The City of Salem is updating its Comprehensive Plan, as required by statute, and one component is the review of its Historic Preservation Program which was last updated in 2010. You and I, as  residents and/or those invested in preserving and sharing our rich historic heritage, are being asked to comment--what we like, what we'd like to change, how components of the process work well, and what we think could improve other pieces, etc. NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO COMMENT. Click here to learn more and participate in this important survey.

August 15 & 22, 2019 Episodes

We often hear of "founding fathers," but isn't it realistically more correct to refer to our predecessors  as "founding families," since it takes an entire family to create a lasting impression on a community? Such is the case of the Holly Jackson family whose three-plus generations continue to be an integral part of the life of our town.  Ralph Jackson, Holly's youngest son, joined us today to share his family's story of living and working here in Salem.

Holly Jackson was born in Minnesota in 1903 into a family that would soon leave to establish a homestead and farm wheat in Saskatchewan, Canada. They later moved to California, and Holly came to Salem in 1930 when he accepted the position of watchmaker for Pomeroy & Keene Jewelers at 379-383 State Street, a position he would hold for 13 years. His watchmaker station is still situated in the left-hand corner of that building, now the home of the Ma Valise retail store. This building began its life as a boarding house in 1860 and was remodeled into the jewelry and optical store, a frequently found combination, in 1923.

Even though they owned and operated a city business, Holly & Ellen Jackson and their three boys, Philip, Clark and Ralph, lived a country lifestyle on 20 acres at the southern end of Salem where they grew and harvested their own hay to sustain their many horses. They were instrumental in forming the Salem Saddle Club. Ellen's family background includes a long association with the St Paul Rodeo, and Ellen and Holly became life members and were the official event timers for 13 years.

Since Holly was a member of the Oregon Mounted Posse & Governor's Guard for many years, the family enjoyed many horse-centered camping trips. The Posse also participated in many parades and celebrations. Once the store closed on Saturdays, the family could be often found camping at Detroit Lake or skiing up at HooDoo. Bill was a member of the "Blue Angels (along with Bill Johnston and  Mike Parker), an unofficial racing team who turned their baseball hats backwards and sped down the hill, run after run. Ralph boasted that he has skied every year since the age of 4 (also when he learned to ride horses) and, even with two artificial hips, continues to do so every year. 

By 1970, sons Phil and Ralph joined the family business. Both attended the Gemological Institute of America, as well as taking additional college classes in business, and became certified gemologists. When Holly passed away in 1994, the "boys" had a firm handle on running the business.

​Phil and Ralph purchased the building outright in 2001. Ralph's sons Tyler and Brett would follow the family footsteps through those doors within the decade, carrying on the tradition of expertise, and integrity into a third generation. The 1902 building underwent a comprehensive renovation in 2007, ensuring it will continue its useful life for many more years to come.

As we have interviewed longtime area families in our Yesterday's Voices series, a common thread we've found is their conscious choices to build a strong family foundation in their home community, to build an integral business that cares about its customers and supports its neighboring businesses, and to build a reputation of quality and integrity that will live on through future generations.  We hope that many future generations will continue to encounter area businesses based on these concepts, so well demonstrated by the Jackson family.