The Capitol Theater, which opened in 1926, was one of Salem’s finest vaudeville and silent movie houses. Located on State Street, the theater was originally …

Oregon Encyclopedia

Quinaby (Quimby, Quiniby), a Tsimikiti (Chemeketa) Kalapuya Indian, saw the first whites settle in French Prairie in the mid-Willamette Valley. Known as Chief …

Oregon Encyclopedia

Thomas Lister Kay, an early Oregon industrialist, built and operated the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill in Salem. The mill was the center of his …

Oregon Encyclopedia

Chemawa Indian School, located in the mid-Willamette Valley north of Salem, is one of four remaining off-reservation boarding schools funded and operated by the …

Oregon Encyclopedia

David C. Duniway was the first Oregon State Archivist and a champion for historic preservation in Salem. He had a deep interest in local …

Oregon Encyclopedia

When Obed Dickinson arrived in Salem in 1853 to become pastor of the Congregational Church, he found himself in a city where many opposed slavery …

Oregon Encyclopedia

William Christmas Knighton, a prolific and innovative architect, served as Oregon’s first and only State Architect from 1911 to 1915. His career spanned fifty years, …

Oregon Encyclopedia

Bush’s Pasture Park and the Bush Conservatory in Salem are part of the history of the settlement of Oregon; the park’s designation as a public …

Oregon Encyclopedia

When Kettle Foods began producing Kettle Chips in Salem in 1982, the company was making the only all-natural, hand-cooked potato chips in the western United …

Oregon Encyclopedia

Elizabeth Lord (1887-1976) and Edith Schryver (1901-1984) formed Lord & Schryver in 1929, the first firm of women landscape architects in the Pacific Northwest. Based …

Oregon Encyclopedia