History preserved, celebrated in Canby's downtown

For Canby city staff, organizations and community members, creating a place where history can tell a story many years down the road matters.

To that end, the community offered all kinds of memorabilia from this current place and time for inclusion in a time capsule stowed in the Canby City Arch during a partly sunny May 2 evening.

Canby’s Economic Development & Tourism Coordinator Tyler Nizer helped spearhead an extensive program on May 2 that had at its heart – Canby history. A night earlier the Canby City Council had issued a Historic Preservation Month proclamation for May.

And with that, groups like Canby Area Beautification, Canby Historical Society, Friends of Carus School, and the Mark Prairie Historical Society all got involved during the First Thursday Night Market.

There was information, a heritage tree planting, historic walking tours and a focus on Canby’s history and the need to preserve it. Through the time capsule in the arch, Canby residents 50 years from now will get a sense of what was happening in Canby in this era.

“I am thrilled to see this historic day take place. The time capsule was part of the 2020 sesquicentennial celebration of the City of Canby,” Nizer noted. “The city’s Heritage and Landmarks Commission had worked on several commemorative projects, including the time capsule. Due to COVID, many of the efforts planned by the Heritage and Landmarks Commission were either stalled or cancelled completely.

“You can understand my excitement as it has been a long time in the making,” Nizer continued. “There is a wide variety of items the community has generously contributed that illustrate how Canby looks and feels today for the time capsule. It will be interesting to see what items have changed or stayed the same when the time capsule is opened in 2074 — 50 years from now. One thing is for sure, Canby will always be a special place where community pride will remain high and the ‘Canby Way’ of helping and caring for one another will be alive and well.”

The time capsule included a copy of the Canby Herald, patches from the Canby police and fire, a Backstop Bar & Grill hat, and printout with today’s home prices and much more.