The following is an annotation to accompany John Minto’s 1874 editorial in the Willamette Farmer newspaper. Minto, a notable settler in Salem participated in many aspects of early Oregon society; in the formation of the government and in the blazing of various trail systems in the area. Minto was an expert on sheep, was on … [Read more…]
Salem is the capitol of Oregon. This was not always the case as historically Corvallis, Oregon City and even RickReall were at one time proposed to become the capitol. Salem is not a place which is distinguished by any one thing. there is very little special about the city. If Jason Lee had not … [Read more…]
[This is a portion of a developing essay.] My original presentation on the subject was at the Arlington Club in Portland on January 29, 2015. I was invited to do a poetry reading by the State’s Poet Laureate Peter Sears. The event is a annual poetry reading in Honor of William Stafford. The videotape of … [Read more…]
Canemah is now a neighborhood of Oregon City, but in the 1850s Canemah was a tribal village situated above the Willamette Falls on the eastern bank. The neighborhood today is steeped in history with a number of streets named for the native families who lived at the village, like ‘Apperson’. There native people would help … [Read more…]
I grew up in and around Salem, and never thought of the city as a place where native culture still exists. Some years ago I discovered that camas still exists inside the city limits at various parks and open spaces. For a few years now I have been visiting the Park in Salem in around … [Read more…]