Primary Sources are original materials from the time period involved, and have not been filtered, influenced or analyzed through interpretation. They bring us as close to the original event or thought as possible.
The Willamette University Archives and Special Collections offers a treasure trove of information to those interested in Willamette and Salem History. Besides the physical collections, some of the materials are also available online. Some examples of special interest:
Salem Public Library has some interesting online collections. Of particular note: Salem Online History which, "contains thousands of historic Oregon photographs dating from the mid 1800's, with a special focus on the City of Salem and Western Oregon communities." The site also contains historical articles about the area.
The Oregon State Library "was established as the Oregon Library Commission in 1905 and today provides information services to over 37,000 state government employees." The collection strengths include Oregon history. The library is located across from the State Capitol.
"The Willamette Heritage Center, located in Salem, Oregon, was founded in 2010 by the merging of the Mission Mill Museum Association (est. 1964) and the Marion County Historical Society (est. 1950). Today the Willamette Heritage Center houses more than 13,000 objects and 200,000 photographic images. Our research library and archives contains more than 4,500 books and thousands of records.
The research library and archives are open to the public, Tuesday-Friday from Noon-4:00 pm, and by appointment."