Dive Into The Fascinating History Of Salem And The Mid-Willamette Valley

If you’ve ever wondered what life was like for the pioneers who arrived via the Oregon Trail or the Kalapuya people who lived in the area for thousands of years, now’s your chance to find out. May is National Historic Preservation Month and the Salem region has loads of museums and historical places of interest that celebrate the area's diverse heritage.

5/9/2024

Old Aurora Colony Museum

HISTORICAL MUST-SEES IN SALEM

Learn all about downtown Salem’s captivating and sometimes scandalous history on the John Ritter's Stories of the Underground and Downtown Salem Lore walking tour. From Gothic buildings on the National Historic Register to eye-opening facts about the city’s ‘secret’ underground tunnels that were used in the late 1800s, this informative, self-guided tour lets you discover it all—without having to go underground.

The Willamette Heritage Center sprawls over five acres and has plenty of nooks and crannies for history buffs to explore to their heart’s content. In addition to visiting some of the oldest homes in the state, you can take a self-guided tour through the restored 1889 Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, check out rotating exhibits, and explore the history of the Kalapuya people, Tuesday through Saturday. Visit the site for admission prices.

Tour the original 1878 Victorian home of pioneer-entrepreneur Asahel Bush and explore early Salem through the rotating historical exhibits at the Bush House Museum. Free guided tours are offered Thursday through Saturday. Just next door, Deepwood Museum is another intriguing house museum. The 1894 Queen Anne structure was home to three of Salem’s most prominent families and you can reserve space on a tour, Wednesday through Saturday.

Founded in 1854 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Salem Pioneer Cemetery is one of the oldest burial grounds in Oregon and the resting place of several of Oregon’s founders. Be sure to check out the recently rediscovered Chinese shrine, which pays homage to Salem’s once-thriving Chinatown.

HISTORY-RICH HOTSPOTS NORTH OF SALEM

The Keizer Heritage Museum chronicles life during the mid-19th century through photographs, videos and fascinating oral histories. The free museum is located in the historical 1916 Keizer School Building and is part of the larger Keizer Cultural Center; open every day except Sunday.

Your kids will go nuts over the 13,000-year-old bison skeleton that was discovered by Woodburn High School students and is on display at the Woodburn Museum—and history buffs will love the treasure-trove of interactive stations and rotating exhibits about the town’s heritage. The museum is open Thursday through Saturday and is free to visitors.

Champoeg State Heritage Area in St. Paul was a thriving settlement in the early 1840s and you can explore the Newell House and Pioneer Mothers Log Cabin museums to learn all about pioneer life and the area’s original settlers, the Kalapuya Tribe. After brushing up on history, visit the Butteville Store, reportedly the oldest mercantile in Oregon, for generous scoops of handcrafted ice cream.

Why did a community of nearly 600 people cross the Oregon Trail to build a utopian society in the Mid-Willamette Valley? Learn all about the Aurora Colonists’ vision and Oregon’s first communal society at the Old Aurora Colony Museum. Poke around on your own or take a guided tour, Thursday through Saturday. Visit the site for admission prices.

VENTURE WEST OF SALEM FOR EVEN MORE HISTORY

In addition to a ‘murder piano’ with a real bullet hole in it, early homestead maps and information about the pioneers who traveled the Oregon Trail by covered wagon, the Polk County Museum’s research facility has an extensive archival collection and is a hotspot for visitors seeking out their family trees. Open Tuesday through Saturday.

Monmouth is a small town with a long history waiting to be discovered on each of the three Historic Monmouth Walking Tours. Download the brochure and stroll around the campus of Monmouth University—established in 1856 and now Western Oregon University—visit a circa-1877 church and see historical murals documenting the town’s timeline.

Located in a gorgeous historical building, the Independence Heritage Museum is a mind-stretcher of a museum with knowledgeable staff and exhibits that celebrate the town’s diverse past. From the Kalapuya Tribe and the Oregon Trail to hop farms and local logging history, pop in Tuesday through Saturday and have your mind pleasantly blown.

In Grand Ronde, the Chachalu Tribal Museum and Cultural Center showcases the history and culture of the people relocated to the Grand Ronde reservation. Explore the Cintutac Gallery to learn about the peoples’ lifeways, art, tools and stories. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday.

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