Salem's Riverfront Carousel

We have visited one more carousel on Oregon's portion of the Northwest Carousel Trail.

Salem's Riverfront Carousel is located in Riverfront Park -- at the intersection of Front and State -- with many activities nearby.

My love for carousels is primarily the animals, and the details are enriching.

Notice the bows and colors on Glad Tidings; this is a Christmas horse, and looks so even from a bit of a distance.

Looking closer, we have a cache of toys and a wintry scene.

This carousel started with only horses, plus one zebra, Jazz. 

Actually, the original group also shows the mule, Francis, but they are half horse. He is winking at Kate, the horse in the middle.

They have been making some fun additions, including the Duck and Mr. Hopkins.

I know their names for sure, because there are nameplates for each one.

You can also look them up on the web site, including some previews for animals not yet finished. (There is a beaver coming to join the duck.)

 https://www.salemcarousel.org/meettheherd

We especially liked the deer, Blackberry.

But if you wanted a much smaller, more individual ride...

The carousel has a little library, which had free bookmarks, but not very many books.

If you visit, and you have some extra books around, maybe bring them by.

There is also a gift shop, and that is where we got the new stamps in our passports.

COVID: With some open panels, ventilation is reasonably good, but I still treated it as an indoors space and stayed masked.

Accessibility: I did not see a loading ramp, but it is lower than many of the historic carousels. That should make getting on easier, though it may still require assistance.

The wagons contain benches.

It is also interesting to note that they have a sensory hour on the first Monday of each month, and do not charge riders with disabilities, though that would involve disclosure.

https://www.salemcarousel.org/rides-hours 

I also noticed a nearby playground that looks pretty accessible. It is a large park with many activities.

We may be returning to Riverfront Park as well.

https://www.salemcarousel.org/

Oregon City - Stevens-Crawford Heritage House

The Stevens-Crawford House is one of the historic houses in Oregon City, and a landmark on Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory Heritage Trail.

The American Foursquare Home was built in 1908, making it the youngest of the historical homes in Oregon City (the others dating from 1843 - 1860 or so).

Therefore the Stevens family themselves had the use of electricity and running water. 

So while many Oregon City tours will focus on pioneer days, the Stevens-Crawford House shows you life during the Progressive Era (1901-1929).

The tour is mostly self-guided, though the staff we spoke to there answered questions before and after and were very helpful.

There were many fun artifacts on display, and we found our progress from room to room interesting.

It is a tour where you are encouraged to touch things, so you can type on the typewriter or play the piano. 

(If something should not be opened or used, there is signage.) 

Because both the house and the Museum of the Oregon Territory are both part of the Clackamas County Historical Society, tickets for the house tour can also gain you admittance to the museum, within 30 days of the original admission. That was also a very interesting tour.

In addition, the Stevens-Crawford house is right next to the Ermatinger house.

While they are under separate oranizations, they are collaborating on this years Friday Night Frights, combining spooky tours of both houses with a trip to a local speakeasy.

https://www.orcity.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=904 

We were glad that we finally made it there.

COVID: This is indoors. Ventilation felt a little better than expected, but it still makes sense to mask.

Accessibility: While this is not surprising for an older house, it is not accessible for those with mobility difficulties. There are two staircases inside the house and even access to the first floor requires going up a set of steps.

http://clackamashistory.org/schh

Sandy Area Historical Museum

The building for the Sandy Area Historical Museum is relatively shiny and new, having been built in 2009.

However, the historical society itself goes back to 1926. 

In addition, the building itself is on land that was part of the Barlow Road, which crossed the area from 1845 to 1919.

Literally at the crossroads of local history, we found enthusiastic staff with lots of information on the exhibits and the history of the area.

Signage was pretty helpful as well.

There are exhibits on early commerce and the timber industry, as well as prominent community members.

It does frequently get used for research, including family history research. 

They have helpfully included a play area for researchers accompanied by children.

One thing that may have been a little surprising is that there were no films or touchscreens; multimedia usage has become very common.

There is enough to look at that you may find you don't notice the absence.

It is also very conveniently located, near Jonsrud Viewpoint and Joe's Donuts and on the way to Mt. Hood, where you really can't miss it.

It's worth taking some time to stop by.

And let us not forget, it is one more stop on Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory Heritage Trail.

COVID: It is indoors and enclosed, so I recommend masking.

Accessibility: There is an elevator and handicapped restrooms. This being a modern building is helpful for that.

https://www.sandyhistory.com/