Black History month is celebrated throughout the month of February. Carter G. Woodson. In 1912, Woodson became the second African American to earn a PhD at Harvard University. In 1915, Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Under Woodson’s leadership, the Association created research and publication outlets for black scholars with the establishment of the Journal of Negro History (1916) and the Negro History Bulletin (1937). In 1926, Dr. Woodson initiated the celebration of Negro History Week, which corresponded with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, this celebration was expanded to include the entire month of February. To learn more about ASALH and Dr. Woodson’s legacy visit: https://asalh.org/about-us/our-history/

Presidents' Day, observed on the third Monday in February, originated as a federal holiday in 1885 to honor George Washington's birthday (Feb. 22). Moved to a Monday in 1971 by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create three-day weekends, the holiday expanded to honor both Washington and Abraham Lincoln ( whose birthday is on February 12).

Residents of Salem have celebrated Valentines Day since settling here in the mid-1880s. The tradition of sending ornate cards as part of the Valentine’s Day celebration on February 14 began during the Victorian Era. During this time, it was common for people from all social classes to express feelings of friendship and love through the exchange of notes, small gifts, or hand-written verse. Elaborate postcards, and later folding cards, were hand-crafted at home or in small factories. These were often adorned with lace and ribbon, colored illustrations, and embossed borders. But that is only part of the story of the valentine. As the market for sentimental cards expanded, another variety of valentine grew popular. Known as the “comic valentine,” or “penny dreadful,” this card was intended to make its recipient mad. To learn about the history of Comic Valentines please visit: https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/comic-valentines

134 years ago this week, on February 3, 1892 Salem experienced an earthquake. The following day, the Oregon Statesman featured an article on the front page titled: “Salem’s Earthquake Shock”. People in what is now Oregon experienced Cascadian earthquakes and tsunamis long before European Americans settled in this area. In 1987- U.S. Geological Survey geologist Brian Atwater found the first on-the-ground evidence for a subduction zone quake in southern Washington. Based research and testing, magnitude of the quake at 9.0 and determined that the date and time of the event was nine o’clock on the evening of January 26, 1700. We are continuing to compile the scientific and archaeological evidence of the effects of these catastrophic events to better understand our history and prepare for the future. There are also compelling indigenous oral traditions and stories about significant earthquake and tsunami events in Oregon that speak to this resilience. Jason Younker, a member of the Coquille Indian Tribe has shared his story was published as part of the Summer 2007 Oregon Historical Quarterly Special Edition—Great Cascadia Earthquakes and Tsunamis.

100 years ago this week, the front page of the Capital Journal had an article titled: “Cook insists on discovery of the North Pole”. The article describes a letter written by Frederick a. Cook (who wrote the letter from a federal prison Leavenworth where he was serving time for mail fraud) where he challenged the claim that Admiral R. E. Peary had reached it first. Cook wrote that Peary did not actually reach the pole, and that his logbooks documented that his location was actually far away from the actual North Pole. Dr. Cook stated that future explorations would demonstrate that his claim is accurate. In 1988, when a re-examination of his records commissioned by the National Geographic Society, a major sponsor of Perry’s expeditions, concluded that Peary's evidence never proved his claim and suggested that he knew he might have fallen short. If you want to learn more, in addition the books published by Cook and Peary- The Library of Congress has the Frederick Albert Cook Papers If you want to see a silent film created in 1912 by Frederick Cook – you can find it on YouTube- if you search for “The Truth About the North Pole”. Peary’s original papers, including his 1909 expedition diary are held at the National Archives in Washington DC.

The first week of the New Year on January 5th in 1885 there was a train wreck just south of the first Salem Train Depot as it was crossing the wooden bridge over south Mill Creek during a snow storm. While the steam engine made it over the bridge, the passenger coaches derailed and tipped on their side. There is still evidence today of our connection to the steam engine. In 2016, ODOT found evidence of the foundation for the water tower- which provided water to run these engines.

To see photos of the Salem 1885 steam engine derailment please visit Salem’s Oregon Historic Photo Collection site here.

Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 to January 1rst and is an annual celebration of African American culture, and was created by activist Maulana Karenga in 1966, a Professor of black studies at California State University at Long Beach after the 1965 Watts riots in Los Angeles left many people dead and injured. Professor Karenga looked for a way to unite the black community and reinforce family and community values found in the African culture. This year For Kwanzaa 2025 (Dec 26, 2025 - Jan 1, 2026), the overarching theme, set by founder Dr. Maulana Karenga, is "Practicing the Seven Principles in Dimly-Lit Times: Lifting Up the Light, Hurrying the Dawn," . If you want to hear a speaker -the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture is offering a free virtual event online on Sunday December 28th, the third day of Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa’s third day celebrates Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), the practice of lifting one another through shared work and shared purpose. This year, Brooklyn Ethical welcomes Dr. Myrah Brown Green, a renowned scholar, artist, and cultural preservationist, to guide us through the deeper meaning of this principle. Her insights into African diasporic traditions invite us to reflect on how Ujima shows up in our families, communities, and collective history. To register go to https://bsec.org/events/kwanzaa-2025/ I hope you have a Happy and Peaceful New Year.

Governor Isaac Patterson died on December 21 1929 right before the holidays. He was considered a popular and well-respected figure by rivals and supporters alike. After his sudden and unexpected death at his farm in Eola, he was laid in state at the Oregon Capitol Building on December 23rd with a funeral service held in the House Chamber. The casket was taken down the front of the Capitol steps. Patterson’s widow sold their farmhouse in Eola soon after her husbands death to Agnes Schucking and her husband. Agnes had become famous as Salem’s first cherry queen in 1903. In 1938 Agnes opened a store on the farm property that featured flowers and fruit grown on the farm- which soon became Eola Acres Florist. The Christmas season was important to Agnes. She sold wreaths made of Scotch broom with snowberries and used 11 different kinds of native greens with juniper berries and tiny hemlock cones. In 1950 Agnes chose to open their home to share their Christmas decorations… and this soon became a beloved annual holiday tradition from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. In 1960 their Holiday House was featured in the Christmas issue of the national publication-the Florists Telegraph Daily news magazine. To learn more about the history of Holiday House and Governor Patterson, please visit willametteheritage.org