November 16, 2017 Episode.

The City of Salem's Historic Preservation Plan outlines the efforts that will be taken to preserve and manage Salem's historic resources, both recognized and newly discovered, above ground and below. Quite a charge, wouldn't you say? Good thing Salem has an extremely competent, knowledgeable, and personable professional leading the program, our frequent guest Kimberli Fitzgerald, Historic Preservation Officer. Kimberli gets personally involved with each project, sometimes up to her boot-tops in mud.

The State Historic Preservation Office maintains a database of statewide documented archeological sites in order to preserve them. However, only a licensed archaeologist can access them--general public access to the records could jeopardize the sites by publishing locations. Both private property owners and public agency staff occasionally disturb or discover such sites inadvertently, so having an archaeologist on the City's staff to review projects prior to excavating would certainly be a benefit. To that end, Kimberli has been pursuing a degree in archaeology focusing on public interpretation. 

A culmination of Kimberli's study program is a public archaeology project in partnership with Willamette University and Pioneer Cemetery to document a Chinese shrine on the cemetery grounds. Chinese immigrants came to the Willamette Valley throughout the latter part of the 1880s. Records show they had businesses, homes, and a school. By 1903, Salem’s Chinatown was a half block of rundown buildings, and the Salem City Council ordered the entire area burned to the ground. A Chinese Shrine in Salem Pioneer Cemetery may be the last remnant of Chinese American’s presence in Salem.

Identifying and interpreting this historic place is an important part of preserving Salem’s history, work that began as early as March 1963, according to a Statesman Journal newspaper article pictured above, right. Capi Lynn of the Statesman Journal recently wrote another article describing the new project.  Here are a few pictures of the opening day of the Public Archeology Project you might enjoy. You can find even more pictures on the City's Facebook page.

If you are as passionate about local history as I am, here's a free event that you won't want to miss!

Saturday, November 18, 2017 at 1:30 p.m., the Polk County Historical Society will be hosting a presentation on World War I as part of their monthly educational programming.  You always learn something new at their presentations, and you sure can't beat the price!

Warren Arny (pictured), historian, and Al Ratzlaff, military curator for Polk County Museum, will share the "war" stories of several local men, all of whom were integral in the development of the communities in Polk County.

​For more information, please contact the Polk County Museum at 503-623-6251, or check out their website.  The museum is located on the south end of the Polk County Fairgrounds in Rickreall.​

November 2, 2017 Episode.

​There are many places in the region of Oregon west of the Cascade Mountains named for the indigenous people who lived here before the immigrants arrived. Kalapuya, Callapuya, Calapooia, Kalapooia are just some of the various published spellings for the Native Americans who lived in the oak savanah region between two mountain ranges that we now call the Willamette Valley. The drawing to the left depicting one tribal member was sketched by A. T. Agate of the US Exploratory Expedition in 1841. 

Although we in the mid-Willamette Valley like to lay claim to the Kalapuya as "our" tribe, different bands of this tribe lived the entire length of the Willamette River, walking along well-worn paths from the northern coast to Klamath Lake in southern Oregon and down into northern California during their annual travels. A popular winter gathering point was right here in Salem, a place they called "Chemeketi," where Riverfront Park and Marion Square are located today. ​

Published documentation on the various bands of Native Americans in Oregon, especially in our area, is relatively scarce.  In the map shown at the right, the range of the Kalapuya is designated by the ivory color. In 1856, 27 tribes occupied the Oregon Territory. They were all relocated to the Grand Ronde Reservation. When we were contacted by Ken Ploeser, today's guest, about the research he had gathered in a rather unique manner, we were very excited to learn what he had to share. 

For years, Ken Ploeser operated a llama-tour business in the area surrounding Silver Falls State Park, combining his interest in trekking the wilderness and preserving the natural legacy of the area. He and his wife Michelle purchased property in the Waldo Hills area of southeast Salem as their base, where he found an old broom with "Antiok Hill" painted on it.  Thus began his research on the previous folks who had lived on and around this parcel of land.  He learned that his home is located on the site of the 1848-49 Antioch Church & Community Center, one of five early churches in the Macleay area. His home is also part of the Eoff Donation Land Claim on what became known as Eoff's Hill (the Eoff Electric Company is still active in Salem). The Ahant-chu-yuk ("away from the Pudding River") band as well as the Santiam band of the Kalapuya tribe had called this area home for at least 1500 years. 

Ken learned that there were three main areas of gathering for the indigenous people in Marion County:  the French Prairie area near Mt. Angel, for trading with the trappers; the eastern county area (south of State Street) known as Howell's Prairie and Eoff's Hill; and "Chemekiti" Prairie at the confluence of the Willamette River (from north of Marion Square Park south to Mill Creek). What a band seemed to be good at (fishing, cultivating native camas roots or wapato (potatoes), etc.) appears to have determined their primary area. The Lake Labish area of north Salem/Keizer ("Chemaway") grew camas and wapato well for the Pudding River band.  The "Chemekiti" prairie was the winter trade hub for those following the southern branch of the Klamath Trail up along the Santiam River, before heading north to Champoeg. In the summer, "Chehalem" (the Willows in the Oak Grove), now known as the Oregon State Fairgrounds, was a major gathering point.  Mt. Angel Abbey sits on "Apalamaho", the Kalapuya's "sacred hill." 

Ken Ploesner is so passionate about these waterways, their history, and their future, he has  undertaken a new endeavor, the Creek Walk Project, to encourage others to walk the creeks of our region, discovering their beauty and underlying history and, perhaps, an artifact or two. We should value these natural resources that were so very important to our Native American ancestors as well as our immigrant settlers, sharing their history with our children and grandchildren so that generations to come will continue to value them--all the while having a grand time in the great outdoors! 

Recently, the Pringle Creek Watershed Council adopted the Creek Walk Project as a partner.  You can learn more on their Facebook Page, Creek Walk Project.  Ken would love to help you begin by sharing his creek walks with you and hearing about yours. You can reach him through the Facebook page, by email at [email protected], or by phone at 503-362-0873.