Salem History Matters

  • Welcome!
  • What's New on Our Blog?
    • EPISODE LIST
  • Spotlight on History
  • Links We Like
  • Contact Us



WE'VE GOT A LOT WE WANT TO SHARE!
 
​HOW ABOUT YOU?

Download A Podcast

Historic Celebrations & Parades

4/26/2019

3 Comments

 
PictureParade on Commercial Street at State Street, Salem 1886 [Photo: Salem Public Library Historic Photo Coll.]
April 4, 2019 Episode.

When we've spoken with our Yesterday's Voices guests, they all mention the many parades and community celebrations they enjoyed during their earlier life in Salem. What kiddo doesn't love a parade?  But these folks remember participating in many celebrations even as adults. Let's look at a few of the events that so many guests mentioned as part of their stories.

The circus coming to town was a more frequent occurrence than one might suspect. Each circus was heralded with a parade of performers and animals down the main streets of Salem. Both well known circus troupes like Barnam & Bailey and Sells-Floto, as well as many lesser known companies visited Salem.  In 1915, Buffalo Bill came to town as pat of the Sells-Floto Circus--quite a big deal for the times. Many of our guests told about being hired for the day by the circus to do simple tasks, allowing them an up-close and personal experience. The photos below from the archives at Willamette Heritage Center chronicle these exciting event through the years.
Picture
Early circus parade passing Capitol building [Photo:Willamette Heritage Center]
Picture
Circus Parade & Elephants, 1920 [Photo: Salem Public Library Online Coll.]
Picture
Sells-Floto Circus Parade, 1915 [Photo: WHC 1998.002.0004]
Picture
Barnum & Bailey Shetland Ponies Carriage, Salem c1910 [Photo:WHC]

PictureCherry Festival Parade, 1908 [Photo: Salem Public Library Online Collection]
As the Cherry Capital of the World, Salem hosted many cherry-themed events: Cherry Fairs, Cherry Festivals, Cherryland Festivals. We've found photographs going back as early as 1908. These events were much anticipated annual events put on by various business groups until the Salem Cherrians officially took over in 1913. The last festival was in the late 1950's. The events often included a baby parade, a performing band, and a queen's coronation. ​ You can learn more about the Cherrians and their festivities by checking out this previous blogpost.

Picture
Cherry Festival Baby Parade, c1910 [Photo:Taylor Ward, Facebook]
Picture
Cherry Festival, 1911 [Photo: SPL]

Picture
One of the largest and most encompassing celebrations in Salem's history is that which marked its Centennial in August 1940. The booster organization was called the Wiskerinoes, and the planning spread over several months. It was a multiple day affair, including such events as a contest to choose the official slogan, "From Wilderness to Wonderland," beard-growing contests, period costume seminars, and commemorative editions of the local newspapers. The event culminated with a Pioneer Parade and a large dramatic presentation at the Fairgrounds.  The call was put out for 2500 folks to participate in the pageant: 1000 children, 500 dancers, 500 singers, and 500 general characters including Indians, guides pioneers, ox drivers, riders and others. Special stages were constructed to showcase the drama; one scene planned would feature 750 dancers. After all, you only celebrate your Centennial once--go large or go home.

Picture
Centennial Pagent Scene, August 1940 [Photo:Salem Public Library Historic Photo Coll.]
Picture
Folks in Period Costumes, Salem Centennial, August 1940 [Photo: SPL]
Picture
Horse-drawn Fire Wagon, Salem Centennial 1940 [Photo: SPL]
Picture
Salem Centernnial Parade, August 1940 [Photo: SPL]

We would be so amiss if we did not mention one of the longest-running community events in our region, the Keizer Days/Keizerfest/Iris Festival. Beginning with children's parades organized in the 1940s by mothers in the Manbrin Gardens neighborhood of Keizer, the festive tradition evolved into the multiple-day event we know as the Iris Festival or Keizerfest. The first Keizer Days Parade down River Road was organized by the Keizer Commercial Club in June 1950. Over the years, festivities were added to complement the parade, becoming the Keizerfest in 1980. The parade today brings more than 25,000 folks to Keizer each year, and celebrates Keizer as the Iris Capital of the world! The Keizer Heritage Museum provided the following photographs from their collections.
Picture
Manbrin Gardens Children's Parade c1945. [Photo: Keizer Heritage Mus.]
Picture
Keizer Days Parade, June 24, 1950 [Photo: KHM]
Picture
Keizer Days Parade, June 24, 1950 [Photo: KHM]
Picture
Keizer Days Parade, June 24, 1950 [Photo: KHM]

There are many more celebrations and parades in Salem's past: Memorial Day and Veteran's/Armistice Day parades, parades for the visits of President Theodore Roosevelt in May 1903 and President William Howard Taft in October 1911, parades by fraternal organizations like the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) parade in May 1908 and those sponsored by the Cherrians from 1913-1950.

We enjoyed children's Christmas parades on Thanksgiving weekend which always ushered in Santa, and the nighttime Festival of Lights Holiday Parade from 1990-2010 (redesigned as the Keizer Holiday Lights Parade  in 2015 where it is once again an annual event). We even had parades to celebrate Rainmaker Day on July 12, the only rainless day in our modern recorded history.
Why don't we have parades like this anymore, you might ask? Costs to close streets and police the event, liability issues, and traffic congestion probably all play a part in their absence. Corporate sponsorships seem to be the key for ongoing success, but those, too, seemed to have been lost to time.
Picture
Memorial Day Parade on Commercial Street 1904 [Photo SPL]
Picture
President Theodore Roosevelt visits Salem in May 1903 [Photo: WHC 1998.010.0055]
Picture
President William H. Taft visits Salem in October 1911 [WHC 0086.003.0012.013]
Fond memories of the celebratory events in Salem's past, as well as real sorrow over the lack of such community-connecting events now, are repeatedly expressed by our Yesterday's Voices guests. Perhaps it is time to resurrect citywide events like these that strengthened the character of Salem and bonded its residents together. We would certainly benefit from such unity, and creating such strong memories for the youth of our area would certainly be another effective avenue for preserving and sharing Salem's historic legacy for future generations. 
~~ Posted by Deb Meaghers
3 Comments

Agricultural Heritage - The Kaser Family Farms - Matthew & Cara Kaser

4/3/2019

2 Comments

 
PictureBertha Brunner Kaser & Fred Kaser, Sr., c1900 [Photo: Kaser Family Collection (KFC)]
March 21 & 28, 2019 Episodes.

Farming families have very deep roots that weave through foreign soils, float across vast seas, grow new communities wherever they land, and anchor future  generations. Family farms survive because they become a way of life for all the members, each totally invested in making the operation succeed in supporting the larger family. But what if a member of that farming family is not drawn to that way of life, one who chooses a different path? Such is the case with Matthew Kaser, now a fifth-generation farmer in eastern Marion County, whose heritage stretches from the southern Silverton hills north to the Marquam/Scotts Mills area. Matthew and his daughter, Salem City Councilor Sara Kaser, joined us to share the story of their family's agricultural legacy.​

Fred (Frederich) Kaser was born in Switzerland in 1849 and immigrated to America at age 18, finally settling in Indiana. He married Bertha Brunner in 1876 and they began raising their family on their 16-acre farm near Vera Cruz, Indiana. In 1882, Fred (as he was now known) decided to follow Bertha's parents, John & Mary Brunner, and relocate his family, which now included three children--the youngest just a newborn, to Oregon. They travelled by train to San Francisco and then by boat to Portland. They settled in an area south of Silverton, commonly known as "Immigrant Ridge," where other Swiss and German families had farms. Fred & Bertha Kaser would eventually have 11 children [Samuel Victor, Joseph Rhoda, Frederick Daniel, Lydia Martha, Bertha Catherine, Elizabeth Elma, Mary Ann, Jacob [died as a newborn], Sarah Ida, John William, and Emma Clara),    and would live on their farm at the corner of Kaufman & Hibbard Roads for the rest of their lives.
Picture
Fred Kaser, Sr., with Children, c1902: Elisabeth, Bertha (dau.), Sarah, Fred Sr., Lydia, Sam, Joe, Fred Jr., Emma & John (seated) [Photo: KFC]
Picture
Fred Kaser, Sr. Farm on Hibbard Road, Sliverton Oregon, c1906. Note the smaller, original family home in background, center, and the new hop house on the right. [Photo: KFC]
Picture
Family bringing in the hop harvest on Kaser Farm, 1903 [Photo: KFC]
The family farming tradition followed through the generations (although not always at the same location) from Fred, Sr., to  Fred, Jr. and Sarah Frauhiger, to Harvey W. and Edith Knight (who expanded the holdings), then to Fred D., III, and Carolyn Ruth Jeffery, and now to Matthew D. and Diane Smith, Cara's parents. The farm(s) grew grass seed, hops (especially around the World War I years, pigs, and now hazelnuts.  The original 10 Kaser children would further expand the family farming tradition throughout the Willamette Valley and into eastern Oregon. 

Although the original Kaser farm was sold in later years, Fred's grandson Harvey purchased land along Butte Creek near Marquam where Matthew still farms hazelnuts. Both Matthew and his father, Frederick Daniel, III, were reluctant farmers, initially pursuing other careers--engineering and electrical engineering, respectively, But those deep farming traditions come with deep obligations, and both men came back to the family farm to help out the older generation, both eventually returning to their full-time farming roots.  
Picture
The Kaser/Brunner Clan, 1906. Fred Sr. is pictured in back row, far right. [Photo: KFC]
Matthew Kaser has modernized the farming practices for his operation, a necessary reality to survive in the agricultural industry of today. Although still labor intensive at certain phases, he explained that farming today has become much more efficient, relying on science, technology, and marketing to produce the best crop outcomes, rather than just planting the traditional seeds and waiting to see how nature plays out. Matthew is able to operate his farm, Sublimity Hazelnuts, primarily by himself, employing laborers only during the pruning and harvest phases--totally unheard of in the times of his forefathers.
Picture
Kaser Family Reunion 2003 [Photo: KFC]
Although Cara does not plan to continue the family farm tradition, she  shared that she feels blessed to have spent so much time on the family farm, freely exploring the woods, rivers, and hills that she, too, came to know so well. Joining in with the work was expected and even somewhat enjoyed--she could lift 50-pound bags of grass seed as an early teen--and she was able to experience the cycle of life up close and personal. Matthew, a grand storyteller, shared several of his own memories of that freedom, and also the responsibility, that only kids on a farm get the chance to embrace. 
We are not privy to the succession plans for Matthew Kaser's farm, but we cannot help but to believe that those deep roots will yet again raise up another branch to continue the farming tradition that began so long ago with Fred & Bertha. 
~~Posted by Deb Meaghers
2 Comments

    Your Hosts

    Deb Meaghers and Christy Van Heukelem, historians and authors, are passionate about the history of Salem and the entire mid-Willamette Valley.  We love sharing our enthusiasm for our rich historic legacy with others.  

    Picture
    Deb
    Picture
    Christy

      You Can Join in the Fun! 

    Subscribe to Blog

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photo used under Creative Commons from Johnath