Central Area in Salem in Marion County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)

Public Amusement in Salem

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

1. Public Amusement in Salem Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

If you walk just a couple of blocks further west, you will end up at Riverfront Park, one of Salem’s most well-loved parks. Now you might go to the park to enjoy Salem’s Riverfront Carousel or the World Beat Festival, but before the park existed, the area along the river was an industrial center. As factories closed along the river, the City of Salem and its citizens decided a park would be the riverfront’s next use. In 1995, the City officially broke ground on Riverfront Park.

Even though people from the early 1900s didn’t have a park to enjoy, they still had plenty of fun events to attend. Parades were popular recreational activities for many decades in Salem’s downtown. Check out these photos of people enjoying or participating in Salem’s long history of public amusement in downtown, and make sure you don't miss the man riding a zebra down Commercial Street.

Si camines solo unas cuantas cuadras más al oeste, te encontrarás en el parque Riverfront, uno de los parques más amados de Salem. Ahora tal vez irás al parque para disfrutar de la Jarana Riverfront de Salem o del Festival Ritmo del Mundo, pero antes de que existió el parque, el área a lo largo del río fue un centro industrial. Mientras las fábricas se cerraron con la economía cambiante, la Ciudad de Salem y sus ciudadanos decidieron que un parque sería el próximo uso del área a lo largo del rio. En 1995, la Ciudad oficialmente comenzó las obras en el Parque Riverfront.

Aunque la gente a los principios de los años 1900 no tenían un parque que disfrutar, todavía había muchos eventos divertidos que asistir. Desfiles fueron actividades recreacionales divertidos durante muchas décadas en el centro de Salem. Checa estos fotos de personas disfrutando o participando en la historia larga de diversión pública del centro de Salem, y no te pierdas al hombre montando a una cebra por la Calle Comercial.

Caption one
Salem’s Riverfront Carousel opened in 2001. Volunteers dedicated thousands of hours of time to see this project to fruition. Photo courtesy of Salem’s Riverfront Carousel.

Caption two
A Circus Parade with a man in a carriage pulled by a zebra in 1898. Ben Maxwell Collection, SPL, 12019

Caption three, second panel
Victory Parade celebrating the end of WWI in 1918. (Photo courtesy WHC, 2004.003.0009)

Caption four, second panel
A baby parade from the Salem Cherry Festival, probably around 1910. (Photo courtesy WHC, 2001.006.0755.)

Caption five, second panel
World Beat was founded in 1997 by a group of volunteers who wanted (to) find a way for people to share their cultural heritage. Their vision was that Salem be known as a place that is welcoming to people from all cultures. The World Beat Festival was the first official event held in Salem’ s Riverfront Park, June 27 - 28, 1998

Erected by City

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of Salem, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Cultural Trust.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1995.

Location. 44° 56.456′ N, 123° 2.29′ W. Marker is in Salem, Oregon, in Marion County. It is in the Central Area. It is at the intersection of Liberty Street Northeast and Liberty Street NE, on the right when traveling east on Liberty Street Northeast. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 198 Liberty Street NE, Salem OR 97301, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Oregon Wine Country

and in the Willamette Valley.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Reed Opera House (within shouting distance of this marker); Hughes-Durbin Building

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

2. Public Amusement in Salem Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); Ekerlen (Bishop) Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Meyers Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Roth Company Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Paulus Building (within shouting distance of this marker); PGE Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Yeater Building (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Salem.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

3. Public Amusement in Salem Marker

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

4. Public Amusement in Salem Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on October 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 20, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 48 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 20, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.