained by them, the Save Our Lake committee is formed and the area put under a federal recreation lake program to bring money for improvement projects.
The attraction of the Carousel and the opening of the Oregon Garden in Silverton tie for second place in the newspaper poll. In the following year, the garden attraction added another feature with the relocating of the Gordon House to the property: bringing to our area of Oregon a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
A traffic accident south of Salem causes the death of Albany police officer Jason Hoeroef and Oregon State Police senior trooper Maria Mignano. A young driver, Jacob Todoriko, fell asleep at the wheel of his pickup, which left the highway and struck three officers who were helping a disabled motorist. State Police Sgt. John Burright is critically injured. Todoriko's sentence includes public addresses to inform other motorists of the dangers of driving while drowsy.
As meth addiction in Oregon and Marion County deepened, Congress allocates $580,000 to help combat the production and trafficking of the addictive stimulant.
Local school news includes the $5,700, 000 sale of historic Bush School, the last downtown elementary school, to Salem Hospital for demolition. Parents are relieved that a replacement Bush School on 14th Street (near Mill Street) will alleviate traffic concerns on Mission Street, but concerned because that the new construction will demolish 16 homes in the SESNA neighborhood.
Other school construction, funded by a $177 million school bond of 1998, creates four new schools in the Salem-Keizer School District. The bond also funds renovations at other schools, including a new wing at North Salem High School and a student commons at South Salem High School.
The Statesman describes the Salem downtown as being threatened with "decaying buildings, climbing vacancy rates, fizzled improvements, and economic doldrums". Suburban malls and conflicts between teens and merchants are also mentioned. One business that closed this year is the more than 80-year-old Anderson's Sporting Goods on Liberty Street. However, an encouraging event is the new National Register listing of the Salem Downtown Historic District.

Salem in 2000

2010-08-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

2000
World Events

Terrorists bomb USS Cole in Yemen.
The summer Olympics are held in Sidney, Australia.
George W. Bush defeats Al Gore in the closest presidential election in history

In Salem
Historic Salem and Eola were two Oregon towns separated not only by a river, but also by county lines. In Polk County, Eola was absorbed by West Salem and, in 1947, the residents voted to be incorporated into the city of Salem in Marion County. However, there are many towns in Polk County that have distinct characters of their own, and it is this historical preservation that concerned residents who organized the Polk County Historical Society in 1959. In 1995, that society merged with a community group interested in establishing a county museum. Fortunately, a large private donation was offered for the project and this inspired smaller matching contributions. A mortgage for the last one-third of the cost was paid off in 2005, five years after the construction. The all-volunteer staff is proud that the only government support has come from Polk County cooperation in use of a portion of fairgrounds property, as seen in the photograph above.
The 14,000 square-foot, 2-story museum has dozens of different exhibit areas including Native American artifacts, industry from farming to timber, an automobile and stagecoach, an old-fashioned doctor/dentist office and period room furnishings. Its charm is in introducing visitors to a "home town" atmosphere that makes historic preservation a pleasure to experience.
An album of interior photographs is available on SHINE. Of special interest on the second floor galley is an inter-active time line teaching young students about important events in history. For researchers, the archive has approximately 6,000 photographs. The library contains 50,000 files on Polk County.

When you visit
Since the museum opened in 2000, Hwy 22, west from Salem, has had major renovations. The museum is now an easy 11 miles west of the Marion Street Bridge on that highway, turning south on 99E to Rickreall.
It is open 1-5, Mon-Wed-Thurs-Fri-Sat. Admission: Adult $3, Senior $2, Student $1.

The museum also maintains the historic Brunk House on Hwy 22 near the junction with Hwy 51, Eola. Hours are Tuesday, 9-noon. No admission, donations only.

Other events

Salem's population is 128,595.
Larry Wacker retired as City Manager and Bob Wells is appointed in an interim position.
Section 61 of city charter: annexations must be approved by a vote of the people. (Ballot Measure 24-34)
As the capital city of Oregon, Salem was in the midst of the predicted Y2K crisis for state government computers. Much of the alarm was hype, but some of it was real, and state agencies did a good job to fix things before it could occur. Dedicated State of Oregon employees kept the state government computers from crashing as the calendar turned over into the new century.
A dedication ceremony for Courthouse Square was held on September 29. Dignitaries present included former U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield who acquired the federal funding for the transit portion of the project. Bus operations at the former on-street transfer facility on High Street ceased at the end of the day on Saturday, September 30 and began at the new R. G. Andersen-Wyckoff Transit Mall on Monday, October 2. The first phase move of county employees from the Customer Service, Operations Supervisors, and Security Offices at 183 High Street to the first floor of Courthouse Square coincided with the beginning of bus operations there. The second phase move of administrative employees from 3140 Del Webb Avenue to the new fifth floor offices at Courthouse Square was made the week prior to the opening of business there on Monday, November 6. NOTE: In 2010 this building and terminal are closed for extensive repairs.
Fairview Training Center closed this year. Established by the state in 1908 as the Oregon State Institute for the Feeble Minded, it opened on December 1st of that year with the transfer of 39 adults and children from the Insane Asylum, until that time the only state institution that could provide them with any professional care. Harry E. Bickers of Pendleton was appointed Superintendent of that first home and had supervised the construction of the first five buildings—dormitory, administration building, laundry, a brick powerhouse, and a barn. A reporter described the main buildings as resembling "…a magnificent southern mansion." Here were located the superintendent’s office, reception rooms, attending physician’s office (Dr. W. Carlton Smith was the first to serve in that capacity), and schoolrooms. Separate dormitories for male and female students were maintained, and later the children were grouped in families of 20 to 25 according to levels of intelligence. When it closed in 2000, the few remaining residents were transferred to group homes or returned to live with their families.
A reprise of Salem Hospital's "Century of Service", written by John McMillan, is published online on the Public Library's Salemhistory website.

Salem in 1999

2010-08-05T06:09:00.001-07:00

1999
World events

Senate clears Clinton in impeachment trial.
NATO forces bomb sovereign nation for first time in Kosovo war.
At Colorado's Columbine High School, 2 students murder 13.
John Kennedy, Jr., his wife and her sister, die in plane crash.
The New Clarissa goes aground near Coos Bay creating environmental damage to the shoreline.
The Euro is introduced as a common currency in Europe.

In Salem
In the fall of this year, more than a dozen local historians gather around a large table in the Salem Public Library to discuss what each could contribute to the Salem History Project, the creation of a website, Salemhistory, devoted to local history. The objective of collecting information was to take an encyclopedia approach to providing access to Salem's history of culture, events, institutions and people.
The Library's Assistant Director, Bob Miller, had obtained a grant for establishing this online network. Monica Mersinger became the director of the enterprise and served for five years until the grant opportunity ended. At that time, the website information was frozen in place on the Internet with the homepage established as you see it above. It remains the primary source for online information about Salem's historical events and personalities before 2000. In the Credits notation of SHINE (see column to the right) Salemhistory is given as a primary resource. Those who enjoy reading "SHINE on Salem 150" can thank the staff of the Salem Public Library and the local historians who volunteered for the Salem History Project of 1999.

When you visit
In 2010 there is a small room in Salem Public Library, adjacent to the Audio Visual area, that looks out on the Peace Plaza. When that section of the library was redesigned 7 years ago, this was Monica's new office. Unfortunately, when the grant ended, there was no effort by the city or the library to continue the project and the room was put to other uses. Writing for the project, even a correction or revision, is no longer possible. We should be thankful that the Salem History Project did exist for five years and that many loyal volunteers submitted articles that are of such value to us today. Another such project, undertaken by the Salem business and heritage community, would be of great value to residents and researchers of the present and future years.

Other events

The Housing and Urban Development Advisory Committee is established. It serves in an advisory capacity on issues relating to allocation of Federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds and on other matters related to HUD that may be requested by the City Council. The Committee will make policy recommendations to the Council on five-year strategic plans, on annual plans for specific project budgets, and on project modifications to the plans.
Frank Richard Gruber is is elected as Municipal Judge and will serve until his retirement in 2006.
John and Pam Scott donate the former Chelsea Restaurant to the Family Building Blocks project that had formerly been housed in the First Methodist Church. The primary mission of this community effort is to keep Salem children safe and families together by empowering families to break the generational cycle of abuse.
The Harritt House on Wallace Road in West Salem (above) is successfully nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. This oldest house in West Salem has been extensively remodeled. Originally an 1858 log cabin, it was built by Jessie and Julia Harritt. Jessie so profited by his California gold mining, that he was able to build his wife this Colonial style house reminiscent of the plantation homes in her native Kentucky. The original kitchen was added to the house for a recent business, Julia’s Tea Parlor.
Mary Eyre dies at age of 101. A former Social Studies teacher at North Salem High School and political activist, she was a member of many Salem civic organizations. She served as president of the Marion County Historical Society as well as president of the local chapter of the League of Women Voters. She held a leadership position in the drive to preserve historic Deepwood Estate and was an active member of Knight Memorial United Church of Christ. She was a member of many professional and political organizations, running unsuccessfully as the Democratic candidate for the State Senate in 1962. "[I] wanted to try out some the things I had been teaching over the years," she commented. The 1893 Eyre family home in the historic SESNA neighborhood had been sold in 1996 when she moved to a retirement home. The 1926 home of her brother, David Eyre, was moved from Summer Street when the Capitol Mall was being constructed and is now on the northeast corner of Mission and High Streets.

Salem in 1998

2010-08-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

1998
World events

President Clinton impeached by House, trial to be in Senate.
US embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya.
Nicholas II and family reburied in St. Petersburg 80 years after their assassinations.
Kip Kinkel murders his parents and students bringing media attention to Springfield, OR.

In Salem
After many years of effort by community supporters, Riverfront Park was established this year. The aerial views above, published by the Salem Urban Development Department, shows the "before and after" contrast.
For a resident or visitor who did not experience the downtown in previous years, it is hard to imagine the pollution of the air and water before the plants along the river closed.
The park became the front lawn of our city, creating pedestrian contact between the downtown business enterprises and the beautiful river. In 1998, the park is bordered on the south (to the left in illustrations) by the Boise Cascade industrial complex, covering Pringle Creek. On the north (at the right), a parking lot led to Water Street which passed under two vehicle bridge ramps to reach several historic structures at Marion Street owned by the city: this year these will become A. C. Gilbert Discovery Village. One block further is the unused Union Street railroad bridge. The park, as handsome as it was, was a pocket of greenery in an area ready for urban revitalization.

When you visit
In the ten years that have followed, several projects have made the park more attractive for resident recreation and local heritage appreciation. In 2001, a Carousel was constructed and in 2003, the Eco Ball was completed. In 2005, a new boat dock was constructed. The local Rotary Clubs financed a Pavilion at the north end of the park in 2006. A statue of Governor McCall was placed along the entrance to the dock in 2008. A splash fountain for children was completed in 2009.
In 2010, adjacent to the park on the south, the Boise Cascade plant is being demolished. The orange towers seen in the background of the photograph above will soon disappear as Pringle Creek is "daylighted" to offer a trail from Civic Center Park (east of Commercial Street) to the river. A bridge from Riverfront Park to Minto Brown Island is also planned for the future. To the north, A. C. Gilbert Discovery Village occupies historic residences owned by the city. At Union Street the former railroad bridge is now an award-winning pedestrian walkway to Wallace Park in West Salem.

Other events

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art opens as a feature of Willamette University. Prior to the creation of the Hallie Ford Museum, Willamette University previously collected various pieces of art donated to the university, housing them first in a museum located in Waller Hall, then on the second floor of the gymnasium (now the Theatre Playhouse). At that time the museum's collection included birds, various documents, minerals, wood specimens, shells, plant specimens, and Native American artifacts, among others. In 1990, the school received a donation of around 250 pieces of European and Asian art from the Sponenburgh family. In 1994 Roger Hull made a presentation to the school’s trustees to push for the creation of an art museum. Over the next two years plans were developed and donations were made that led to the purchase of the 1965 Pacific Northwest Bell building designed by local architect James Payne. One large donation came from Hallie Ford and the Ford Family Foundation that allowed the purchase and remodel to move forward. The museum officially opened with over 3,000 pieces of art, and was the second largest art museum in the state at that time.
A. C. Gilbert Discovery Village, opening this year, is an interactive children's museum named in honor of this Salem native and inventor of the Erector set educational toy. In fact, the Village is home to the world's largest Erector Set tower at 52 feet. The museum is housed in several historic buildings, including the Andrew T. Gilbert House, the Rockenfield/Bean House, the Parrish House, and a 1998 replica of the Wilson-Durbin House, destroyed by fire in 1990.
The former Little Gem Grocery Store on Chemeketa Street, threatened with destruction, is moved to a neighbor's back yard. It will become another feature of Water Street and A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village.
Marion County Historical Society publishes Marion County History, Vol XV, compiled and edited by Sybil Westenhouse, Adale Egan and David Weiss. In these 198 pages are found photographs and stories about local native people, business, entertainment, transportation and politics. This is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in Salem's heritage.
Jackie Winters is elected to the Oregon State Legislature as the state's first African-American Republican.

Salem in 1997

2010-08-03T07:01:00.001-07:00

1997
World Events

Pathfinder sends Mars photographs back to earth.
Princess Diana dies in Paris auto crash.
"Dolly", a cloned sheep, is born in Scotland.
"Titanic" is the most popular movie of the year.

In Salem
This 1962 photo was a part of a 1997 "Salem Public Library History" exhibit in the Heritage Room. This first library was built with funding obtained by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation that helped build more than 2,500 libraries worldwide.
Early in 1904 the Salem Woman’s Club put on a book social in the residence of Mrs. T.T. Geer. Fifty books were donated and these became the nucleus of the Salem Public Library. In November of that year, Mayor Frank W. Waters persuaded the Salem City Council to grant the Salem Woman's Club the use of the east end of the city council chamber for a library, "provided it should not cost the council anything." In 1907, the council applied to the Carnegie institution for an $18,000 building. However, they refused to allot more than $1400 annually for maintenance. Since the Carnegie policy was that 10% of the cost of the building be allotted annually for maintenance, Carnegie offered $14,000. The council voted to accept. But since the library board of the Woman’s Club had not been consulted, they immediately wrote to Carnegie’s secretary to the effect that the building did not belong to the City and that the council was not authorized (by the Salem Woman’s Club) to accept their offer. In November 1910, the President of the Library Board, Mrs. A.N. Bush, persuaded the council to increase their annual library maintenance budget item to $3000. She then persuaded the Carnegie secretary to grant $27, 500 for building a library. The existing library and the property were then deeded over to the City. On September 12, 1912, our first library building opened to the citizens of Salem. This facility served until July 6, 1972 when the library in the new Civic Center was dedicated.

When you visit
After the Salem Public Library moved to the Civic Center, this Carnegie Library building found a new use. The next-door YWCA purchased it for $150,000 and transformed into the youth wing. In 2003, considering rising maintenance and utility costs in buildings that were 90 and 50 years old, the YWCA sold the Carnegie Building to Willamette University, but continued serving the community from these locations until 2006. After an extensive two-year interior renovation, Willamette University opened the building as the Oregon Civic Justice Center. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dedicated the facility on September 12, 2008. From the exterior, a passer-by sees the same classic architectural design that characterized the Carnegie Libraries of a hundred years ago.

Other events

Raul Ramirez is the first Hispanic to be elected as Marion County Sheriff.
The Oregon Garden in Silverton is begun with a groundbreaking ceremony in June. It will open to the public in April 1999.
The transit district, following ADA guidelines, converts buses for the use of disabled patrons.
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a minor league baseball team, is organized. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League, and are an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. They play their home games at Volcano Stadium that seats 4,252 fans.
A group of prisoners in the State Penitentiary dig a tunnel 24 feet long before their escape route is discovered.
In January of 1996, Keiko, the killer whale star of Free Willy and Free Willy II, was moved from Mexico City via cargo plane into his new home at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Over the next 32 months, Keiko is rehabilitated at the aquarium, where more than 2.5 million people pay him a visit. In the fall of 1998, Keiko was moved to a pen in the waters of the North Atlantic off Iceland, rehabilitated for living on his own. He died December 12, 2003, after the sudden onset of pneumonia in the Taknes fjord.
A few imaginative residents create the Salem Multi Cultural Institute as a positive, tangible response to growing concern about racial tensions in Salem. In the next year, it took the form of Salem's World Beat Festival that was held in conjunction with the grand opening of Salem's Riverfront Park on June 27-28, 1998. This grass-roots effort has grown out of meetings in living rooms and coffee shops into a meaningful celebration and year-round community volunteerism. In 2006, the Salem Multicultural Institute moved to offices downtown and opened the World Beat Gallery at the Reed Opera House. More than 300 volunteers, 70 sponsors and 150 exhibitors and performing arts groups are involved with the festival annually.

Salem in 1996

2010-07-31T08:48:00.001-07:00

1996
World events

The "Unabomber", who engaged in mail bombing for nearly 20 years, killing three people and injuring 23 others, is arrested.
An E Coli strain of infection kills 6,000 people in Japan.
"Toy Story" is first computer animated, feature film.

In Salem
This year the residents adopted a new Charter. The charter establishes a form of city government and functions much like the Constitution. The Territorial Legislature of Oregon granted Salem's first charter in 1957 and the Oregon State Legislature granted the city's charter under statehood in 1860, after a three-year political struggle. One of the most vocal opponents was Asahel Bush, publisher of the Salem's Oregon Statesman newspaper. The Legislative charter was amended many times over the next 136 years. Meanwhile, the citizens adopted the "Home Rule" amendment to the state constitution, making it possible for local voters to charter their own city.amen to state made it possible for a city to obtain a Home Rule Charter that could be adopted by the voters of the community. Salem finally adopted a Home Rule charter in 1996. The charter, however, did not fundamentally alter the city's form of government. The elected Mayor and Council, who serve without pay, appoint the City Manager. The City Manager hires (and can discharge) the other salaried staff members.
Our city government meets in the Council Chamber of the Civic Center, seen above. The large screen, which can be rolled up, is used for Power Point presentations by speakers who stand at the podium to the left foreground (or one out of sight to the right). In the front of the chamber are three seats. From left: the City Attorney, to make sure the legal provisions of the Charter are followed; the Mayor who conducts the meeting, is a Council member-at-large and serves as President of the Council; and the City Manager who is responsible for carrying out the decisions of the Council. To each side sit the Councilors, the legislators, one from each of our eight Wards. The row of seats in the foreground of the photograph is for those Department staff representatives present to give information on an item being considered. During the Budget Sessions, those 9 committee members sit here. Where the photographer is standing there is a podium for the Recorder, who keeps an electronic tape of the proceedings, and spaces for media representatives. Seats along each side are for residents and visitors.

When you visit
One of the interesting features of the Chamber is the wall of proclamations, testimonials and gifts to the city. The Chamber meetings are always open to the public and residents are invited to attend. If one wishes to speak on a subject being discussed, there is a sign-up sheet by each entrance and copies of the agenda. Testimony is limited to three minutes, but councilors may ask questions, giving an opportunity to extend the conversation as needed. The meetings are conducted in a friendly, congenial manner and everyone is welcome. They are held at 6:30 on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. The meetings are also broadcast on CCTV.

Other events

Mike Swaim is elected as Mayor and will hold the office until 2002.
A flood this year brought the Willamette River to a height of 35.9 feet, causing water damage to structures along the shoreline, and especially to residences in Keizer. Previous high water measurements were in 1964 (37.7'), 1880 (43.3'), 1890 (45.1') and both 1891 and 1861 (47.') High water in Mill Creek created major erosion n the North Santiam River that affected Salem's water supply for several months. Volunteers saved the new West Salem Branch Library by hastily boxing up books and equipment, and loading them into two large moving vans that moved to higher ground. The flood waters temporarily reached as much as three feet above the floor level of the library.
The first phase of Riverfront Park opened on 23 acres in the Riverfront Downtown Urban Renewal Area along the east side of the Willamette River (not during the flood, fortunately). This was former industrial property owned by Boise Cascade.
Salem's roots in the lumber and textile industries gradually gave way to high technology. In 1989, Siltec, a computer chip manufacturer, established a facility. By 1996, the facility had grown to more than one million square feet of manufacturing and had been renamed Mitsubishi Silicon America.
Salem residents had their first opportunity to vote-by-mail for federal elections.
During the 1996-97 school year a second courtyard at Waldo Middle School continued an earlier transformation in landscaping. Wes Niemela and a group of students and staff had worked for two years to collect plants from the forests around Salem and from Mr. Niemela’s garden. The courtyard garden is still a centerpiece of the school. This year, science teacher Mike Weddle and the Roots and Shoots/Leo Club are responsible for creating a second native Oregon species courtyard complete with a pond, waterfall, native Oregon trees, plants, and animals.

Salem in 1995

2010-07-29T05:32:00.001-07:00

1995
World Events

UN tribunal charges Serbian commanders with genocide in Balkans.
Oklahoma City federal building bombed.
Actor Christopher Reeve paralyzed after fall from horse.

In Salem
Almost 100 years of student activities are recalled in a booklet entitled “Swegle Elementary Memories Past Roots Present Traditions” compiled this year. Swegle School at 4485 Market Street was built until around 1900 when George Swegle sold one acre of land on Garden Road (Market Street) to the District for $80. His fathers had settled in Marion County on property that came to be known as the Swegle Garden District. The first section of the school as we know it today (the original school was removed from the property) was built in 1923-4. The new one-room school had a potbelly stove for warmth, an outside well and pump, outhouses, and a swing made of a wooden plank that could seat six to eight students at one time. Children often crossed the dirt road to eat their lunches in the meadow. A photograph of 1925-6 shows nineteen students, only five are girls. By 1938 the school had four classrooms, a gym used as a multi-purpose room. Three teachers were assisted by a full time custodian. There were enough students to field a sports program, but no money for uniforms. One year there were not enough boys for a full baseball team so two girls played (in their school dresses) as Swegle competed with other county schools.

When you visit ELNA

Swegle School has added classrooms and modern facilities, but retains the same high standards of education established by the founder and enjoys strong family support. It is in the East Lancaster Neighborhood Association neighborhood.
Another school was established in ELNA in 1995. Blanchet Catholic School was established in this year, carrying on the traditions established by Sacred Heart Academy and Serra Catholic high schools. In 2011, the school celebrated it's 16th year with an Open House where student art work and Senior school memories and goals for the future were displayed. More information can be found at the school's website.
This area was annexed to the city in small sections, beginning in 1979 and continuing through the 1980s. It is approximately bounded by Lancaster Drive, Sunnyview Avenue, Cordon Roar and Center Street. Formerly a rural area, it is now a residential neighborhood with little trace of the original farms. One structure that remains from early Salem history is a farmhouse (above) on Swegle Road. Built possibly in 1904, certainly by 1917, it was part of the Zachariah Pollard Land Donation. The earliest known resident was Kenneth Hinkle who lived here between 1948 and 1980.

Other events

Orville Roth donated land immediately behind and adjacent to the West Salem Roth’s IGA grocery store upon which to build a new library. With large donations from West Salem residents, a federal grant through the Oregon State Library, and City of Salem general fund money, the new 6,000 square foot building was built. On September 25 the new branch library celebrated its grand opening ceremony and doors opened the next day for business.
The main library facility on Liberty Street had historical photography exhibits including local Cemeteries (January-March), Diaries (April-May) and Railroads (June-August).
ODOT purchases the Salem Train Station.
Traces of an ancient Wooly Mammoth are discovered on the Turner farm of Tip and Mary Ann Hennessey. The remains of two tusks and a jawbone were found by surprised workmen who were digging a trench for a gas company pipeline. Later, a paleontologist identified the samples. Buried about eight feet deep the prehistoric tusks were estimated to be about ten to fifteen thousand years old. There were indications that a lake existed in the area at that time. Perhaps the animal was drinking from this lake at the time of its death. It probably died of natural causes.
Six local citizens were interviewed for the CCTV program, Legacy: Pioneers in Black Salem. The panel included Kathy Bailey, David Burgess, Willie Richardson, A J Talley, Claudia Thompson, and Jackie Winters. They expressed a variety of feelings about their experiences in Salem, ranging from pride that African-Americans are now spread throughout all areas of town and all different professions, to frustration that, as Dave Burgess put it, “Salem has not accepted minority populations, period.” He pointed out that blacks and Latinos face the same problem of gaining recognition and respect in a city that is still about 80 percent white.
In Northgate neighborhood, Adam Stephens Middle School replaces one built by Adam Stephens in 1882. He had donated the land and the lumber so the original school could be built and was the first clerk. He also wrote and taught music. Stephens was so widely respected that the Hayesville community was very nearly named Stephensville.
Mayor Gertenrich actively participates in the formation of the North Santiam Watershed Council. Salem became a member after much controversy that the "big city" would dominate the Council. The Pringle Creek Watershed Council is also created the year.

Salem in 1994

2010-07-28T05:32:00.000-07:00

Moving into Erixson Street Senior Center, 1976

1994
World Events

Channel tunnel, the "Chunnel", is opened between Paris and London.
Irish Republican Army ceases military operations.
OJ Simpson trial captives a worldwide TV audience.
In Portland, Tonya Harding pleads guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution for trying to cover-up an attack on Olympic figure skating rival Nancy Kerrigan. Harding is fined $100,000 and banned from the sport.

In Salem
The Senior Citizen Advisory Commission is established this year, but the city had been involved with senior programming since 1970 with the appointment of a Senior Citizen Coordinator. The concept of an activity center for older adults was first initiated by a group of retirees who became incorporated in 1967 as the Salem Area Seniors. In December 1973, the senior citizens united in a successful fund drive. However, the soaring cost of construction kept ahead of revenue. It was not until monies from the Community Development Block Grant Funds became available in May 1975, that the total project was assured. The original Erixson Street facility was a modern, one-story structure, including a large multi-purpose room, kitchen, classrooms, activity lounge, craft and hobby rooms, and gift shop. In the 1976 Statesman Journal photograph above, Chet Arterburn, president of the Senior Area Seniors (left), Ed Bergstrom and Opal McRae are part of a group unloading furnishings for the building, seen in the background.
The 19 members of the Commission Committee represent local residents and professional partnerships. Of the nine voting members, six shall be 50 years of age or older. The other ten shall be representatives of Senior Center partners: Chemeketa Community College, Mid-Willamette Valley Senior Service Agency, Friends of the Salem Senior Center, Salem Hospital Foundation, Retired Senior Volunteers Program, Townhouse, Inc., Alzheimer's Association, Chamber of Commerce, AARP, and Salem Electric. They serve as an advisory commission to the City Council and Salem Senior Center Staff in matters related to the operations of the Salem Senior Center. Members other than those representing Senior Center partners shall be appointed by the Mayor.

When you visitIn 2008, the Erixson facility was sold to the adjoining Salem Clinic. A new building site, cleared and partially financed by Urban Renewal Agency, was constructed a few blocks north at 2615 Portland Road. Center 50+ is the only designated full-service focal point senior center in Marion County. Senior users report they use the Center because of meals, recreation, volunteer opportunities, and education. The Center has a Friends of the Salem Senior Center to aid in securing funds for improvements and operations. More than 600 seniors use the Center daily, and more than 500 senior citizens annually utilize the health screening clinics. Over 325 registered volunteers give more than 45,000 hours of service annually at the Center. Cherriots buses stop at the Center five days a week and over 2,000 times a year. More than 70% of the Center 50+ users are 70+ years of age.

Other events

Roger Gertenrich is elected as mayor.
The historic 1859 Case House, the north Marion County home of Salem's Wallace Kay Huntington, is the subject of a series of photographs. Mr. Huntington is a noted landscape designer and frequent consultant concerning Salem's Lord and Schryver gardens.
Sue Miller was among the women who founding Abiqua School, a private Salem elementary school. Sue, like her fellow parents, believes that children in Salem needed more educational alternatives. Although originally planned as a charter school in the public school system, it was not given this designation and opens as an independent school in September, serving children in grades K-6.
Willamette’s athletic program wins the Northwest Conference All-Sports award for the 1993-94 school year. It marks the first time the Bearcats have won the trophy since it was started in 1985-86.
James Norman publishes "Oregon Main Street: A Rephotographic Study". Many Salem street scenes are among the 84 shown in the Oregon Historic Photograph Collection of our Salem Public Library.
Oregon voters approve the nation's first Death with Dignity Act permitting doctor-assisted suicide.

Salem in 1993

2010-07-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

World Events

Apartheid ends in South Africa, Nelson Mandela elected president in 1994.
Benazir Bhetto is elected president of Pakistan.
NAFTA is passed by legislators of US, Canada and Mexico.
Holocaust Museum opens in Washington, DC.
Rodney King beating caught on film, widely televised.
Stephen Hawkins's A Brief History of Time holds first place on Sunday Times list for a record number of weeks.

In Salem
This year at City View Cemetery, Al Jones takes several photographs of the traditional Memorial Day ceremony. On the platform, the dignitaries and some of the many veterans in attendance appear to be bowing their heads, perhaps for prayer.
City View Cemetery, adjacent to the west of Pioneer Cemetery, was founded in 1893. To honor past military sacrifice and veterans, there are memorials honoring service in the Civil and Spanish-American War, members of the American Legion Post #9, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Each memorial Day it has been the custom to hold a special remembrance program by area veterans, dignitaries, and a fly-over by the Oregon Air National Guard. Four times a year, an avenue of flags is displayed honoring the veterans of our armed forces. Each Christmas is commemorated by a large noble fir Christmas tree that holds special ornaments with dedicated nametags to remember loved ones.
Al Jones, a former sports reporter for the Statesman Journal, was a familiar figure in Salem for many years as he attended public events and ceremonies, always with his camera ready to take pictures. He is credited with saving a number of historic Salem photographs that were about to be thrown away and adding them to his large collection. Kept for many years in the basement of his Church Street home, he has donated this collection to Marion County Historical Society. It is hoped that these photographs will be archived and made available for future historical research.

When you visitThis dramatic 2008 photograph of the Civil War memorial at City View illustrates one of the military features of the cemetery. An office at the edge of the property, on Hoyt Street, has personnel who can help visitors locate graves of interest both in City View and in Pioneer Cemetery. Among the gravestones in Pioneer, you will find early families whose names are recognized in Salem history: Bush, Patton, Holman, McNary, Moores, Dickenson, Buren, and many others. Their online directory can identify both names and location of graves.
A recent project in Pioneer Cemetery has discovered the previously unmarked graves of African-Americans of Salem. A handsome marker identifies this remarkable research.
Both cemeteries are beautiful places of reflection and repose. A collection of photographs has been added to the online Pioneer feature.

Other events

The Scotts Mills earthquake, known as the Spring Break Quake is felt all over the Willamette Valley. The Capitol is damaged.
The Chamber of Commerce, looking forward to building a new facility, considers a site in Marion Square Park, now neglected and in poor condition.
Silver Falls, our largest state park, is dedicated. June Drake, a Silverton photographer, ran a three decade campaign to preserve the scenic area from commercialization. Canyon Trail (770k) leads hikers past 10 waterfalls in amphitheater surroundings that allow visitors to walk behind the falls.
Horizon Airline discontinues service to McNary Airfield. Service was temporarily restored in 2007.
David Duniway dies and is commemorated in a profile written by his friend and former co-worker in Oregon historical preservation, Elisabeth Walton Potter.
Leslie Middle School opened its doors on September 19, 1927 on Howard Street. Over the years it added a swimming pool, gymnasium, and cafeteria and became a center of middle school education in Salem. At its peak enrollment, Leslie Middle School had an enrollment of 1,530 students in 1956. In this year, as the enrollment of the adjoining South Salem High School continued to grow, the school district decided to use bond money to build a new Leslie School at its current site on Pringle Road. After a prolonged legal challenge to this siting, the land was acquired and the new Leslie School was built at 3850 Pringle Road South.
The Elsinore continued as a movie theater until this year, when it is bought by a non-profit agency and converted into a performing arts center.
The Kansas City Royals baseball team drafts Matt Moritz, an alumnus of North Salem High School.
At Chemeketa Community College on Lancaster Drive, Building 1 is opened, housing the staff offices and campus bookstore.
Bob Packwood, a highly respected Oregon US Senator since 1968, resigns his seat due charges of ethical misconduct.
Oregon has its first state-wide vote-by-mail election in the United States.

Salem in 1992

2010-07-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

1992
World events

Bill Clinton is elected president.
Eurodisney opens in Paris
Queen Elizabeth II regrets this year as "Annus Horribilis" for the royal family amid scandals.

In Salem
The 1914 Craftsman bungalow (above) was built for Walter Buchner, but was sold by the family in 1942 and split into apartments during the war years when housing was scarce. After a series of occupants, tragedy struck this year: the house was firebombed, taking the lives of Hattie Mae Cohens and Brian Mock who were in a basement apartment. Their deaths were recognized in the national press where it was reported, "Four young people have been charged with aggravated murder, assault, arson and intimidation in the Sept. 26 firebombing of a basement apartment in Salem. The police say all are white supremacists with links to Oregon's highly visible "skinhead" community." Senator Gordon Smith, speaking in Congress, condemned the crime and loss of life.
Neighbors were not content that this crime of murder that took two lives should also destroy this historic house. After deliberation about what could be done, funds were collected and the house was purchased by Court-Chemeketa residents who renovated the property. It was sold to new owners who have continued to maintain and improve it. Those who worked hard in 1986 to create a historic district, and in 1992 to repair one of its properties, have remained alert to uphold the integrity of the properties and work with the Historic Landmarks Commission when exterior alterations must be made.

When you visit
The Buchner house is a private residence, but can be seen while walking along 14th Street, north of State Street, and turning right at the corner of Court Street. The Court-Chemeketa Historic Residential District has a variety of interesting properties. The Watts family owned a large area and two of their homes remain: one a grand Victorian and the other a small farmhouse with a history of bitter litigation. Mill Creek runs along behind Chemeketa Street residences, in one place so close the owners must have a bridge outside the back door in order to reach their rear property. Several Court Street houses, like the Griffith and Wiggins properties, can trace their ownership by the same family for several generations. Other houses, like the Waller, Collins-Byrd and Barquist houses have been moved into their present sites. Two active churches (St. John Lutheran and Court Street Christian) are in this district, and another (Chemeketa Evangelical) has been renovated into a residence. A slide show walking tour of Court-Chemeketa Historic Residential District is found on this SHINE website. The NEN neighborhood contains many more historic residences not in the district that can be located by searching DISCOVER by historic name, street or neighborhood name.

Note: it would be greatly appreciated if a photograph of the grand, three-story Victorian house of the Barr family could be located. It stood at the corner of Court and 14th Streets and was demolished before 1945 when St. John's Lutheran Church purchased the property.

Other events

The 1925 Elks Club (above) is purchased by the adjoining First United Methodist Church and renamed MICAH (Methodist Inner-city Community Activities House). It now houses offices and church archives.
James Norman of ODOT takes many photographs of historic properties. They are found on the Oregon Historic Photograph Collections.
A special Sesquicentennial Founders’ Day Weekend is held at Willamette University. It was filled with special events that included the issuing of a commemorative U.S. postal card featuring Waller Hall, and the dedication Mark Sponenburgh's bronze sculpture, Town and Gown. The refurbished Victory Bell was rung 150 times to commemorate the anniversary. Later in the year, on September 10, the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center was re-dedicated. United States Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor was the keynote speaker.
SEDCOR (Salem Economic Development Corporation), formed in 1982 to manage industrial sector recruitment and assist with the expansion of existing manufacturers, was reorganized this year by merging with the City of Salem Economic Division. The private/public partnership allowed SEDCOR to expand partnerships with Marion and Polk Counties. The City of Salem contracted with SEDCOR for development of the Fairview Industrial Park and administration of the City’s Enterprise Zones. SEDCOR moved to 745 Commercial St. NE where it remained until 2009. It is now located at Chemeketa Center for Business and Industry, 626 High Street NE.
Keith Weathers became a guest conductor for the Salem Concert Band. The idea of the "In the Steps of Sousa" concerts was originally proposed by Keith this year and has become an annual tradition for their March concert.
State treasurer, James A. Hill, becomes the first African American elected to statewide office.

Salem in 1991

2010-07-25T12:39:00.001-07:00

World events

USSR collapses.
US and UN forces enter Gulf War with operation "Desert Storm".
Exxon pays one billion dollars to clean up Valdez oil spill.

North Capitol Mall before 1984

In Salem

By 1991 the North Capitol Mall was complete except for one more building that would be erected in 2002-3, the Capitol Mall Office Building. The undated photograph above was taken before 1984 when the state had not finished constructing buildings in the area within the dotted lines. The State Agriculture and Employment buildings are completed, facing south to Union Street. Residences remain in the blocks north, toward D Street (lower dotted line) between Capitol and Summer Streets. They will be moved or demolished by 199o for the Veterans' Affairs Building and for the Archives (see below) in 1991.
At left center of the photograph, where the creek crosses Capitol Street, stood the Cole house, now on Hood Street. To the north (toward the foreground of the photograph) was the Hinges/Kimball house, now a private residence at 1075 Capitol Street. The neighboring Parrish and Rockenfield houses, owned by the City of Salem, are at A. C. Gilbert Discovery Village. These properties are all designated as Local Landmarks.
Before the state construction, Parrish Street cut west across from Capitol Street, and many smaller houses on each side were moved to Williams Street. The small courtyard apartments on D Street (see them at left above dotted line) are in an adjoining Williams Street development created for them.
On the area between Summer and Winter Streets, the State Lands Building was completed in 1990. North Mall Office Building was constructed in the in 2002-3. Several houses on the east side of Winter Street escaped demolition: the historic Moon House and German Methodist Parsonage were moved to complex of older homes off D Street and completely renovated to retain their original integrity; the Stiff, Huntington, and McGilchrist house were incorporated as offices into the Capitol Mall Heritage Park at D Street between Summer and Winter Streets. This landscaped area bordering Mill Creek is landscaped for pleasant moments of reflection by this historic waterway.

When you visitPrior to 1946 no unified approach existed for preserving historical state records in Oregon. The Secretary of State had custody of the records of the Legislative Assembly and the Governor. All other departments and agencies cared for their own records or placed them in the State Library, however many were presumably destroyed. Moreover, the fire that destroyed the state Capitol in 1935 consumed additional valuable records. The 1945 Legislative Assembly allocated a small amount of money to start the program under the State Library. David Duniway was hired in 1947 as Oregon's first state archivist and served for almost thirty years. He set up shop in the basement of the State Library Building, developing policies and procedures designed to improve government record keeping and preserve the most valuable documents. Eventually, the operation moved into a large warehouse with four floors of storage. Further growth and the need for climate controlled storage areas led to the opening of the current Cecil Edwards Archives Building in 1991.

Other events

R.G. Andersen-Wyckoff becomes mayor.
This busy activity of the Salem Public Library is interrupted this year by a major renovation that caused the facility to temporarily relocate for several months during construction. One handsome addition of the main floor was the Heritage Room, the result of the generosity and the foresight of the descendants of two Salem Area families. It honors Max and Martha Gehlhar and Gov. Douglas and Mabel McKay. Handsome tables, chairs and cabinets were built by Dave and Bob Anderson as their contribution to the Heritage Room. The new Loucks Lecture hall was named for former mayor, Al Loucks, an active library supporter. Not so apparent to the public was the establishment of the library's database, with its Oregon Historical Photograph Collections (used generously in this feature).
Jim Scheppke is appointed the State Librarian. A parking garage as also added at this time.
The 1924 World War I Doughboy statue is relocated to the memorial park at the Veterans' Building.
The Salem Hospital becomes smoke-free.
Proposition 5 passes: Property taxes dedicated for school funding were capped at $15.00 per $1,000 of real market value per year, and gradually lowered to $5. Property taxes for other purposes were capped at $10 per $1,000 per year. Thus the total property tax rate would be 1.5% at the end of the five-year phase in period. The measure transferred the responsibility for school funding from local government to the state, to equalize funding.
A local ballot proposal to fund a riverside park and hotel on city property purchased from Boise Cascade is defeated.
The Willamette Landing condominium complex is completed on Water Street in North Salem offering housing directly on the shore of the Willamette River. The lack of interest in purchasing "condos" leads the owner to offer the units as rentals.

Salem in 1990

2010-07-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

World events

Nelson Mandela is freed in South Africa; Iraq invades Kuwait.
Major US companies announce they will on longer buy tuna caught in nets that trap dolphin.
"Driving Miss Daisy" wins Academy Award.

In Salem
The Capitol Theater, easily distinguished for the lighted dome of its marquee, closes this year. Twenty years later, even for residents who did not live here then, it is sad that such an attractive feature of downtown life could have been extinguished. However, when this theater and the Elsinore (around the corner on High Street) were built in 1926, silent movies were quite an exciting advance in entertainment. "Talkies" were the sensation of the early 1930s. Going to the movies continued to be the favorite leisure entertainment through the Depression with tickets only a dime. Movies we look back on as classics date from the late 1930s: "Gone with the Wind", "Wizard of Oz", "Grapes of Wrath". These were followed during the early 1940s by "Citizen Kane", "Casablanca" and "Mrs. Miniver". Then came young Elizabeth Taylor in "National Velvet", Ronald Reagan in "Kings Row" and the unforgettable duo of Bogart and Bacall in "To Have and Have Not".
But the public found it more convenient to stay home once TV entertained the family in the living room. By 1956 was announced that downtown Salem would be served by only two movie houses during the winter and that the Capitol and the Elsinore would operate only at night, except for Saturday and Sunday afternoon matinees. Movie theaters have gradually changed to suit special audiences, but the older houses like the Capitol were not able to adjust and so closed.

When you visit
Take a walk east on the south side of State Street, crossing High. The first structure you pass will be the Bligh Building (now La Capitale Restaurant) and then there is a small parking lot. Look at the back of the lot and you will see the impression of the theater building that is no more.

Other events

The NOLA (North Lancaster Association) neighborhood association is organized this year. One of the main residential streets is Hollywood Drive, between Sunnyview and Silverton Road. This beautiful 1925 home looks like a movie set: the French windows that line the front of the house make one imagine Fred Astaire is about to dance out with Ginger Rogers. Walter Davis built the house according to the design of his wife Ella, who loved to read "movie magazines", according to her niece, Edna Munson Karn. Edna's family lived with her grandparents on their farm, also on Hollywood Drive. Edna (with her brother and sister) moved in with the childless Davis couple when their own parents moved to West Salem for orchard work during the Depression: the children wanted to continue at Parrish School. Edna met David Karn at the Crystal Garden ballroom and after their marriage in 1947, they lived in a house they built next door to this property. They moved into this house in 1982. The fifth generation of the family visits to enjoy this park-like property in NOLA.
The North Gateway Redevelopment Board is established this year as a citizen group to advise the city on North Gateway Renewal Area projects. This 902-acre renewal area centers on Portland Road, once the main highway between Seattle and San Francisco. After the I-5 construction, the area had lost business opportunities and transportation problems that included poor traffic circulation. Due to railroad lines, some streets did not go through, or there were areas with only one access into an industrial area: that was a fire/safety hazard if one of the many trains blocked it. Projects in this renewal area also include rehabilitation for business to attract new investment and improved amenities in the residential areas.
The State Lands Building is erected on North Summer Street between D and Union Streets.
Salem’s Sesquicentennial Celebration observes the 150th anniversary of the founding of the pioneer Salem settlement. A series of activities enabled the whole community to join in the festivities. The Celebration Committee and other organizations scheduled events for all ages, and the Salem City Council’s proclamation officially recognized this special time in the history of our city.
The church building at 1760 State Street, now the Church of God of Oregon, celebrates a 100th anniversary.
In November, Barbara Roberts is elected as Oregon's first woman governor and takes office January 1, 1991.
The Northern Spotted Owl is listed as an endangered species by the US Department of Fish and Wildlife. This and other listings lead to drastic cuts in timber harvesting with a permanent loss in Oregon employment.
An initiative approved by voters requires seat belts for all occupants of automobiles, including car seats for young children.

Salem in 1989

2010-07-22T06:43:00.000-07:00

World Events

President Bush allocates $300 billion to prevent collapse of the savings and loan industry.
Berlin Wall falls.
Jerry Falwell announces Moral Majority, Inc. will be dissolved.
Dalai Lama awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
World Wide Web invented.

In Salem

In 1945, California Packing Company began developing a Blue Lake type bean and in 1963 opened a plant in Salem. They were the first to shift their entire bean production to these bush beans and they were delivered in bulk, eliminating the need for tote bins. Their Del Monte brand and shield was used after 1967. By 1970 the Salem Plant had grown to be the largest green bean cannery in the world. The company continued to grow and in 1979 merged with R. J. Reynolds, Inc. However, in the early 1980s, the company's bean production was moved to their production to their more centrally located Wisconsin plants. This photograph was taken in 1988.

When you visit
This site on Mill Street, directly south of the Willamette Heritage Center's Mission Mill property, is now the campus for students of Tokyo International University who attend classes at TIUA and Willamette University. Students use the sky bridge over 12th Street to reach the campus. The TIUA building is open weekdays and the public is free to eat at the Kaneko cafe'. The original residence hall and cafeteria have been remodeled which doubled the capacity. It is a LEED Gold certificate building. For tour information, call 503-373-3330.

This industrial property was donated to Willamette University and the buildings demolished. A city council zoning change made it possible for Tokyo International University of America (TIUA), after a 20-year exchange student and faculty association with WU, to build a Salem dormitory on these six acres. The grand opening ceremony of TIUA (Tokyo International University America) was September 8, 1989 with Mike Mansfield, former Ambassador to Japan, Oregon's Governor Goldschmidt, Salem's Mayor Neilsen, Willamette University President Hudson and other dignitaries in attendance. Sixty Japanese students and two professors participated in that year's American Studies program. This cultural experience, now over 40 years in operation, is designed to educate students in being global citizens. By living for a year in another country, as these foreign students do, they get a resident's view of the host country. Many former TIUA students have gone on to careers not only in America, but also in countries around the world. They carry with them the values of "Vision, Courage, Intelligence" that have been promoted within this educational experience.

Other events

The 1887 residence of Andrew Gilbert passed out of the family and, in 1947, was converted into apartments. By 1985, when it was in need of rehabilitation, it was purchased by the City of Salem as part of a future Riverfront Development Project. A. C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village acquired the Gilbert House through a no-cost lease and restored it with grants from the Meyer Memorial Trust and the community. The Museum opens on December 15 on this year.
A photograph taken this year shows the statuary eagle on the ground, ready to be placed on the rocks atop the Hatfield Fountain at the Bellevue Street entrance at Willamette University. At the base of the fountain there is a plaque explaining the symbolism of the eagle's nest.
Large national retailers such as Costco, Shopko, Wal-Mart, Target, and Home Depot recognize Salem's market potential and are opening outlets in suburban Salem, especially in the Lancaster Drive area.
Salem's roots in the lumber and textile industries are gradually giving way to high technology. In this year, Siltec, a computer chip manufacturer, establishes a facility here.
On May 27th, the YWCA in conjunction with Willamette University holds the first Cultural Diversity Conference on the Willamette campus to help raise awareness and promote sensitivity about equality, racial justice, violence against women, hate crimes, and affirmative action
The body of James Michael Francke, Director of the Oregon Department of Corrections, is discovered on the floor of the north portico of the Dome Building on January 18 and an autopsy determined he had been murdered. A local petty criminal was eventually tried and convicted for the crime, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. However, the convicted killer maintains his innocence, and several conspiracy theories have been advocated. A 1995 film, Without Evidence, was written by Gil Dennis and Phil Stanford, an Oregon columnist who has investigated the case extensively. It is also based on subsequent investigations by Kevin Francke, Michael's brother.
Willamette University football and country singer/actress Dolly Parton may not seem like a natural fit, but somehow the Country Music Hall of Fame found herself leading cheers for the Bearcats alumni football team in September. She attended the game as a friend of her business-associate Heine Fountain, a Willamette alumni who was coaching the alums. "I just love this part of the country," she told a reporter. "It’s always beautiful, and the people are always nice."

Salem in 1988

2010-07-21T04:24:00.000-07:00

World Events

US court indicts Noriega, Panama's leader on drug charges.
Pan Am flight 103 explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland with 270 fatalities.
"Phantom of the Opera: opens on Broadway.

In SalemOn the Liberty Street site of the former Sambo's restaurant, Joy Jones and Ron Phair pose outside the new Tudor Rose as it opens for business. For those who cherish an English ambiance, this is the perfect getaway for a British-style lunch or a cup of tea in the afternoon. A shop inside the entrance welcomes diners with gift selections one would find in a English village of the 1980s and the decor of the dining room matches that atmosphere with old-fashioned wallpaper, lace curtains, and table settings that include a tea-cozy for the pot. Located above the south side of Pringle Creek among the trees, diners can imagine themselves in a peaceful rural setting. Alas, to the regret of loyal customers of almost twenty years, it closed in 2007. below, a photograph taken just before demolition.

Pat Henderson has created a nostalgic look back at the closing days with illustrations from the creek, glimpses inside the dining room and scenes from closing days.

When you visit
Waterplace now occupies the site of the former Tudor Rose. This property includes land that was previously used for a motel and is directly across Liberty Street from the Civic Center. In the planning stage, a taller building was proposed, but residents in the adjoining SCAN neighborhood objected, for environmental reasons, during the City's Design Review process and the building was scaled back to its present height. During construction, its promotion hailed, "Innovative architecture and environmental stewardship blend together in a new mixed-use office and retail development that redefines how we work." The building is positioned to take advantage of the natural beauty along Pringle Creek. Completed in April of 2010, it will also house a restaurant, following the precedent of the Tudor Rose and the earlier Sambo's. Like these other establishments, its architecture and use has been determined by Salem's community acceptance.

Other events

Sue Harris Miller completes her third term as mayor of Salem and Thomas Neilsen is elected.
Mahonia Hall, the former Livesley residence on Lincoln Street, becomes the official residence of Oregon's governor. Purchased by private donations, it is maintained by the state. The governor and his wife occasionally open the house for guests invited for worthwhile community events and tours of the first floor are conducted periodically.
Sylvia Dorney, continuing the Greenbaum family business, changes the fabric store into a quilt shop, carrying fabrics, books, and notions for quilting and renaming it as Greenbaum’s Quilted Forest.
On Mill Street, dramatic changes are occurring in the block that has been industrial. On the south, the Del Monte cannery is closed and enclosed by a fence with two rows of barbed wire at the top. To the north, on the property that had been the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, the Mission Mill Museum association has begun renovating the Card Room and Spinning Room on the second floor of the mill building and adjacent Dye House.
The Salem Area Mass Transit District consolidates its administration, operations and maintenance activities on an 8.4-acre facility acquired and constructed with a combination of local, state and federal funds. In the next April, U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield and Governor Neil Goldschmidt officiated at the open house. In 2001, a permanent transfer station and administrative office, Courthouse Square, was built on the site. (At the present time, July 2010, structural faults in the parking bus parking area caused the transit center to be moved to a temporary location at the College and State Street intersection. The building itself will be evacuated by October for inspection of possible construction faults.)
Mano a Mano, a nonprofit agency, opened in Salem this year, providing English classes and social services for Salem's Latino community. Today the vision of Mano e Mano is that Latinos and low-income people of our community will enjoy a quality of life and attain a standard of living comparable to other Oregonians. The Family Center is now located in the James Ramsey III House, 1460 Capitol Street NE.
The Smothers Brothers, a TV popular comedy act comes the Salem for a performance.

Salem in 1987

2010-07-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

1987
World Events

Reagan visits Berlin, challenges USSR to "Tear down this wall!"
Jim Bakker resigns from "Praise the Lord" television network after misconduct is revealed.
California fires make thousands homeless.

In Salem
Recording Salem's past 150 years as a city requires a number of resources: family histories, personal remembrances, newspaper articles, city directories, official documents and compiled reports. Some of those used in this series are shown above. One if the most important has been Historic Salem An Inventory of Historic Places, the 1987 spiral-bound collection of 101 photographs with information about local properties of significance. Produced staff of the Historic Landmarks Commission under the leadership of Mark Siegel, and with the help of many trained volunteers, it remains a basic source of information about our architectural and cultural past. In the Inventory, properties are identified as being National Register, Local Landmarks or Potential Historic Resources. In the years that have passed, designations have changed, some houses have been demolished, others moved. The Inventory remains a valuable snapshot of the historical properties in the core of the city at that time: only 6 of the 19 neighborhoods were surveyed.
It is no coincidence that both Court-Chemeketa and Gaiety Hill/Bush's Pasture Park Residential Historic Districts are founded at this time. These were basically neighborhood enterprises, sponsored by their residents, many of whom were involved in the Inventory. Since the 1987 Inventory, only 24 designated properties have been added to the city's historic list.
Today, the Historic Landmarks Commission offers professional direction to owners of designated historical properties for making exterior alterations through Design Review by the Community Development Department staff recommendations and Commission approval. (Note: Design Review is outlined in five topics on SHINE. Scroll down the right hand column to begin with Owning Historic Property.)

When you visit
A catalog of properties individually listed as National Register or Local Landmark can be found on the DISCOVER website. It has been given that name because it reveals many interesting historic properties, not yet designated, in all 19 neighborhoods. On this website, you may search by neighborhood, street address or family name. Viewers are welcome to Comment on DISCOVER to correct or add information.
Walking tour slide shows of our historic districts are found here on SHINE.
Of course, the best way to enjoy our character of our city is to walk in the neighborhoods and urban parks to see for yourself the value of historic preservation.

Other Events

The Court-Chemeketa Historic Residential District (above) was established this year. This small area of two streets is limited on the east and north by Mill Creek, on the south by State Street and on the west by a 1984 barrier across 13th Street that eliminates auto traffic. This earliest "suburb", being separated from the early city center by Willamette University and the Capitol, was home to many of the pioneer families and reflects the domestic designs popular in the period between 1860 and 1937. Bonnie and Roger Hull led a resident group in the research and documentation necessary for this successful nomination to the National Register.
The Capitol Fountain is erected in North Capitol Mall with funds donated by former Governor Sprague.
The Frederick and Nelson Store, on the Liberty and Chemeketa Streets site of the former Lipman's, closes this year.
The Devereaux Apartments, managed by the St. Vincent de Paul Society, serves as a shelter for the homeless.
The star logo is prominently displayed on the walls of the Salem Centre Mall as the new second floor of Marion Parkade gives entrance into the retail stores.
The Stiff House, then located at 796 Winter Street was the residence of Governor Victor Atiyeh during his term of office, 1979-1987. There was no state-owned residence for governors at this time, whatever house the governor rented became the "Governor's mansion." After Ateyih's term, this became headquarters for the Department of Environmental Quality for the State of Oregon. It has now been moved slightly north to accommodate the North Capitol Mall Office building.
Kathryn Gunnell, a prominent Salem personality and noted photographer dies this year. Leaving no heirs, her professional collection was left to the Marion County Historical Society.
The death of another notable woman this year is that of Edith Sterrett Green, a Willamette University student and former teacher in Salem schools for eleven years. In 1954 she was elected to the United States House of Representatives from the 3rd District.

Salem in 1986

2010-07-18T08:57:00.001-07:00

1986
World Events

Space shuttle "Challenger" explodes on take-off killing 7 astronauts.
Nuclear accident at Chernobyl sends radioactive particles over Europe.
Reagan administration reveals secret Iran arms supply.
Les Miserables wins 8 Broadway awards.

In Salem
After a fund drive effort of six years, the Mark Hatfield Library at Willamette University opened with a dedication on September 4 this year. Willamette's original library was established in 1844, two years after the school was founded. The library was housed in Waller Hall before moving to its own building (now Smullin Hall) in 1938. The academic library is named in honor of former Senator Mark O. Hatfield, a 1943 graduate of Willamette and former member of the faculty.
Dr. Daniel J. Boorstin, Librarian of Congress, gave this tribute:
"Following the trail of the early settlers and missionaries who found their way to your beautiful valley, Willamette University continues to awaken explorers of the mind. Mark Hatfield has carried the best traits of the missionary and the explorer to the nation's capital. To the deliberations of the Senate he has brought a large vision and a broad culture. There can be no more appropriate tribute to Willamette University's effort to educate the whole man than the Mark O. Hatfield Library."

When you visit
The two-story, redbrick building has abundant glass that brings light inside to the reception lobby, the 24-hour study and private areas, and to the materials collections. The library is one of the first academic libraries on the west coast to automate its card catalog and circulation systems. Of special interest is the portion of the second floor housing the public papers and, on display, the personal memorabilia of the career of Senator Hatfield.
In the Plaza before the main entrance there is a handsome Clock Tower and flowing west along the north side of the building and continuing across the campus, is the historic Millrace. This diversion of Mill Creek brought early waterpower to the industries of the growing city and is a dominant landscape feature of the center of the campus, redesigned when the library was erected.

Other events

Gaiety Hill/Bush's Pasture Park, our first National Register Historic District is established this year. The bungalows (above) on High Street are a significant feature. A walking tour slide show is on the SHINE website.
In 1983, when Boise Cascade began cutting back its Salem operation, Chemeketa Community College was asked to help retrain employees. The project was so successful that the college combined several programs into a Training and Economic Development (TED) Center in 1986. The downtown facility (moved to a new location in 2009) is dedicated to the improvement of businesses and organizations throughout the Mid-Willamette Valley.
Two noted Salem cultural leaders of Salem retire this year: Wes Sullivan, Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Statesman Journal and popular chronicler of our city's history; and Carl Hall, after a nearly forty-year association with the Willamette University that resulted in his reputation as an educator as well as an artist.
A popular movie and TV star, James Garner, visits Salem during the production of a TV film.
Norma Paulus had been elected Secretary of State in 1976, the first woman elected to statewide office in Oregon. As Secretary of State she instituted Vote-By-Mail, the first in the nation. She was reelected to serve the maximum two terms allowed under the Oregon constitution. In 1986, she is the Republican candidate for governor, but loses by a small margin.
The Children's Discovery Room at the Salem Public Library, a project funded by the Salem Rotary Club, opens in December as a portion of the main floor of the Library devoted to allowing children to explore inter-active displays and learn about their surroundings.
The Southeast Mill Creek Association is organized. The neighborhood includes the area around the McNary Airport and extends south to Corbin University.
Starting this year, the Salem Center retail mall added the theater complex at the intersection of Marion and High Streets as well as the pedestrian sky-bridges between JC Penney's and the south building. Shortly thereafter the remaining sky-bridges were built: Marion Parkade to Mervyn's; north building to Meier and Frank; over Center Street connecting the two mall buildings.

Salem in 1985

2010-07-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

In 2010, the mayors of Kawagoe and Salem renew Sister-City contracts after 25 years.

1985
World events

Gorbachev begins "glasnost" policies in USSR allowing more civil freedom.
Argentina puts former military leaders on trial for crimes against citizens.
Artist Christo wraps in canvas the Pont Neuf Bridge in Paris.
University of California at Berkeley gains more evidence of a "black hole" in our galaxy.

In Salem
Mayor Susan Miller welcomes Kawagoe, Japan as a potential sister-city to Salem in 1985. The delegates from each city visit the other, determining if there is compatibility in promoting mutual cultural, educational and economic civic goals. A few months later the contracts were signed. This has proved to be our most lasting sister-city relationship as twenty-five years later, in July of 2010, a delegation from Kawagoe returned to renew the contract. A warm mayoral handshake followed the official signing. Our second female mayor, Janet Taylor, does the honors in 2010.
This was not our first sister-city, and is not our only one at the present time. However, many friendships have been formed and many visits made between Kawagoe and Salem. Both our educational institutions and our industrial enterprises have made firm bonds for the benefit of both cities. Barry Duell, now a professor at Tokyo International University in Kawagoe, was profiled for a newspaper article in which he recalled his many years living in Kawagoe.

When you visit
During the Kawagoe delegation tour of the Civic Center, they visited the Japanese Court doll display that was their city's gift to us many years ago. You see it in the Peace Plaza entrance to our Salem Public Library.
The proclamation and contract signing were completed in the atrium of the Civic Center ~ the same place as the original agreement in Salem. When that was complete, the delegation and Salem representatives, including our present mayor, Janet Taylor, strolled out to the reflecting pool of the Civic Center, in weather as welcoming as the occasion, planted and dedicated a tree in memory of the occasion. You will see a granite plaque by the base of the tree when you visit. The names of the mayors and the date are inscribed.
To go to Kawagoe is a little more complicated. A flight out of Portland takes you to Narita in Japan. A visit to Kawagoe is easily arranged, as it is only a half-hour train ride from Ikebukuro in Tokyo.

Other events

At a residential fire this year, fireman Bob Benson was working his way through the tangle of the upper floor. The drug processing tenants had reconnected wiring to mask the use of electricity. Bob's oxygen tan on his back touched a live wire, sending electricity into his body. He remembers nothing except awaking on the ground outside, with his father-in-law, George Ventura, leaning close and asking if he were conscious. This scene was caught in this Gerry Lewin's Statesman Journal photograph. Bob recovered and is now serving with the department as a Captain. He and his wife have been active in collecting memorabilia and artifacts for the fire department exhibits in fire stations #5. #7, #10 and #11. A memorial for his father-in-law is at Fire Station #5 at 1520 Glen Creek Rd NW.
Russ Abolt becomes City Manager.
Willamette University also enters into sister-university relationships: with Xiamen University in Fujian Province of the People’s Republic of China, and with Kookmin University in Seoul, Korea.
Salem Plaza downtown is remodeled.
The former Odd Fellows Cemetery had been nearly abandoned by this year when local residents formed the entirely non-profit "Friends of the Pioneer Cemetery." The "Friends" have raised funds through grants and donations to keep the cemetery maintained. A Pioneer Cemetery website offers index listings of those buried at the cemetery including name, date of burial, birth, death and plot location.
The City of Salem purchases the Gilbert House as part of its future Riverfront Development Project.
The city purchased an additional 55 cfs of 1856 priority water rights from Boise Cascade after the water right transfer after the City of Stayton and the Santiam Water Control District challenged the water right transfer.
Jackie Winters, writing in 2000: "I started my business in 1985 which was a big undertaking and risk; leaving the comfort of a pay check to rely on your own ingenuity can be perilous at best. (My business,) Jackie’s Ribs, exists because of my mother. She loved Kansas City barbecue, and watching her eat it was a delight, especially for my father. She did not cook it herself, but my father would go to the barbecue 'joint' to get it; it was his gift to her."
The canning operation begun by the Paulus family ended this year.
Salem has excessive snowfall: 6.2" on December 1-2.

Salem in 1984

2010-07-14T15:34:00.001-07:00

Marion County Historical Society in the former Thomas Kay Mill Office

1984
World events

President Reagan visits China.
Democrats pick Geraldine Ferraro as VP running mate with Walter Mondale.
Bishop Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Apple's Macintosh is introduced.

In Salem
In the late 1940s, when proposals were made to demolish both the building that housed Oregon's capitol at statehood (the Holman Building, demolished in 1949) and the proposal to demolish Marion County's 80-year-old courthouse (which did happen in 1952), many Salem residents became upset at the loss of their heritage. Eventually, on July 11, 1950, they formed the Marion County Historical Society. Led by its first president, David Duniway, the society promoted historic preservation in Marion County as well as held educational programs and published booklets of Marion County history. It led preservation efforts for historic buildings such as the Jason Lee House, the Thomas B. Kay Woolen Mill and Historic Deepwood Estate.
It accomplished all this with a small membership and no home of its own: meeting notes record that it met for many years where a room in a church or business was available the next month. About 1980, the society began a museum in a small room of Mission Mill Museum. This effort expanded in 1984 when the society purchased the mill's old retail store and converted it into an office, library and small exhibition hall. A Grand (Re-) Opening of the society is held on April 26th.

When you visit
In January of 2010, the Marion County Historical Society merged with Mission Mill Museum to form the new Willamette Heritage Center on the campus they have shared for a quarter of a century. Mission Mill Museum will curate and produce exhibits and store the collection of artifacts that have been donated to MCHS and Mission Mill in the past. The former MCHS will become the library of local historical materials and genealogical records for both institutions. At the present time, documents and photographs are being archived and indexed for use at the historical society facility. When funds are available, they will be scanned for a website and available online. The library is open to the public for research Tuesday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday by appointment. Admission is paid at Mission Mill Museum.

Other Events

The Pioneer above the Capitol is re-gilded this year. Scaffolding is built around the statue above the structure.
Southern Pacific's steam engine 4449 went through Salem after returning from the Louisiana World's Fair in 1984. A photograph taken on that occasion shows the State heating plant in the background and the Thomas Kay woolen mill's retail store that has become the Marion County Historical Society this year.
Former mayor Vern Miller dies this year. Wes Sullivan wrote a tribute: "As mayor, Dr. Vern Miller led Salem to maturity as a city. Sitting in his tiny, windowless mayor’s office in a nineteenth-century City Hall in 1965, he had visions for Salem that went beyond its just being an adjunct to the statehouse. He had the courage and dogged determination to turn these visions into reality. He brought to his office as mayor the caring and the integrity that made him a fine and respected surgeon. And where he led, people followed."
Edith Schryver also died this year. A diminutive young lady traveling to Europe by ship was placed by mistake at the Children's Table in the Dining Salon. When she requested a glass of wine and was refused, the adult Edith Schryver insisted on being moved to another table. There she met Elizabeth Lord who would become her lifetime companion and partner in one of the pioneer landscaping firms of the Northwest, Lord and Schryver.
A less noticed death was that of 84-year old Ray DeAutremont, the last surviving of three brothers who led authorities on a nearly four year, worldwide manhunt. After conviction, they were incarcerated in the Oregon State Prison here in Salem, sentenced to life imprisonment. Their crime, known to history, as the 1923 "Last Great Train Robbery" was the hold up of the southbound Southern Pacific #13 near Ashland, Oregon. Four men killed and not a dime to reward the efforts of Ray, Roy and Hugh DeAutremont. Hugh, the youngest of the three, was paroled in 1958 and died less than six months later. The younger twin, Roy, died in Oregon State Hospital in 1983. Ray, the oldest of the twins, won parole in 1961 and died this year.
The original spire of the First United Methodist Church is replaced.
The City of Salem purchases 22 acres of prime river front property from Boise Cascade for the purpose of building a hotel. A citizen initiative later rejected the plan.

Salem in 1983

2010-07-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

Interior of Governance Center, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon

1983
World Events

President Reagan dubs the USSR an "evil empire" and proposes a defense system "Star Wars".
The US supports the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
M*A*S*H ends on TV.
First artificial heart transplant is attempted.

In Salem
Grand Ronde Governance Center, 34 miles west of Salem on highways 22/18 in Polk County, was formerly within the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation, established when several tribes of Native Americans were forced off their lands into this confinement. They were marched 263 miles from their homelands to Grand Ronde during 33 days of February and March of 1856. The US governing agency of the reservation was closed in 1925. The organizational structure was replaced by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, first incorporated May 13, 1935, and then terminated August 13, 1954 when the Western Oregon Indian Termination Act revoked their sovereignty. Kathryn Harrison, who has spent almost 25 years on the council, recalls each tribal member receiving $35 and being told they were no longer a sovereign people. She remembers that larger tribes with resources could go to Washington, DC and testify that they didn't want to be terminated. However, it was many years until Grand Ronde members could take part in a petition process which began in 1972. By that year, of their originally allotted 69,100 acres, only 2.5 acres remained, the tribal cemetery. Mrs. Harrison said the restoration was a justice issue that required educating government representatives, historical societies, and other tribes of the Grand Ronde's distinctive culture. The long years of tribal effort were rewarded when Congress restored the sovereignty of the Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes in 1983.

When you visit
In 1994 members voted to pursue gaming as a revenue source. A direct result of the successful Spirit Mountain Casino is the Spirit Mountain Community Fund established in 1997. Salem cultural and charitable enterprises benefit from part of the 6% of profits that are distributed in 11 Oregon counties. The casino entrance reminds visitors of the tribal culture; it features a representation of a tribal grandmother and child. The hall leading to the lodge is lined with interpretive historical displays. "You have to keep telling your story", Mrs. Harrison says. "Otherwise, people will forget."

The Governance Center of the restored Grand Ronde Community is located a few miles from the casino. The sunlit interior, seen above, features a historic canoe. The design of the Council Chamber recalls traditional Native American council chambers. An impressive memorial to tribal members of the US military forces stands near the Governance Center.

Other events

Ralph Hanley retires as City Manager and Russ Abolt, his assistant, is appointed.
Our Police Department is one of the first in the nation to sponsor a local celebration of "National Night Out", an opportunity for a neighborhood start a special community project in their area with a goal to complete on National Night Out. Some areas have neighborhood clean-up, graffiti paint-overs, expand Neighborhood Watch or other neighborhood problems as their project. Some block parties sponsored food drives, neighbors bringing canned food donations.
Salem Electric provides a Member Assistance Program for 100 member families to receive help in paying their utility bills during an exceptionally cold winter.
Willamette is selected by a U. S. News & World Report poll of college and university presidents as the best small comprehensive university in the West.
The rodeo is discontinued the State Fair.
The Salem Parkway is completed, allowing 99E traffic to exit I-5 and enter Salem north of the city at Broadway, Commercial or Front Streets. This is an additional by-pass of Portland Road, the traditional entrance to the city.
The Salem Cultural and Tourism Advisory Board is established to advise the City Council on matters pertaining to the use of the transient occupancy tax, cultural activities and convention/tourism business in Salem. The board encourages development of a unified approach to the promotion of Salem; recommending an annual budget to implement such activities; and reviewing and making recommendations on the performance of contractors funded by the transient occupancy tax.

Salem in 1982

2010-07-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

1982
World Events

Canada's Constitution Act severs all legal ties to Great Britain
Our national Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated.
Princess Grace dies in auto crash.

In Salem
Keizer is incorporated as a city in this year. Many times the City of Salem tried to annex the growing community adjacent to its city limits. Beginning in 1964, a number of Keizer residents tried to convince the others that it would be cheaper and better to form their own city. It was not until November 2, 1982, when, with the support of the nearby of Clear Lake, residents voted to make Keizer a city.

The original settlement was at Keizer Bottom, near the banks of the Willamette River. The community was named after Thomas Dove Keizur, one of its first settlers. Somewhere in the translation of donation land claim records, his name was misspelled. The settlement suffered in the flood of 1861, and the inhabitants rebuilt their homes on higher ground. Other early settlers of the area were the John Zieber family, whose home was on Clear Lake, St. Paul Road. Zieber bought rights to the property in 1854 and completed the claim. Part of the house was originally a log cabin built in the late 1840s. He was the maternal grandfather of A.N. Bush, who used to stay there as a boy. Stuart Bush demolished the house in the late 1940s to replace it with a modern dwelling.

When you visit
The annual Iris Festival takes place in May and showcases Keizer's iris-growing industry.The festival was founded by Schreiner's Iris Gardens, one of the country's largest retail iris growers, and has been facilitated by the Keizer Chamber of Commerce since 1987. Events include a carnival, a beer garden, craft and food vendors, a 5k walk/run, a vintage car show, and a parade.
The Keizer Heritage Museum is inside the Keizer Heritage Community Center (above), which was formerly the 1916 Keizer School. The original location was the northwest corner of North River and Chemewa Roads, now Schoolhouse Square, a shopping mall. With city support through urban renewal funds and generous contributions of volunteer time and money, the building was moved between 1996-9. It has been completely restored and is the only public historic building in Keizer. Other tenants of the building include the Keizer Community Library, the Keizer Art Association and gallery, and the Keizer Chamber of Commerce.

Other events

Susan Miller, our first female mayor, is elected.
A new pagoda/bandstand is dedicated in Willson Park.
The imposing First National Bank at Chemeketa and Liberty Streets, designed by Pietro Belluschi, becomes the First Interstate Bank. This institution closed in 1996.
Salem's involvement with prunes was chiefly with Italian, or "purple plum," prunes. In the depression of the 1930's, canned prunes were the cheapest fruit one could buy, but in later years the market swung to pears and peaches, and fewer prunes were canned. After 1982, housing developments took over most of the land formerly used for prune orchards.
The YWCA receives the Salem Human Rights Award for its work with Southeast Asian refugees.
Mission Mill Museum Association and Salem Art Association enter an agreement to turn the mill into a center for research and development of textiles known as Northwest Textile Center.
As enrollment grew at Chemeketa Community College, so did the number of programs offered. In the eight years between 1974 and 1982, the campus added six new buildings to house the growing enrollment and the new programs. To better serve the district's population, the Dallas, Santiam, McMinnville and Woodburn campuses were established.
Waldo Middle School, in the Lansing neighborhood, was selected to pilot computer assisted instruction at the middle school level, receiving four Apple II+ computers, the first in the district.
The Statesman Journal records that Ernest Clark, Sr., Salem's oldest native-born son, rode as Grand Marshall in the city's celebration of the 125th anniversary of its founding by Methodist missionaries.

Salem in 1981

2010-07-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

After a much-publicized outbreak of violence on Front Street, police officer Leon Colas stands outside the Oregon Museum Tavern. A shooting inside the tavern the night before, May 8, had left four persons dead and 19 injured. Other photographs taken at the time show an injured person carried out on a cart, another in her hospital bed and the Marion County District Attorney, Chris Van Dyke answering questions from media reporters, cameramen and photographers.
The police arrested a resident of Lyons.

The same site today (to the left) is a trucking facility, now advertising for a new tenant. One tavern still exists on Front Street, but the two-mile stretch from North River Road south to Trade Street is truly mixed-use. Residential streets fan off from Front at its northern beginning across from Fred Meyer; small businesses, commercial service suppliers and state offices line the avenue until the Salvation Army facility at Academy Street.
A turn to the right here will lead to the adjacent Water Street and a large residential apartment complex on the Willamette River.
Back on Front Street, the railroad track joins the auto traffic at Norway. Larger trucking and storage warehouses are adjacent to Truitts, which borders Mill Creek near the Market Street intersection. At Union Street, there is a jog to the right (see below) and the first traffic light for almost two miles. Continuing south, Front Street passes our cultural attractions of A.C. Gilbert Discovery Village and Riverfront Park before its end at Trade and Commercial Streets.
Front Street is part of a City of Salem urban renewal overlay designed for the future: selected properties between the Union Street and Mill Creek to be developed for residential, waterfront condos.

Other Events

In 1980-1, Front Street is widened from Trade to just beyond Union Street where a left lane, crossing Division Street, continues north on Front Street, widened for one more block. The diversion to the right continues to Commercial Street and so on to Liberty to continue north. This is the historic core of the city: you cross Mill Creek, then Boon Store is on your right. Across the intersection with Broadway is the original site of the Jason Lee house.
The highest temperature of Salem's history is recorded at 108 degrees.
Newberry's Department Store, fondly remembered for its lunch counter and "soda fountain" closes; Lipman-Wolfe also disappears from the City Directory. (Miller's long run (1921-1972) had already ended.
The years between 1979 and 1981 were hard for Chrysler Corporation and Roberson Motors, Inc. Several factors led to the near-bankruptcy of Chrysler Corporation: a deep recession, high unemployment, high interest rates, low housing starts, and the popularity of Japanese products.
Jerry Falwell (1933-2007) comes to visit. Rev. Falwell was a fundamentalist Baptist preacher and co-founder of the Moral Majority, a 1980s political organization with the agenda of advancing evangelical Christian-oriented political action.
Frederick S. Lamport dies at the age of 90. Mr. Lamport was a Salem lawyer and banker; he practiced law with Charles McNary and served in the Legislature in 1951 and 1953. He left a million dollar trust for the Acute Care Center at Salem Memorial Hospital. The Lamport residence at 590 Lower Ben Lomond Drive in the SCAN neighborhood was successfully nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
While looking for a joint venture of a business nature, Barney spotted a picture in the Statesman Journal of Gerry taking a huge bite of chocolate cake while judging the Gerry Frank Chocolate Layer Cake Contest at the Oregon State Fair. From this picture and Gerry's near-famous love of chocolate, came the idea to start an Austrian-style Konditorei, which in short stands for "a place for coffee, confection, and conversation". It has been in the same location at 310 Kearney Street SE since this year.

World Events in 1981

President Reagan inaugurated, Hostages freed in Iran.
Columbia orbits earth and makes the first successful shuttle landing.
Sandra Day O'Conner appointed to US Supreme Court.
Deadly AIDS identified.

Salem in 1980

2010-07-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

1980
World Events

President Carter's attempt to rescue our embassy hostages held in Iran fails.
Republican Ronald Reagan is elected president.
Olympic Games in Moscow are boycotted by 50 nations.

In Salem
The character of downtown has now developed from local street-front merchants to commercial malls, enclosed areas filled with franchises of name-brand enterprises where the entrance is often through a parking structure. The state buildings are rising ever northward from the Capitol: the Employment and Agriculture buildings are north of Union Street and future major state construction is planned for the Mill Creek area bounded by Capitol, Summer, Winter and D Streets.
Residences just outside the traditional core of the city, the older neighborhoods of the 1920s-1930s, are being by-passed by newer residential developments, especially those further south. Fifteen of our nineteen neighborhoods have organized into associations; two more will be established this year. The photograph above is a home in one of these, Croisan-Illahe.
This romantic English cottage is nestled among large oak trees, Croisan Creek running through the front yard of the home. It was built on the original Donation Land Claim of Henry Croisan who joined a wagon train for Oregon in 1846 and established a homestead here, three miles southwest of Salem. After a successful 1849 search for gold in California, he returned to farm on the original claim. The Croisans sold parcels over the years and in 1930 sold almost an acre to Earl S. Sandifer. This home, which he planned with his wife, was completed by new owners, Nels and Olga Tonning. Among the guests in their more than thirty years of hospitality were John Croisan and his wife who had lived in the old homestead on the back of the property. The property changed hands once again in May of 1969 when current owners purchased the property.

When you visit
This is a private residence, so enjoy the view from Croisan Creek Road.
The neighborhood covers 2,504 acres in the South Salem hills and has about 700 residents. Its borders are Kuebler Road, Croisan Creek Road and South River Road. The Association area is almost universally residential. Within the boundaries is one developed City Park, Nelson Park, and City owned land for a second park adjacent to the Bailey Ridge subdivision on S. River Road for future development. The Croisan-Illahe area offers easy access to Minto Brown Island Park, downtown Salem, as well as the multitude of resources througout South Salem.

Other events

Population reaches 98,830.
South Salem neighborhood is also established this year. Pioneer Cemetery is located here as well as the historic Salem Heights properties. Notable family residences are historically associated with the names Calaba, Thompson, Taylor, Nohlgren and Falk. The original owners of Buttercup Hill on Sunnyside Road are yet to be discovered. These have already been described in earlier years of this series.
Nordstrom Mall is completed downtown, bringing another nationally recognized name into the local business market.
One of the aeration ponds of Windsor Island is photographed this year. The towers and buildings of the Willow Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant are mirrored on the water's surface. Since 1976, the facility has been improved with a larger capacity and a significant reduction in discharged pollutants into the Willamette River.
Two local newspapers, the afternoon Capitol Journal and the morning Oregon Statesman, having already merged into the Gannet Company in 1974, now unite into one publication, a morning newspaper named the Statesman Journal.
Two books published this year: from the Oregon Historical Society comes Thomas Cronise ~ The Art Perfected; author Elizabeth McLagan introduces A Peculiar Paradise: A History of Blacks in Oregon, 1788-1940, published in Portland by The Georgian Press. Both are important resources in learning about Salem's cultural heritage.
At Willamette University, an $18 million fund raising drive begins. This project will sponsor the renovation of several major academic buildings, campus grounds will be improved and the Mark O. Hatfield Library built.
Salem representatives of the Salvation Army attend the national 100th Anniversary Congress in Kansas City.
Mount St. Helens erupts with fall-out apparent here in Salem. (Comments on the eruption's effect in Salem are welcome.)

Salem in 1979

2010-07-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

Cherriot buses in Salem, 1976

1979
World Events

The Islamic fundamentalist government of Ayatollah Khomeini replaces the Shah of Iran.
Hurricanes struck Florida.
Two plane crashes kill over 500 Americans.

In Salem
Cherriots had been the name and logo for local Salem buses as early as 1966. According to Clarence Pugh, writing for Salemhistory, the name "Cherriots" was chosen from an entry by Kenneth Yost in a contest and he was awarded a $50 gift certificate. New buses were purchased and upgraded service was begun with A. R. Hampton as first Transit Superintendent for the City of Salem. However, the use of private cars had multiplied after World War II, suburbs had spread beyond established bus lines and gas prices were uncertain. Growth of bus service was slow in the 1970s with 22 buses and 3500 riders during the weekdays: adult fare was thirty cents. In order to serve the public better, the bus system needed to be a separate entity with its own funding. This came about through the creation of a Transit District this year through an Oregon legislative act.
Oregon Legislature passes Senate Bill 462 providing a procedure through which the voters could create transit districts with an outer boundary no greater than the Urban Growth Boundary of a city. By a 3 to 1 ratio, the voters within the Salem Urban Growth Boundary approved a ballot measure on November 6, 1979, creating the Salem Area Mass Transit District encompassing the City of Salem and unincorporated areas of Marion and Polk Counties. At this same election, 5 of the 9-member Board of Directors were also elected. Subsequently, the Salem City Council appointed 2 Directors from its membership and the Marion and Polk Boards of Commissioners each appointed 1 Commissioner to the Board.

When you visit
Courlette Hiscocks wrote the second half of the online history of the transit system with events after 1979 and leading up to the acquisition of the property of the former Senator Hotel and the building of Courthouse Square. "In November 1995, the District introduced a proposed project, Courthouse Square, on the Senator Hotel block, downtown, as a joint project with Marion County to provide the County with a centralized County Service Center and to replace the District's current transit transfer facility on High Street and move its administrative offices into downtown. The $30 million project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2000. The transit portion of the project is $9.844 million of which $7.675 million is from federal (FTA) grants."
Courthouse Square was completed in 2000 as planned, but has suffered a number of other complaints. Construction for shops along the north side of the block did not occur as expected, the size and style of the structure seemed out-of-place to many citizens, and, most recently, the transit center has closed because of unexplained faults in the foundation. Bus riders, who must make connections between various routes, are now being accommodated on Court Street in front of the Capitol. They will need a new, temporary, transit center while Courthouse Square is being repaired.

Other Events

Sue Miller is elected to the Salem Area Transit District Board at its formation this year. She found that not only did she appreciate the results of campaigning and setting public policy as an elected official, but she also enjoyed the campaign process.
Scott McIntire designs the first commissioned Art Fair poster; the fair begins with a parade and ends with a bagpipe procession, which becomes a tradition.
The site for Nordstrom Mall building is being prepared for construction bounded by Center, Liberty and Chemeketa Streets. Later in the year, a photographer catches work on the interior of the second floor
North Capitol Mall is extending beyond Center Street and further north on Summer Street with the construction of the Revenue Building.
As Vietnamese refugees arrive in Salem in large numbers, the YWCA implements programs in cultural integration, employment, secondary wage-earner projects, case management, and other programs to help them assimilate into their new environment.
One of the more amusing incidents in fair history occurred on opening day this year when a steer named Rufus escaped from his handlers, swam the Willamette River, and found his way to a cornfield, where he stayed for six weeks. Rufus became the fair's mascot, and was displayed, behind reinforced fencing, from 1980 through 1987. Sadly, Rufus died in early 1988 after he injured his leg.

Salem in 1978

2010-07-06T22:53:00.000-07:00

1978
World Events

The guerrilla Sandanistas revolt in Nicaragua.
Camp David Accords further peace talks concerning Israel.
First "test-tube" baby born, Louise Joy Brown of Bristol, England.
Garfield first appears as a comic.

In Salem
In our downtown, Urban Renewal is attempting to accommodate customers of the 1970s who need places to park their cars. Salem's business community of a century before had been built for residents who lived close enough to walk from their homes to shops and professional appointments, or lived in the upper floors of downtown buildings. However, the growth of the city had relocated families into neighborhoods that required automobile transportation. Along the east side of Commercial Street, the half-block south of the Chemeketa Street, had already been torn down for a Lipman & Wolfe (Liberty Plaza) surface parking lot quite a while before this Chemeketa Parkade came onto the scene. Here is a view looking west between High and Liberty Streets when it was almost complete. To the right of this photograph is Penney's and to the left is the First National/Wells Fargo Bank building.
In another photograph of this year, a sign identifies basic information about the building: "This four level, 720 space parking structure will open by November 15, 1978 for free shopper parking. After January 1, 1979, leased space on the top level only will be available for employee parking. Approximately 30,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space will be available upon total completion of the structure by March 15, 1979. This project is financed from a portion of the $6.8 million dollar tax allocation bond issue approved by City voters in March 1977. Total construction cost is $3,353,000.

When you visit
This structure is now very familiar. Several other parkades, sky-bridges and new stores were established in the next eight years until the downtown was complete with the conveniences and appearance it has today. Unfortunately, historic buildings were lost, or, in the case of the construction in this photograph, a significant portion of a building. The original Eldridge Block, with the same external decorations as the present Greenbaum's Quilted Forest, extended to Chemeketa Street and housed the Barnes Cash Store and Fry's Drug Store, among other prominent business establishments.
An interesting new element of downtown life today (2010) is that the city is now encouraging renovation and construction that will bring people back into the core of the city to live. Several condos have been built within a few blocks of the business and entertainment center and renovation of older buildings have offered apartments on the upper floors. Perhaps it will once again be a city where people walk (or bicycle) to work or just to enjoy downtown amenities.
During these years of urban change, the city established the Downtown Development Board (1976). In 1979, the Pringle Creek Project Advisory Committee was merged into it and, in 2005, the Parking Advisory Board. This joint Downtown Advisory Board advises the Urban Renewal Agency Board on matters related to urban renewal and tax increment fund allocations, and advises the City Council on matters related to the Downtown Parking District and the Parking Fund. Meetings are generally held the fourth Thursday of each month at noon.

Other events

Bob Moore, longtime City Manager, retires and the fifth, Ralph Hanley, is appointed. He develops an urban growth management system that is approved by City Council in 1979.
The Thomas Kay Mill that became Mission Mill has a very different aspect this year. The renovation included completely rebuilding the Dye House and other structures that had utilized the waterpower of the millrace. The mill turbine is refurbished to provide power. This work continued into 1983 under the direction of Anthony Reid.
Bob Koval, with a CETA grant, took a series of several hundred photographs of historic Salem homes, chosen by his own idea of what was interesting, unique or of historical significance. Some are still in existence, like the Pade House on 15th Street. Others have been relocated, like the Carleton Smith House. A few have been demolished, like the charming Queen Anne cottage on 4th Street. This collection of houses is invaluable to historians and researchers. We are fortunate that volunteers at the Salem Public Library, under the direction of Don Christenson, have carefully scanned each photographed, supplied a caption and added it to the Oregon Historic Photograph Collections.

Salem in 1977

2010-07-06T06:56:00.001-07:00

1977
World Events

The Torrijos-Carter Treaty was signed giving Panama control of the 1903 waterway.
Space shuttle "Enterprise" makes first manned flight.
Apple II first mass-market computer.
TV dramatizes "Roots".

In Salem
The history of our Art Fair begins in 1949 when the Salem Art Association's first Art Fair was held on the lawn of the old Marion County Courthouse, attracting 10 artists. For the next three years it was held in Willson Park on the Capitol grounds and at the Walter Kirk home. The fair moved to Bush House permanently in 1953 and the next two years were as informal as a clothesline sale around the Museum with 50 artists displaying their talents. As the number of contributing artists grew, displays became more professional and booths were constructed. By 1961 there were 100 artists and 7,500 visitors; by 1975 there were more than 320 artists. The next year it moved south of Bush Barn Art Center, having out-grown its old location. For that year it becomes the Great State Bicentennial Art Fair and Festival, thanks to an Oregon Art Commission grant, and 450 artists show up. Overwhelmed by so many artists in 1977, the fair initiates jurying and makes other changes, resulting in threats to fair officials. This year the Fair is called the Salem Art Fair & Festival for the first time.

When you visit
The Art Fair has continued to grow in size, now reaching over a considerable section of Bush's Pasture Park. But as it has evolved, there have been new organizational requirements to make the three-day arts festival sustainable. For the past several years, there have been temporary barriers around the display areas to guide patrons into designated entrances where donations were suggested. In 2010 there will be, for the first time, an admission fee during most hours of the fair. Because the fair can accommodate only 200 booths, the task of the jury this year was to select from 670 applicants the highest quality work in a range of mediums and prices. To accommodate as many artists as possible, three galleries at Bush Barn will have exhibits: Radius 25 will display artists living within that range of miles; Camus Gallery will feature regional landscape artists; Focus Gallery will present a local artist. The Fair now ranks 38th among more than 1200 art fairs in the nation.

Other events

Kent L. Aldrich became mayor.
A 1977 photograph of the Minto-Brown Park sign on South River Road reminds us of the contribution made by former Mayor Vern Miller in promoting the purchase of this 838 acre outdoor recreation area for the residents of Salem. Wes Sullivan wrote: "Another legacy to Salem of which Mayor Miller was most proud is the 800-acre Minto-Brown Island Park. Even though Salem voters refused to appropriate money for its purchase, he persisted in its acquisition. Many who treasure this unique adjunct to the city’s park system have forgotten that but for Mayor Miller’s tenacity, it would have been lost to future generations."
Ed Ritter retires after a long career in the building and wrecking business. His company handled many of the most important Salem demolition projects. After 1977 he continued to own the building materials and salvage portions of the business.
A plane crash near Vancouver, Washington takes the life of 63-year old Harry Eyerly, a respected local aviator. He was performing aerobatics for the Northwest Antique Airplane Club when the accident occurred.lishan,
Our 1972 library has many modern features, but the looking for books and research materials still require the old card catalog files.
Does Salem have a continual traffic problem, or was it only at Christmas this year that cars were bumper-to-bumper on Liberty Street? Snowstorms, like the one this year, causes a traffic problem on the Center Street Bridge.
Floods continue to damage structures in Salem. High water on Salishan Street forces Greg Jennings, a Leslie Junior High School student, to use a rubber raft to get to his mail box.

Salem in 1976

2010-07-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

1976
World events

Mao Zedong of Communist China dies; Irish Republican bombs explode in London.
The US celebrated its 200th anniversary; elected Jimmy Carter, as president
"Legionnaires' Disease" strikes in Philadelphia
Last US Convertibles roll out of Detroit, new Apple Company promises personal computers.

In Salem
A 40-year Salem controversy between a local cooperative, Salem Electric, and PGE over electric power service was resolved this year, bringing underground wiring to downtown. Salem Electric was founded in 1938 by a group of West Salem residents led by Harry Read. Mr. Read stubbornly refused to limit SE's growth into downtown Salem commercial area, linking its West and North Salem service areas. During 1968, after several years of discussions, Salem Electric and PGE reached agreement on service boundaries for the Salem/Keizer area. In 1972, Salem Electric received its third point of delivery, Brush College Substation, from Bonneville Power Administration, providing a 70% increase in the co-op's available capacity. In 1975, Salem Electric's Board approved a $1 million loan to continue its acquisition of the remainder of PGE facilities and for conversion of overhead to underground facilities in the downtown area. When the project was complete, Liberty Street gained this improved appearance (seen in 2007) as part of a revitalized business environment.

When you visit
Salem Electric has moved from its former headquarters adjacent to downtown Salem. In 1968, Salem Electric had constructed a new office building and warehouse located adjacent to the old headquarters on the northwest corner of Front and Union Streets. But in 1976, the City of Salem condemned the co-op's eight-year-old headquarters as a part of its Front Street widening project. The current headquarters are on Seventh Street in West Salem.

Other Events

Craig Metten provides a dramatic sight for pedestrians on the ground as he scales the First Methodist Church tower during repairs. The steeple is replaced at this time. An even more startling photograph is taken looking down at Craig and the street below at the intersection of State and Church Streets.
The new Equitable Building at Center and High Streets, rises above the one-story businesses to the south at Chemeketa Street. This new six-floor tower has a bank on the ground floor with offices above. But the real treat is the Loft Restaurant on top floor with downtown views. Unfortunately, the restaurant was open only a few years.
The Oregon State Capitol undergoes an expansion this year with wings at the north and south along State Street.
Karr's Tavern occupies the historic Boon Store; the renovation to contemporary use of this 1860 building is yet to come. The interior had the appearance of a living room in a residence. The 1846 Boon House had been removed to Mission Mill Museum property and placed on the National Register of Historic Places the year before.
Our McNary Airfield Air Control Tower receives an award for meritorious service by the Oregon National Guard. United Airlines is serving Salem this year.
In August, Salem residents enjoy rides over the city in a Goodyear blimp.
The Downtown Development Board is created this year.
A major rehabilitation of the Reed Opera House provides space for almost two dozen small retail stores in the basement and first floor. An attractive mezzanine opens the area for attractive vistas of the interior. Due to the attention being given to Salem historic preservation, the building is successfully nominated for the National Register in 1978. The Reed Opera House is featured on the Historic Downtown walking tour slide show on SHINE website.
Five neighborhood associations are organized this year: Morningside, Southeast Salem Neighborhood Association (SESNA), Sunnyslope, Highland and Grant. Neighborhood associations give Salem residents a voice in the workings and development of their local community and the city as a whole. The city maintains support of these organizations and provides information on the Neighborhoods page of the city website.

Salem in 1975

2010-07-02T06:45:00.001-07:00

1975
World events

Communists take power in Vietnam and Cambodia
Britain selects its first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher
"A Chorus Line" opens in NY; Computers and VCRs enter our homes, along with "pet rocks".
Gates and Allen start Microsoft.

In Salem
Hollywood came to town with the filming of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". The 1912 Dome Building of Oregon State Hospital (above) was the location for several scenes in the movie. Jack Nicholson played the leading role as R.P. McMurphy, a reckless young man serving a short prison term who is sent to a mental institution for observation. His baiting of the tyrannical Nurse Ratchet (Louise Fletcher) to make life easier for other patients leads to a tragic conclusion. A small part is played by Dr. Dean Brooks, the superintendent of the hospital. Dr. Brooks was initially reluctant for the film, based on Ken Kesey's book, to be made at OSH. However, after meeting the filmmakers he was relieved of his concerns and he even played a cameo role. Interior scenes were filmed in the Dome building and a few exteriors at the rear of the "J" building are seen in the finished film. The movie won five Academy Awards.

When you visit
The Dome Building, on the campus north of Center Street, is still used by the hospital. Some driveways are accessible, but the buildings themselves are not open to the public. In 2008 the whole OSH campus was listed as a National Register property in order to preserve the heritage structures. After lengthy testimony before the Historic Landmarks Commission, permission was given for extensive demolition south of Center Street. One of the buildings included in the renovation is the historic "J" Building across Center Street. The Dome Building is not threatened at this time.

Other events

An aerial photograph, taken early in the year, shows the Pringle Creek urban renewal area, looking northwest. The Lindsey Tower construction has not begun, but the traffic pattern on the new Pringle Parkway is evident. Traffic is moving on reconfigured Trade and Ferry Streets.
Concrete sidewalks make good bike paths in the new Pringle Creek urban renewal area south of Trade Street on this formerly industrial property. Another aerial photograph shows newly completed structures along Liberty Street: the Civic Center on the west and the Pringle Parking Garage on the east, set back from the street. The Plaza with post office and shops has not been built. Between Church and Cottage Streets is the SAIF Building. East of Cottage Street, Trade curves south around the new housing structure, later to be named Lindsey Tower.
The Lindsey Tower, providing housing for low-income senior or disabled residents, is completed, one year after the Salem Housing Advisory Committee was founded (1974). The committee advises the City Council and the Salem Housing Authority on housing goals and policies, including low and moderate income housing needs, housing assistance programs and Housing Authority budgets.
The Salem Social Services Advisory Board, founded in 1967, has many of the same goals: the Board advises the Council on social service needs and programs and monitors ongoing social service programs.
A photograph taken in June shows the completed exterior of Equitable Building on High Street.
Salem has the latest model of fire trucks to equip the new #1 Fire Station just completed, facing Trade Street at the Liberty Street intersection.
The doe and fawn sculpture has been put in place outside the entrance to the new Salem Public Library.
Toyota automobiles are being sold in a new building of Capitol Motors on Mission Street. This may be one of the first dealers selling Japanese cars in Salem.
The historic Bligh Hotel on State Street is demolished.
Two more local heritage properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places this year: the Boon House and Boon Store.
This year two more neighborhoods organize into associations: the downtown and most historic, core area of the city, Central Area Neighborhood Development Association (CAN-DO) and West Salem. (Unfortunately, there is no website link to West Salem neighborhood association.) However, this is a very active group and is unique in our city because the meetings (first and third Mondays, 7 p.m., Roth's IGA meeting room on Wallace Road) are held "town meeting" style in which everyone can votes on issues that are deliberated as neighborhood concerns. Other neighborhood meetings are conducted as Board meetings (usually about 15 volunteers) and those are only attendees who vote.

Salem in 1974

2010-07-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

1974
World events

Richard Nixon resigns, Gerald Ford becomes president and pardons Nixon.
OPEC oil rises from $4 to $12 a barrel; concern rises over nuclear energy.
Patty Hearst kidnapped; Muhammad Ali regains his boxing titles.

In Salem
The cannery industry continued to shrink. The Salem Fruit Union plant is razed for part of the urban renewal project creating Mill Race Plaza Park on the south side of Trade Street between High and Commercial Streets. No, the photograph above is not the 1974 scene at the southwest corner of Liberty and Trade Streets ~ but it was the vision. Photographs of 1974 show construction of buildings being completed and large landscaping projects underway. The open, raw acres are dotted with thin new trees and concrete blocks mark the edges of new paths for the waterways flowing through the city. In 1974, Salem is a city that is changing its image to become more welcoming to the visitor and provide more amenities for the residents, but it is losing a vital factor in its economy by the demise of its canning industry.

When you visit
Today it is hard to remember that for much of Salem's history there was a railroad track in the center of Trade Street. And it seems natural that Trade Street takes a curve southward into Pringle Parkway and onto Bellevue, traveling east between the expanded Willamette University campus to the left, Shelton Ditch and the Salem Hospital to your right. At 12th Street, we meet the natural barrier that our Southern Pacific railroad tracks have made. Turning north, Mill Street is on our right with Mission Mill Museum and the historic SESNA neighborhood. Turning south, we are just a block away from a left turn over an overpass taking us, without railroad interruption, to Mission Street and the east. But continuing two blocks south on 12th Street we reach Deepwood Estate and its gardens. This thoroughfare, creating in the 1970s, gives contemporary traffic easy access to important features of our city.

Other Events

The year begins with the flooding of Shelton Ditch into Pringle Park.
Cars wait in long lines for gas at local stations. The Capitol is the scene of protests concerning the gas shortage.
Politics is in the news this campaign year: Robert Straub, a candidate for governor of Oregon (he wins in November) has a booth at the state fair in August; Bob Packwood (already elected) congratulates a Baker City student for winning the Centennial Essay and Art Contest during that city's celebration. Mayor Lindsey helps out the Salem Bike Club by posing by an old-fashioned penny-farthing bike while members of the club watch from their own bikes.
The interior of Boon's Treasury Tavern is photographed this year. It will be successfully nominated for the National Register of Historic Places the next year and in 1988 will purchased by McMenamins as one of their historic commercial properties.
At the intersection of Pine and Front Streets, the Prime Rib Restaurant is photographed this year with customers seated by waterfront windows. For about twenty-five years, it was a popular place for family dining. Unfortunately, when it closed we lost our only city restaurant along the river.
Bush House and historic structures on the property are listed on the National Register. See 1877 description on this SHINE feature.
One more neighborhood organizes this year: Northeast Neighbors, known as NEN. The restructuring of Trade Street and the new uses of land south of Pringle Creek and Shelton Ditch continued to have an effect on downtown traffic and adjoining land uses. Particularly changed in the next dozen years was the residential section of Court and Chemeketa Street. One of our first "suburbs", these homes were located in a natural progression from downtown, Willamette University and the Capitol. It has a unique physical presence with Mill Creek at the north and to the east, State Street on the south, and the railroad to the west. In 1984, a federally funded street reversal project closed both streets with barriers at 13th Street, supplying a fourth boundary line. With in three years, resident historical research, led by Bonnie and Roger Hull, had produced a nomination for the National Register that created the Court-Chemeketa National Historic Residential District. A walking tour slide show of this district is found on this website.

Salem in 1973

2010-06-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

Salem enters the National Register this year: Historic Deepwood Estate

and the Mission Mill Museum of the Willamette Heritage Center

1973
World Events

The Vietnam war ends with a cease-fire, US troops leave.
Vice President Agnew resigns due to income tax evasion; Gerald Ford takes office.
The secret White House tapes are revealed during the Watergate Congressional investigation.
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries embargo oil, prices rise in US energy crisis.

In Salem
Salem appears on the US Department of the Interior's National Register of Historic Places for the first time with four historic properties at two sites: the 1894 Deepwood Estate, owned by the city, and the 1895 Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, a privately administered facility. The mill property includes two other historic building this year: the 1841 Jason Lee House and the Methodist Parsonage. Two other buildings, also moved to the Mission Mill Museum property, will be successfully nominated in the coming years: the 1846 Boon House (in 1975) and 1857 Pleasant Grove Presbyterian Church (in 1987).
These first local efforts for historical preservation are led by David Duniway, the state archivist and a founder of the Marion County Historical Society, and the members of that society. They meet in the former offices of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill.

When you visit
Historic Deepwood Estate is open for tours and many events during each year. More information may found on their website. Of special interest are the 5 acres of gardens partially designed by the Lord and Schryver landscape architects and maintained by that Conservancy. The historic Deepwood carriage house has recently been restored and will be used for exhibitions and other services.
The Mission Mill Museum and the Marion County Historical Society, on the same property, have become united in 2010 as the Willamette Heritage Center. Mission Mill Museum will continue to be the site for administration, exhibitions, cafe and the rented retail/office space. The former Marion County Historical Society facility will become the archive, library and information technology center. Only the Mission Mill Museum facilities are open at this time. The website gives information about exhibits and hours of operation.

Other events

Robert E. Lindsey becomes mayor.
In May, Grant Park, adjacent to the Grant Elementary School is opened.
Buildings on a High Street site, between Chemeketa and Center, are emptied in preparation for a new six-floor office building, the Equitable Center.
The Senator Hotel Building, on High and Court Street intersection, is sold to the state as an office. building.
In the Pringle Park urban renewal project, the SAIF building is complete, the Plaza building for shops and parking is underway. The area directly south of Ferry Street, between High, Church and Cottage is empty, awaiting new construction. The photograph of that year also included the area north of Ferry to State Street with the Methodist Church as a landmark, and to the east the US West Telephone building and the YWCA. A later photograph shows the parking garage nearing completion. Landscaping projects along Millrace completely change the appearance of this former industrial area.
In November, Shelton Ditch floods Bellevue Street and buildings along its shoreline.
At Oregon State Hospital, Griffith Hall is demolished. On Winter Street, a new wing of the Salem Memorial Hospital is erected. The massive, contemporary design stands at right angle to the former facility and indicates the architectural style of future construction and expansion.
Salem Iron Works, one of our first local industries, is photographed this year at the Front Street location at the State Street intersection. This would be near the current (2010) Carousel attraction in Riverfront Park. In addition to the heavy iron agricultural and mechanical equipment produced here, the company also manufactured many of the Victorian iron fences still used at historic residences in Salem. Another photograph of this year, shows the wood clip piles of the Oregon Pulp and Paper/Boise Cascade property to the south of the Salem Iron Works. This is also property that is now Riverfront Park.
Further to the north on Front Street, the United States Products Corporation continues as a cannery operation that will last under that ownership for two more years. New warehouses are built on the east side of Front Street.
As part of the urban renewal of the Hollywood District, a new Branch Post Office is dedicated by Mayor Miller.
Four neighborhoods organized into associations this year: NESCA (Northeast Salem Community Association), South Gateway, SCAN (South Central Association of Neighbors) and Lansing. Each neighborhood has a Neighborhood Services Specialist and staff liaison from the city assigned to assist them with communications, obtaining information, and better organizing.

Salem in 1972

2010-06-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

1972
World Events

President Nixon makes historic visit to China.
The "Watergate" break-in, political "cover-up" of responsibility.
11 Israeli athletes murdered at Munich Olympics, Mark Spitz wins 7 medals.

In Salem
The new complex of municipal offices and public library is complete. A four-year campaign had been launched by Mayor Vern Miller with Wes Sullivan as chairman of a 26-person committee. Citywide “grass roots” efforts were undertaken, especially to decide whether the site would be north of the city along Mill Creek or south of downtown. The bond issue passed and the southern site was selected. Above, a crowd has gathered on August 18 for the dedication of the complex. A band plays in front of the fountain while onlookers watch from the area between the city hall and the library and from the (then) porch of the library. A feature of the modern styled structure is a landscaped interior courtyard. The Civic Center also contains a collection of publicly owned art works. The Peace Plaza is a beautiful open space between the City Hall and the Salem Public Library. A parking structure that leads to the main entrance serves library patrons. As you enter, enjoy "In a Quiet Meadow", statuary donated this year when the library opened.

When you visit
The City Hall of the Vern Miller Civic Center houses several of the nine municipal departments including Administration, Finance, Legal (Municipal Court), Human Resources, Police and Community Development. The headquarters of the Fire Department is in Fire Station #1 across Pringle Creek on Trade Street. Other departments such as Public Works, Urban Development, Information Technology are housed elsewhere.
Citizens have the best opportunity to learn how the city government operates by attending City Council meetings. At the meetings, citizens may testify about issues they wish to support or of concern. Another way to effect city programs or services is by volunteering to serve on one of the more than twenty Boards and Commissions. Information about vacancies on Boards and Commissions is found on the city's website.

Other events

In the night before demolition, the clock in tower of the empty 1893 City Hall has stopped at 1:17. The tower of the 1893 City Hall is the last part of the building to be demolished.
On Marion Street, the unoccupied 1863 Dalrymple House awaits its fate. In preparation for moving the house, the second floor is lifted over the street by a crane, but it crashes to the pavement. A Statesman Journal photographer catches the moment of this spectacular accident. James Dalrymple and his wife had four daughters who married into prominent Salem families, leaving many descendants.
Sprague High School is dedicated in West Salem.
Eola Village is typical of housing for migrant labor that harvests crops outside the city. The Community Conservation Committee inspects the area for low income Turnkey Housing in Northgate Village.
North Capitol Mall is complete to Center Street with four state buildings and a lawn. Chemeketa Street is intact: the underground parking is yet to come.
On the Capitol steps, Governor McCall meets with employees after a shutdown of paper production at the Boise Cascade plant.
The Grier Building is erected at the former location of the 1842 Jason Lee House. A plaque inside commemorates the importance of this historic site.
South of Trade Street, urban renewal is creating new buildings and parks where there had been canneries along the south side of Pringle Creek. Groundbreaking ceremonies are held for the parking structure and the SAIF building construction begins. These downtown development projects would continue for three years.
At the Liberty Street bridge over Pringle Creek, a new restaurant is built: Sambo's. The Tudor Rose would replace this in a few years. Waterplace has now (2010) been built in this site.
On the northeast side of the same bridge, construction begins on Pringle Park Plaza.
Neighborhood Associations begin with Neighborhood Services Specialists and staff liaisons from the city assigned to assist them with communications, obtaining information, and better organizing. Faye Wright , an area annexed to the city only 10 years before, is organized this year. The 1920s house above (photographed in 2007) is associated with the Frank Hrubetz family for whom the road was named. Only a few old farmhouses remain today. Wendy Pyper, Chair in 2010, gives this description: " Thanks to the efforts of Phil Webb and Dean Orton, our association was created so residents would have more influence in land use issues affecting our area. It is alive and well today! Our neighborhood is a mix of apartments, affordable to up-scale single family homes, good schools and churches, parks and businesses. Populated by a diverse group of wonderful people, we have a low crime rate and few issues of concern. We believe this is one of the best places in Salem to live, work and play!"

Salem in 1971

2010-06-28T04:46:00.000-07:00

The Marion Hotel in the 1920s

The ruins of the Marion Hotel 1971

1971
World events

The Vietnam war extends into Laos; 7000 arrested for D.C. protest activities.
Roe vs. Wade legalizes abortion.
Cigarette ads are outlawed on TV.
Billie Jean King is the first female athlete to earn $100,000 in one year.
Amtrak begins operating US railroads.
Oregon Forestry Practices Act requires the replanting of harvested trees.

In Salem
On November 12, a fire in the historic old Marion Hotel left it in ruins. Another photograph, taken from the air during the fire, shows smoke rising from the gutted building: the sign for the Velvet Horse Lounge is still in place above the ruins. In 1870, when the doors of the Chemeketa House opened it brought Salem a new age of genteel luxury and elegance. On December 26, 1970, the Chemeketa Hotel, since renamed the Marion hotel, celebrated its centennial. The secrets of a century were hidden inside the old building at Commercial and Ferry Streets SE. The tradition was still there in the old portion of the building: 50 of those high-ceiling rooms were furnished in antiques dating back over the history of the hotel.

When you visit
A motel and restaurant was built on that site, but closed before 1999. The 2005 Conference Center, facing Commercial Street, and Grand Hotel on Liberty Street stand there today. In the Conference Center, on the Ferry and Commercial Street stair landing, there is an interpretive panel giving more information about the hotel at this site. It also outlines the social and political importance of building that once stood at this intersection.

Other Events

The urban renewal of the Hollywood district in North Salem begins. In June, the Hollywood Theater, which gave this suburban business neighborhood its name, was demolished. The Highland neighborhood has produced an excellent online history of Hollywood's transformation.
The Gideon Stoltz Company, the pioneer of our canning industry, a malt beverage distributor, moves to a modern building at 2445 North Liberty Street.
The 1870 Murray Wade house, third oldest house in Salem, is moved from its original location on Liberty Street (in the same block as Boon's Store) to John Street in South Salem. The house had also been occupied by Murray Wade, the son, a well-known newspaper cartoonist and publisher of the Oregon Magazine for 45 years. Soon after the move by its owners, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Newman, it was photographed in its new location.
The city purchases the 1894 Deepwood property. The five-acre estate was originally part of the circa 1889, 220-acre Yew Park subdivision; the Queen Anne styled house designed by William C. Knighton.
An aerial view of the state fairgrounds this year shows the horse racing track, exhibition halls and carnival midway. The giant parking lots are surrounded by suburban residential neighborhoods. Buildings destroyed by the fire three years before have been replaced. Senator George McGovern of South Dakota visited our Oregon State Fair and shared opening day activities with Governor and Mrs. McCall. In the next year, he would lose the presidential election to Richard Nixon. The Watergate controversy began during this campaign and would lead to the resignation of President Nixon before his term ended.
Construction for the Civic Center south of Pringle Creek between Commercial and Liberty Streets begins. A photograph shows the placing of the triangular concrete pieces that will surround the fountain in the plaza between the new library and city offices. In the distance, the old City Hall still stands. A current Bing aerial map shows the fountain and Civic Center in 2010.
By June, the new Fire Station #1, adjacent to the Civic Center is complete and in use.
Roger Tofte, artist and draftsman with the state highway division, took his hobby and turned it into a career as the created the Enchanted Forest Amusement Park south of the city. In the next year, he quit his job and devoted his talents to creating family-friendly attractions and rides.
The Bush-Brey building is remodeled to include a bridge to an addition in the back and a garden courtyard for the Busick Court Restaurant on Court Street. The woodwork on the second floor is restored, the design of windows changed and the northern skylight that had served the former Cronise Photography Studio site for sixty years was removed.
Cherry picking is still an important source of income for many Salem families and for migrants who come for seasonal work. Young people of all social classes, make spending money in this summer activity.
Mrs. Charles Sprague attends the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Sprague High School in South Salem on Kuebler Road.

Salem in 1970

2010-06-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

1970
World events

"Highjacking" of airliners becomes a danger
Ohio four students are killed at Kent State during a protest against the war in Vietnam; two years of Peace Talks continue.
Earth Day is inaugurated; Environmental Protection Agency created; Clean Air Act passed in Congress

In Salem
The Salem Public Library is part of the new Civic Center being built on a hill south of Pringle Creek. Hugh Morrow was completing a thirty-three year career with this visionary project that is completed before he retires in 1972. Mr. Morrow came to Salem in 1939 as director of the Salem Public Library. He had a great interest in history, was a member of the Oregon Historical Society and a founder of the Marion County Historical Society. He was the first president of the Oregon Library Association and secretary of the Downtown Rotary Club for 15 years. Mr. Morrow died July 20, 1990. He was an outstanding cultural leader and an honored member of the Salem community.

When you visit
Mr. Morrow is remembered at the library today by a collection of historical materials located to the right of the Heritage Room. These shelves contain not only books and pamphlets about Salem, many by local authors, but our City Directories including editions from the 1890s to the most current. For anyone doing genealogical or historic property research, these resources are invaluable.

Other Events

A new fire station on Lansing Avenue is completed in May. The Lansing area had been annexed into the city in 1920, but it had remained rural farmland until after the accelerated residential boom of the 1950s and 1960s that transformed farmlands surrounding the city into suburban neighborhoods. Because of the increased population between Market Street and Silverton Road, Lansing would, in 1973, become one of the first neighborhoods to become a recognized association.
In July, a photographer snaps a dramatic picture of the traffic congestion on the Center Street Bridge ramp as cars make their way into Salem. The problem of traffic remains a concern (2010) with only one way for automobiles to cross in each direction. The project to remodel the Union Street Railroad Bridge and Trestle for pedestrians and bicycles was approved by the City Council when the plans included a provision for emergency vehicle use. A "Third Bridge" has been in the planning stages for a number of years and will need considerable federal financing to be a future reality. In 1966, a Citizen's Advisory Traffic Commission was established that meets to address all concerns about traffic on our roadways and make recommendations to the City Council in the area of traffic movement and safety. The nine appointed members meet as needed, usually on a Thursday at 7 pm.
In November, a groundbreaking ceremony is held to begin the construction of the new Statesman Journal building at the corner of Chemeketa and Church Streets. A photograph features Jenny Mainwaring, Blanch Sprague and Wendell Webb.
Miller's Department Store closes in the historic Reed Opera House. A major rehabilitation of the retail space would not occur until 1976.
1970 City Council meetings are conducted with a slightly different physical layout than in the Civic Center of two years later. Mayor Miller, City Administrator Moore, and the city attorney are seated on a raised platform at the front of the chamber with four councilors on each side (as would be continued). Directly in front of the mayor, also facing the public, sit the city recorder, Betty Marsh, and secretary to the administrator, Mary Brady. Historically, the City Recorder had an important position in Salem city government, keeping records of meetings, being ex-officio clerk of the common council and assessor. The recorder previously had jurisdiction over all violations of city ordinances and presided in the absence of the mayor. It was an elected office from 1857 to 1964 when it became a position appointed by the City Administrator. An amended charter was approved by the voters in May 1996 and in June 1996 an ordinance was passed that created the office of City Recorder with in the legal Department.
Christmas lights decorated the old City Hall for the last time in 1970.

Salem in 1969

2010-06-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital, 1910-1963

Western Baptist Bible College 1969, now Corban University

1969
World events

"The Eagle has landed", Neil Armstrong on the moon
President Nixon begins "Vietnamization" to disengage US from Vietnam War
Manson indicted for "Helter Skelter" murders in Los Angeles
Woodstock Music & Art Fair, "Hair" is popular song.

In Salem
This year a Bible Institute located in California since 1946, changed its name to Western Baptist Bible College and moved to Salem. One of the main buildings, seen above, was originally constructed for The Oregon Deaf-Mute Institute in 1884. However, the school's isolation, inadequate roads and proximity to the "bad influence" of the reformatory caused the school to be relocated to 52 acres in North Salem near the Fairgrounds.
In 1910, this building became the Oregon State Tuberculosis Sanitarium. Patients came slowly for the first years. Gradually the demand increased, causing a lack of beds in the necessary open-air pavilions as treatment required in those days. A waiting list of prospective patients developed. In 1963, the State Legislature combined this hospital with the University of Oregon Medical School Tuberculosis Hospital in Portland.
The facility was available for Western Baptist Bible College in 1969.

When you visit
This historic building is Schimmel Hall in the renamed college, now Corban University. It serves administration, the Emitte Center and as a dining hall. It is a historical property in the Southeast Mill Creek Association, an organization founded in 1986, eleven years after that neighborhood was annexed to the city.

Other events

West Salem has its first residential housing development at Pioneer Village on Taybin Road. Polk County Housing Authority administered the project. This year a Planning Commission was established to promote the growth and orderly development of Salem.
Wayne L. Thompson becomes Municipal Judge after the resignation of Dale Pierson. Judge Thompson is subsequently elected to the office and will serve until his resignation in 1990.
An architectural model of the proposed Civic Center is produced for display. The photograph shown in the Statesman Journal shows columned buildings that include a city hall and library with a fire station "across the street". It is hard to recognize our current civic center in this three-dimensional model.
On the opening day of the State Fair, Governor and Mrs. McCall ride in a hot-air balloon and cut the ribbon to officially open the Agriculture Exhibits and the Community hall. There is a pie-eating contest with boys competing to eat the most pie while their hands are behind their backs. The girls take part in a watermelon-eating contest. The Ronald McDonald clown character was the judge of both.
The Marion County Fair gets a start when the Future Farmers of America and the 4-H club produce a show including livestock display and horse exhibitions.
A demonstration against the Vietnam War is held at the State Capitol on Moratorium Day, October 17. Another photograph shows one man standing at the entrance speaking while others wait their turn. A folk singer appears to be playing his guitar.
The Center Street Bridge is demolished in preparation for expansion and remodeling.
The George Putnam University Center arises at Willamette University. It was named for the former editor and publisher of the local newspaper who left his estate to the university. At the time the building opened it contained the bookstore, mail room, information desk, offices and eating facilities.
This year the voters created a community college district, covering more than 2,600 square miles in Oregon's Mid-Willamette Valley. It includes Marion, Polk, most of Yamhill, and part of Linn counties. A contest was held to name the new school and entries were solicited from Salem Tech students, as well as from all the district high schools. In December the Board of Education approved the name Chemeketa, a Native American term for a place of peace.
Salem Memorial Hospital and Salem General Hospital merge to make better use of buildings, equipment, and personnel, providing higher quality care and lower costs. All acute care services were consolidated on Winter Street.
Charles A. Sprague, who came to Salem in 1929, became owner, editor, and publisher of the Statesman Journal, establishing a reputation as one of the Nation's great editors. He served as Governor of Oregon from 1939 to 1943. One of the West's most respected citizens, he died this year.
Nora Anderson, one of Salem's most active volunteers in promoting the cultural life of Salem, dies this year. Her accomplishments included organizing the Salem Garden Club, assisting the Women's Club and its effort to found the Salem Public Library, promoting Salem's Junior Symphony, helping to organize the forerunner of the Assistance League and benefiting the Women's Medical Surgery Department at the Salem Hospital's General unit.

Salem in 1968

2010-06-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

1968
World Events

During this year Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated.
The Democratic Convention was disrupted by bullying and brutal street fight.
Jacqueline Kennedy marries Aristotle Onassis.

In Salem

Salem experienced violence at the State Penitentiary this year. In the photograph above, prisoners have gathered in the exercise yard during the prison riot of March 9-10, 1968 at the Oregon State Penitentiary on State Street. Smoke billows from the building in the background. On Saturday, March 9 a riot broke out as prisoners set fire to cell blocks. 80 state policemen, Marion County Sheriff deputies, and all off-duty prison employees were called to help maintain security at the height of the 15-hour riot and fire. Charred remains of metal cabinets, twisted and melted bars at the windows bore evidence of the fire. Control was not fully restored until St. Patrick's Day, March 17. Afterward, a "Grievance Committee" of prisoners selected by convicts, gave evidence of the reasons for the outbreak.

When you visit

The typical Salem resident does not visit the Oregon State Department of Corrections. However, until recently there was one popular site on the property that gained a lot of positive attention. That was the small parking lot beside Mill Creek on State Street where many generations of ducks learned to flock here to feed on the offerings of families who enjoyed this wildfowl spectacle. Unfortunately, the migration of ducks across the street, often a mother with numerous offspring, became a hazard to motorists ~ as well as to the ducks. The parking spaces are now closed.
The prison can be visited with appointments to see inmates or for official business. Driving east on the main thoroughfares of Center or State Street, we pass the walls but have been so used to them, we rarely gave them more than a passing thought. It has been a part of Salem life since the 1866 move of the prison from Portland, contributing to the character of Salem as an integral part of the city's demographic, economic and social history. News about the prison is generally confined to concern about the treatment of inmates, especially their terms of incarceration.
The Oregon Department of Corrections has a website with extensive information on the prison. This resource states that the mission of the Oregon State Penitentiary is to assure public safety by providing:

A safe and secure environment for all persons;
Program and rehabilitative opportunities to enhance inmate ability to reintegrate into the community;
Work and leisure time activities to reduce inmate idleness;
Habilitative services for special needs inmates within the Department of Corrections.

Of special interest is the museum and exhibit of Oregon Corrections Enterprises at 3691 State Street. This facility is not only an excellent resource for learning about the history of the state penitentiary, but has numerous examples of the furniture, signage, and other useful products manufactured by prisoners who have good records of behavior and are scheduled for release with the next five years. Call (503) 378-2677 for an appointment.

Other events

A photograph taken this year by the Statesman Journal shows a mini-park on Ferry Street between 20th and 21st Streets that was described as "a popular place to watch the ducks." Today it is more than that: it includes a interpretive panels erected by the city explaining the important history of this location as the site of the 1864 dam that diverted Mill Creek water south and west into the Millrace. This was the source of waterpower for early Salem industry. From the dam, the Millrace flowed west along Ferry Street and crossed under it to enter the former Kay Woolen Mill.
Two photographs taken a year apart show the same Liberty Street view, looking north from Oak Street: one has utility lines along the street in 1968, the other taken in 1969 after they were placed underground. This is an especially interesting photograph as Waterplace has now replaced businesses there in those years.
On April 18, several photographs were taken when Robert Kennedy stopped in Salem on his presidential campaign. One, at the Marion County Courthouse, has a view of the Doughboy statue (still there that year) and the Grand Theater across High Street where "pro wrestling" is being featured. Kennedy was assassinated less than two months later, June 6, in Los Angeles.
Two new school improvements are made this year: a wing is added to Brush College School in West Salem and three-year old McNary High School gets a new parking lot and landscaping.
The new tower building of Salem Memorial Hospital eclipses the older structure on Winter Street.
Frank Hrubetz & Company plant at the airport is manufacturing carnival and show rides that are sold worldwide. A relic of the Orientator, a ride used locally at an amusement park (now the site of Paradise Island retirement homes) is stored on National Guard property near the same location. It is credited to Lee Eyerly.
St. Timothy Episcopal Church completes its sanctuary on Ladd Avenue in the Lancaster Drive area of Salem. As the city grows to the east, new churches and businesses are created to serve them in these suburban neighborhoods.
The Cherrians organization is discontinued. Since 1913 their main promotions had been the annual Salem Cherry Blossom Day and sponsorship of Salem floats in the annual Portland Rose Festival parade. Many historic photographs show crowds along State and Court Streets as residents enjoy watching the parade of elaborately decorated vehicles carrying costumed local personalities. However, as the cost of producing prize-winning floats increased, the Cherrian membership decreased, and the organization found it increasingly harder to solicit money and manpower from other local organizations and individuals.
A committee is formed by Mayor Vern Miller to campaign for a bond election on a Salem Civic Center, composed of a city hall, library, police and central fire station. The 26-member campaign committee composed of people who were not identified with city politics. The mayor asked Wes Sullivan, news editor of The Oregon Statesman newspaper, to be chairman.

Salem in 1967

2010-06-22T08:17:00.001-07:00

1967
World Events

25th Amendment provides for transfer of power if president incapacitated.
In the Six-Day war with the Arab nations, Israel gains land and unifies Jerusalem.
Major American combat in Vietnam; Apollo tragedy takes three astronaut lives.
Race riots in Detroit; Academy Award goes to "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"

In Salem
By 1967 our McNary Airfield had a new building, housing an attractive restaurant seen above.
The struggle to maintain a local airport was already forty years old. On May 1, 1929, the City had issued a bond for property acquisition and construction, acquiring 91 acres: the airport was dedicated that year. A complete history of our airport can be found on the City of Salem website.
Important developments included airmail service in 1941, US Air Force taking over in 1942 and United Airlines Freight Services starting in 1946. In July of 1949, the lease was signed giving the Navy the use of the hangar and other facilities on the east of the field. A $40,000 Airport Administration Building was dedicated on Sunday, August 7, 1950. Our first control tower was closed in 1953 due to budget cuts and dismantled in 1956 due to vandalism.
But conditions were improving by 1966 when the Salem Fire Department completed construction on the airport fire station and the restaurant was a pleasant place to dine while watching the flights.

When you visit
The current Airport Control Tower was built in 1973. United Airlines has operated out of the Airport Administration Building along with the U.S. Weather Service, a car rental service and a limousine service that provided bus rides to and from Portland Airport in 1977. Unfortunately, Horizon Airlines discontinued service in April 1993.
Our airport is still operated by the City of Salem and offers on-demand air taxi service, cargo shipping, the restaurant, rental cars and shuttle services. It is used by a number of area businesses, their suppliers, and parent companies as an alternative to driving. The airport is frequented by numerous companies, located in the area surrounding the city, when they conduct business in Salem. State legislators also fly into the airport during the legislative session. The ODOT-Aeronautics Section's primary office, as well the State's fleet of aircraft is located at the airport.
In addition to business flights, there are a significant number of less obvious activities that take place at the airport that contribute to the well being of the region. The airport provides FBO services, training flights, aircraft restoration, aerial photography, forest fire fighting, traffic and news reporting, shipping of "just in time" goods, law enforcement and prisoner transport, aerial advertising, real estate tours and search and rescue activities. The Army National Guard is also based at the airport. There is an on-airport industrial park that is home to several businesses that contribute to the aviation industry.
We had a commercial service contract for a few months in 2008 and another in 2011, but neither was successful enough for the companies. In 2012, the federal administrators questioned whether our tower was viable.
The Airport Advisory Commission began the year of 1967. Information and application forms for any resident who wishes to be a member are on the City website.

Other events

State Street gets a new look as the historic Patton Building is demolished for the extension along State Street of the US National Bank. Formerly the Ladd and Bush Bank, the new owners completely gutted the building as it had been from 1869 to 1940, renovating the structure. However, to honor its past, the bank lobby displays many historic photographs representing Salem's downtown and the Bush family's association with the bank. The public is welcome to visit these exhibits.
Less than a month before the fair was due to open, a major fire hit the Fairgrounds. Two buildings were total losses: the 63,000-square-foot Commercial Building and the 47,188-square-foot Natural Resources Building that had been built in 1891. Forty percent of the commercial exhibit space was lost.
Salemtowne opens in West Salem on the grounds of the former Wallace family summer home. The retirement community administration has retained the major part of the home for use of the residents. Informal, period decor gives a hint of what it looked like for the family when they spent summers there in the midst of their farmland.
Willamette University adds the Collins Law Center and Walton Hall. A plaque in front of Walton Hall identifies the site where the Oregon Institute, the academic foundation of Willamette University, stood from 1844 to 1872 when it was destroyed by fire. Its construction at this site by the Methodist missionaries truly determined where the city would be located after their mission ended.
A new wing of Salem Hospital, built along Oak Street, dwarfs the old facility. Formerly a residential area known as the University Annex, because of its proximity to Willamette University, Oak Street had many homes of prominent early families. Two of these are the 1890 West-Klein house, home of the parents of Governor West, now relocated to 2983 D Street, and the home of Dr. Carleton Smith, physician and state legislator, relocated to 1335 Cannon Street. Dr. Smith's former home has been designated as a Local landmark.
The Willow Lake Sewage Treatment Plant opens, contributing to the health of Salem citizens.
Ben Maxwell, faithful photographic chronicler of Salem, dies. Many of his photographs were left to the Salem Public Library and have been cataloged for online use through the Oregon Historic Photograph Collections. His biography is found on the Salemhistory website and in Ben Maxwell's Salem, Oregon: Nuggets of History from the Salem Capital Journal by Scott McArthur.

Salem in 1966

2010-06-21T09:22:00.001-07:00

1966
World Events

American military initiates a "Search and Destroy" strategy in Vietnam combat, Anti-war protests sweep US.
Miranda Rights go into effect during arrests of criminal suspects.
The lunar module photographs the earth.
Masters and Johnson publish Human Sexual Response; miniskirts make their appearance.

In Salem
Four years after the Columbus Day windstorm, the Waite Fountain reconstruction is complete in Willson Park. As a crowd gathers for the dedication ceremonies, Ben Maxwell photographs the scene. In the background are buildings that characterize Salem's downtown: the Methodist Church, a symbol of the missionary beginning of the community; the Livesley Building, representing the local business enterprise; and the Marion County Courthouse, reminding us that Salem is part of a larger political administration. Willson Park is important to Salem, being part of the first city plat and, literally, the political and intellectual center of the city as it grew: adjacent to both the Oregon State Capitol and our premier educational resource, Willamette University. In this year of 1966, the city loses its authority over the park, as it had over other city property: ownership passes to the state of Oregon.

When you visit
Ownership of the park makes little difference to the visitors who are there to enjoy walking in the beautiful landscape of lawn, trees, flowers and fountains. For those who also might like to learn about Salem's history and pay respect to historical events and personalities, the opportunities are becoming more challenging. The early park featured a concert bandstand for residents, many living within walking distance in surrounding residential neighborhoods. The Waite fountain offered colored lights that gave evening strollers a visual treat. Now the bandstand, no longer in use, is relocated to the margin of the lawn and fountain, seen above as rebuilt after the 1962 windstorm, has lost its original Technicolor effect that made it such a magnet of visitor attention. The Circuit Rider was once prominently displayed before the entrance to the State House as a tribute to Salem's religious founders, is hidden is a grove of trees at the east side of the Capitol. The Breyman Brothers Memorial, standing at the park's Cottage Street entrance, was originally a memorial to local men who fought in the Spanish American War and was topped with a statue of an American military serviceman. The statue is gone and what remains of the memorial is the trough at the base that once supplied water to horses ~ a lower trough on the park side was intended for dogs. Eugene and Werner Breyman, who donated the memorial, lived in elaborate residences, now demolished, on Court Street and State Street, both within site of the memorial.
Taking prominence in Willson Park today are state flags, tributes to Native American tribes and a modern statuary group. The park is currently designed as an attraction for tourists as well as residents. In 2010, state began a plan to make improvements in the area encompassing Willson Park and North Capitol Mall as far as Center Street (originally the four Piety Hill residential blocks). This new landscaped, visitor area will be the State Capitol State Park.

Other events

Five fires cause property loss throughout the city: In January, the Senator Hotel on High Street; in March, at Keith Brown Lumber Plant on Front Street; in May, the Berkheimer Building on Church and Trade Streets; in November, Waters Field at 25th and Mission Streets; and (date unknown), the Peerless Bakery on North Commercial Street.
Douglas Hay resigns his office as Municipal Judge, being elected to the Marion County Circuit Court. In this year the term of the Salem Municipal Judge is extended to four years. Dale Pierson is appointed by the Council and later elected to the office.
The State of Oregon Agriculture Building is completed.
The former Ladd and Bush Bank Building has been completely reconstructed and enlarged. In order to expand the bank building along State Street, the 1869 Patton Building was demolished in the previous year. An 1886 photograph shows the early enterprise when it was a center of local business.
West of 12th Street, in the University residential area of town, the Oak Street residential neighborhood continues to change with urban growth and the expanding hospital. Ben Maxwell's collection of photographs includes a well-preserved three-story house and another large residence in poor condition: both were demolished.
Plans are made to preserve another historic building, the Methodist Parsonage, in a Mission Mill Museum location.
Aldrich Park in the SESNA neighborhood is getting new playground equipment. Kent L. Aldrich was a prominent Salem resident who served as mayor from 1977 to 1982.
When the first new 35-passenger Cherriots bus arrives in Salem, it rolls off the railroad car and city administrators climb aboard for a photograph.
Salem has a marina on the Willamette River. Several private "yachts" accompany the Marion County Sheriff's Marine Patrol. In the next October, a windstorm demolishes the boathouse and damages the boats ~ for the third time in five years.
The Prime Rib Restaurant is constructed at Pine Street on the Willamette River. Fine dining and beautiful views of the river made it popular with Salem families. However, by the mid-1980s the original owners had sold the property and the restaurant had gone into foreclosure. In 1998 the building became the Stars Cabaret, a strip club. The windows that had offered a river view were masked with black paint. This enterprise closed within a few years. By 2011, the empty structure had been renovated and reopened as the Club Illusion Sport Bar and Restaurant. A fire destroyed the building the next January.