Salem in 2017

World Events

• Women's Marches in response to Trump election drew the largest American and world-wide protests in recent history.
• President Trump's first year is overshadowed by Special Council Mueller's investigation of Russian intervention in the 2016 election.
• Hurricanes created extensive damage in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico recovery and repairs especially delayed.
• In Las Vegas fifty-eight people are killed and 546 injured during another shooting. Use of "bump" stock and civilian availability of military semi-automatic weapons is debated Congress, but no action.
• #MeToo signals women's campaign to reveal sexual harassment and abuse against them. Several men in prominent business and political positions lose their reputation and careers.
• Amid world-wide protect, the US launches 59 Tomahawk missiles against Syrian targets, damaging US-Russian ties.
•  President Trump announces several international changes in U.S. policy: the intention to leave the Paris Climate Agreement, withdrawal from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), and moving our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
• The Academy Awards: "The Shape of Water" (US), "A Fantastic Woman" (Chile). Prize-winning book: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward.

 

Ron Cooper photograph, City of Salem

In Salem
At long last, the eagerly awaited bridge connecting Riverfront Park to Minto Island is completed. The public was allowed, temporarily, to cross in the spring, but it was closed and opened again in August for an official ceremony. The crowd was enthusiastic, despite the soaring midday temperature of over 100 degrees. The joyous occasion began with a parade from Wallace Marine Park, over the Union Street Bridge, and into Riverfront Park ~ dignitaries, musical units, pet dogs, and plain ordinary folks joined in the joyous celebration. Speeches were delivered from under a shade canopy while listeners in the sunshine enjoyed refreshments (supplied by Roth's) although the chocolate in the cookies melted before they could be consumed. Representatives from many city departments attended and all were in a holiday mood. A great time was enjoyed by all!
The bridge has been deemed a success, with many daily pedestrians enjoying the opportunity to access Minto Island from Riverfront Park.
Mayor Chuck Bennett said, "The Peter Courtney Bridge is the realization of a decades-old community plan to connect Minto Island to the rest of Salem. The bridge is an iconic and valuable addition to Oregon's Capitol City."
First envisioned in 1975, the Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge and Trail is the last critical link in connecting 1,300 acres of City parks and nearly 30 miles of trails between South Salem, Downtown and West Salem. When combined, the acreage is larger than New York's Central Park.

When You Visit
The bridge can be accessed from either Minto Brown Park or Riverfront Park. Parking is available from Front Street either at the turnout to the left at State Street or take the Union Street turnoff to the left. The bridge is visible and close by. In Minto Brown Park, use any parking lot and follow the signs. Be aware that the walk in Minto Brown is a mile or more, depending  on which lot you choose. It is a delightful walk, which ever path you choose.
Because Minto Island is a Conservation Area containing sensitive habitat and wildlife, the City reminds walkers to stay on the trail and keep their pets on leashes.

Other Events 

•  A citizen appeal to LUBA, testifying against a recent Urban Growth Boundary extention, was upheld. The mayor recommended to the City Council that other solutions to traffic problems be pursued instead of a "3rd Bridge" between Pine Street and West Salem.
• The solar eclipse is enjoyed by Salem residents as well as many visitors for the day.
• Lancaster Mall is partly closed while that shopping enterprise is redeveloped as Willamette Town Center.
• Two bond measures pass: one will finance a new police facility at a lower price ($61.8 million) and the other to retrofit the city library against human injury and property damage in case of an anticipated earthquake.
• Homelessness is growing problem, especially downtown. The Union Gospel Mission will relocate from downtown to a location to north, across Liberty Street from the future police facility.
• A new councilor is elected to replace the one who recently resigned: Chris Hoy is the 5th candidate successfully sponsored by Salem Progressives.

• Le Breton Hall, the last remaining structure of the former Oregon State Fairview Institution was razed for the creation of a city park. This 1908 structure was designed by Walter Pugh, distinguished architect of many, now demolished, local historic buildings.

• Another historic structure, the former Wells Fargo building, designed by Pietro Belluschi (who also designed our Marion County Courthouse) was demolished. At the corner of Liberty and Chemeketa streets, it contributed to the Downtown National Register Historic District, but had remained vacant for many years. Eight Frederic Littman marble relief sculptures were removed and will be used to decorate the new building that will be erected in that location.
• The Historic Landmarks Commission honors David Holton with the Historic Preservation award for serving as a role model while a Commission member and for his leadership in promoting historical renovation projects in Salem.
• Salem On Ice, a 7,200 square feet seasonal rink opened in Riverfront Park November 17. The temporary facility will be open through January 21, 2018. The city agreed to a four year contract with the sponsors, so we can expect to see the structure reconstructed again for at least three more years.

Salem in 1962

World Events

• In October, a two-week Cuban Missile Crisis ends as Kennedy announces that Khrushchev will remove Soviet missiles in Cuba. Linus Pauling is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his campaign against nuclear weapons testing.
• John Glenn orbits the earth in Friendship 7. Walter Schirra and Scott  Carpenter complete pioneer space flights. The U. S. Navy SEALS, elite special forces are commissioned for both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets.
• Two world-famous American women die: August 5, Marilyn Monroe; November 7, Eleanor Roosevelt. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy takes TV viewers on a tour of the White House.
• Rachel Carson warns of eco-danger. Her book, Silent Spring, gives rise to the modern environmental  movement.
• The term "personal computer" is coined.  AT&T's commercial communications satellite is launched into orbit. "Big Box" stores are created: Kmart, Target and Wal-Mart. Taco Bell opens its doors.
• Wilt Chamberlain scores a record-breaking 100 points in a NBA game.
• Andy Warhol premieres his "Campbell's Soup Cans" art exhibition. The Century 21 Exposition World's Fair, with Space Needle, opens in Seattle.
• Academy Award:"Lawrence of Arabia" (US), "Sundays and Cybele" (France). Prize-winning Books: The Moviegoer, Walker Percy and The Edge of Sadness, Edwin O'Conner.

In Salem
If the 1935 fire that destroyed the State Capitol building is the most remembered event in the city's history, the windstorm of 1962 probably ranks as the second.
The majority of structures in Salem experienced damage during that calamitous storm on Columbus Day. At its peak, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. that Friday, it brought gusts of 90 M.P.H. and sustained winds of over 70 M.P.H. The $4 million total damages to Salem were higher than for any disaster the City had yet seen. The storm came with little warning and hit hard. It crossed the Oregon-California border on Friday, October 12, at noon, moving north at 48 M.P.H., reaching Salem at mid-afternoon. The ferocity of the winds as they roared through Salem shocked residents. Downtown, pedestrians were hit by glass from shattering windows, and dodged flying debris. Shoppers trying to get home were knocked to the ground. Cars were blown onto sidewalks and yards. The large sign on the roof of the Elsinore Theater was battered and crumpled by the wind and part of a wall at the Capitol Press Building fell onto two cars; rain then poured into the building. The steeple was torn from the Christ Lutheran Church at 18th and State Streets and dropped onto the sidewalk. Trees were blown over and uprooted. On the Capitol grounds, a falling tree knocked over the 3 1/2 ton statue of The Circuit Rider. (The photo seen here is from the Hugh Stryker Collection.)

When you visit
A few months later, the statue was repaired and replaced on its plinth.
The Circuit Rider statue was sculpted by A. Phimister Proctor to honor Oregon's circuit-riding ministers. Robert A. Booth, whose father was a Methodist Episcopal circuit rider, presented the statue to the state as a gift in 1924. It was originally placed in an imposing location in front of the 1876 State House. When the Capitol was rebuilt in 1937, facing north instead of west, the Circuit Rider was repositioned among other statuary in a wooded area. The imposing memorial can be seen to the east of the Capitol on the path leading to Waverly Street.

Other Events

Purification ponds on Minto Brown Island, 1965

• Boise Cascade purchases Oregon Pulp and Paper Company, a lumber company that began production at the same site in 1920. (The gabled roof of the Oregon Pulp and Paper Company building was still visible as part of the Boise Cascade plant when it was demolished in 2009.) After 1962 purchase, a yeast plant was added to convert byproducts of paper making into a food additive. In 1964 a container facility supplied cartons for food processing plants. Several improvements were made under Boise both to expand production and to meet air and water quality standards; purification lagoons were built on Minto Brown Island across the slough. Today these lagoons are both a protection from further water contamination and a hindrance to development of that section Minto Brown Island for public use. The industrial abuse of both the Willamette Slough and the island beyond makes urban development adjoining Riverfront Park's south border especially difficult. The plan for a pedestrian bridge from the park (beginning near the Eco Ball) must avoid disturbing the soil beneath the slough and the users of the bridge will have limited access to the island on the other side. A path will lead users to the now public section of the Minto Brown Park.
• The Chemeketa Street property of the Church of Christ Scientist is sold in September, providing space for the future development of the Nordstrom Mall. Meanwhile, church members have purchased property at High and Kearney Streets from Willamette University for the purpose of constructing a new church. This was the site of the 1860 John Carson house. (See 1954)
• Migrant Hispanic workers are employed in Marion County fields, but in Salem itself, the Latino population is small. Isabella Varela Ott moved to Salem in the 1950s to live with her daughter, Mary Varela Martinez, and her husband Pablo Martinez, a native of Peru. Mrs. Ott had a strong work ethic and wanted her children and grandchildren to have the same. She would take them out into the fields in the summers to pick beans, hops, and string beans. She also worked in local canneries. She was proud to be an American citizen and considered it a privilege to be able to vote and would do so at every opportunity. She also respected the people and culture of Mexico and stayed in contact with her son Luis who lived with his wife and family in Guadalajara. As the wife of a railway worker, she had access to a Southern Pacific pass that authorized her to travel free to Mexico. These trips continued every other year until her last one in 1971 at the age of seventy-six, twice taking her grandson David. She made it very clear that the American family should never forget their Mexican relatives. That grandson, Dr. David Martinez of Portland, recalls that theirs was one of only four Latino families in Salem in the 1960s and his social life as a high school teenager was difficult. 

Thomas Kay Mill in last years of operation

• Thomas Kay Woolen Mill closes due to loss of business in a changing market. The mill had been under continuous ownership and management of three generations of the Kay family until it was sold to the Mission Mill Museum Association for $160,000 in 1965, after having been closed for three years. The Mission Mill Association restored it to show authentic manufacturing processes from the time, and to depict the industrialization of America. Its buildings, exhibits and tours are now the centerpiece of the Willamette Heritage Center. The Kay family home on Court Street, only a few blocks away from the mill itself, had been demolished in 1937 when the State of Oregon had appropriated the property for the first building of the North Capitol Mall. The Oregon State Library stands on the former residence site.