August 8, 1929
An airport built about two miles (1.6 kilometers) southeast of the downtown area of Salem, Oregon, was officially dedicated. As the 1920s was fast approaching its end, the development of facilities to support airborne transportation had become a top priority for numerous municipalities throughout the United States — including the capital of the Beaver State.
The strong interest of Salem’s residents in aviation dated as far back as 1910, when the first plane flew over the city. That was also the same year during which Lone Oak race track at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem was first used as a makeshift location for the take-offs and landings of aircraft. Numerous local citizens eventually pushed for an actual airport to be constructed for their communities.
An airport site committee was formed to select a location that would provide sufficient space for three runways, a hangar, and a shop. There was also an airport bond initiative to provide funds for building the new facility. The American Legion and various other local civic stakeholders strongly advocated for the importance of this funding. An “Airport Week,” for example, encompassed everything from a flying-circus promotional event at the Fairgrounds to speeches of support given to community groups by dignitaries and war heroes in the region. The bond was approved, and construction on the airport took place.
The dedication ceremony for Salem Municipal Airport began at four o’clock in the afternoon and was held at the intersection of the three runways. Thousands of people turned out for this event, which featured a squadron of U.S. Army planes flying above the new airport. The public officials who addressed the large crowd as part of the ceremony included Thomas A. Livesley (1863-1947), the mayor of Salem between 1927 and 1931; and Isaac Lee Patterson (1859-1929), the governor of Oregon from 1927 to 1929. (Patterson died of pneumonia on December 21, 1929.)
The manager of Salem Municipal Airport at the time of its opening was Lee Eyerly (1892-1963). Eyerly, an aviation pioneer and amusement rides manufacturer, had been a major force in the founding of the airport.
On March 6, 1944, the Salem City Council approved a resolution to give the airport the alternate designation of McNary Field in memory of a longtime U.S. senator from Oregon. Charles L. McNary (1874-1944), who passed away only nine days earlier, served as senator from 1917 until his death. He had been a staunch advocate of Salem Municipal Airport.
Another notable development with respect to the name of the airport took place on June 10, 2024, when the Salem City Council approved replacing the designation of “Salem Municipal Airport” with that of “Salem-Willamette Valley Airport.” This change was adopted to help encourage tourism in Willamette Valley, an area in that part of Oregon that is home to the majority of the state’s wineries. A subsequent press release issued by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce asserted, however, “The airfield will continue to be known locally as McNary Field.”
Photo Credit: Neonblak (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)
For more information on Salem-Willamette Valley Airport (also called McNary Field), please check out https://www.willametteheritage.org/airport/
Transportation History 
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