by Lynn Mack and Debra Meaghers with Kimberli Fitzgerald
Arcadia Publishing, $21.99, 128 pages
These types of books are perfect for people who currently live in these neighborhoods or people who used to live nearby. I fall in the latter category. I was born and raised in West Salem. This book helps bring to life a part of the city that I did not know all that much about. It brings to life names that I know from roads, schools and parks, and gives them a human face. It shows early roads with familiar names and landmarks and how they use to look when they were first built.
West Salem, Oregon started off as a farming community with a couple of ferries across the river. Over time the community started to grow and a bridge was built over the river, with people moving from Salem that wanted a country living, but still wanted to work in Salem. West Salem became a vibrant community in its own right, but eventually merged with the city of Salem in 1949. A decision that some people wish never happened. Lynn Mack and Debra Meaghers have done an excellent job bringing to life this community.
Kevin Winter