David Winkler, a graduate student in archaeology, excavates a pit at Willamette Heritage Center on April 8, 2022 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Archaeology typically doesn’t involve whips, rolling boulders, pits full of snakes or priceless historical relics. In contrast to the Indiana Jones image many Americans were raised with, the real[Read More…]
Tag: SALEM HISTORY
COLUMN: Salem’s Qing Ming celebration returns to honor local Chinese history
Salem residents celebrate Qing Ming on April 3, 2021 at Pioneer Cemetery (Courtesy photo) In 2017, as part of an effort to better understand the history of some of Salem’s underrepresented communities, the City of Salem’s Historic Landmarks Commission decided to learn more about Salem’s Chinese community. As a city[Read More…]
LOCAL HISTORY: The Salem couple who filed Oregon’s first civil rights suit – and won
A Jan. 25, 1964 Oregon Statesman article shows the McKenzies, a Salem couple who filed Oregon’s first civil rights suit after their application to rent a west Salem apartment was denied. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made a lasting contribution to our nation and to Oregon. He was the nation’s[Read More…]
Book revisits 12 of Salem’s most sensational murder cases
Cherry City Confidential: 12 Murder Cases that Rocked Oregon’s Capital City (Courtesy of Jan McComb) Jan McComb was walking through Minto-Brown Island Park and listening to a true crime audiobook when she decided to read up on the most infamous murders in Salem’s history. “I thought, Salem is a different[Read More…]
COLUMN: Downtown Salem’s final alley: Antsit’ak Alley
A Kalapuya woven basket (Chris Bailey/Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde) In 2019, the Salem Main Street Association asked residents to suggest names for downtown alleys and vote for their favorites. About 600 people weighed in. As part of Salem Reporter’s local history series, Jacqueline Heavey, chair of the design[Read More…]
SALEM HISTORY: Readers quickly identify Salemites in “mystery” Elsinore photo
A no-longer- mystery photo from Willamette Heritage Center’s collections. (WHC X2021.006.0001) On Friday, Salem Reporter ran a column asking for reader help identifying the people in the above photo from Willamette Heritage Center’s collections. Readers were quick to respond, and Kylie Pine, WHC curator, has an update: The Willamette Heritage[Read More…]
SALEM HISTORY: New downtown alley names pay homage to city’s first steel building, theater that burned
The Wexford Theater in 1911 (Oregon Statesman, Jan. 1, 1911) In 2019, the Salem Main Street Association asked residents to suggest names for downtown alleys and vote for their favorites. About 600 people weighed in. As part of Salem Reporter’s local history series, Jacqueline Heavey, chair of the design committee for the project,[Read More…]
New exhibit tracks the once unlikely rise of Oregon’s wine industry
A worker inspects a Redwood tank full of wine at Salem’s Honeywood Winery. (Courtesy/Willamette Heritage Center Library and Archive Collections) Standing in the Mission Mill Museum in the Willamette Heritage Center, Kyle Pine noted that Oregon’s wine industry is worth $5.6 billion in the state, according to one study. But[Read More…]
Uncategorized LOCAL HISTORY: Salem takes to the airwaves with KOCO
KOCO radio, 1490 AM, hit the Salem airwaves in 1947 (Willamette Heritage Center Collections X2014.002.0006.012.) Update: Thursday, May 27, 2021 On May 26, Salem Reporter posted a historic photo from Willamette Heritage Center showing one of Salem’s first radio stations, KOCO. The center’s curator, Kylie Pine, was hoping readers might[Read More…]
LOCAL HISTORY: Explore Salem’s past during Historic Preservation Month
The Oregon State Capitol, photographed sometime between 1939 and 1947, with Willamette University campus (Ben Maxwell collection/Salem Public Library) Editor’s note: This column is part of a regular feature from Salem Reporter to highlight local history in collaboration with area historians and historical organizations. This week, Kimberli Fitzgerald, Salem’s historic[Read More…]
