I thought telling a history about the airport was in order to supplement my Disappearing Airlines Blues Caches.
The cache is across the street from the airport main entrance. The site of the airport was acquired by the City of Salem in 1928 with a single runway constructed. Today the airport covered 715 acres with 2 runways. One has ILS and is 5,811 feet long (13/31), the second is 5,145 ft long (16/34). The airport code is KSLE. The airport is named after US Senator Charles L. McNary
The first airline to serve the airport was United in 1941~42. United ended service in 1980 when they flew Boeing 737s into the airport. Horizon Airlines had turboprops connecting SLE with Portland (PDX) (I did that flight once). The service ended in the early 1990s. In 2007, commercial service returned with Delta flying CRJs to Salt Lake City (I flew in/out on that flight once). But that was short-lived, shutting down in 2008. SeaPort Airlines flew to Newport (OR) and PDX for a period of time in 2011. Today the passenger terminal remains silent. Rumors abound with a return of commercials flights maybe to Seattle or San Francisco.
SLE is a pretty active airport with the Oregon Air National Guard facility and is the home to Oregon Department of Aviation. Charter and General Aviation planes regularly arrive and depart. There is also a group working to restore aB-17 bomber at the airport. this is the plane that was part of the Bomber gas station restaurant in Milwaukie, Oregon.
As far as famous people who used the airport, President Harry S. Truman touched down at McNary Feild on June 11, 1948. He was aboard the DC-6 called Independence. He was planning to land in Portland to view flood damage along the Columbia River but was diverted to SLE as the Portland Airport was inundated. Truman did not stay long as he was motorcade, drove thru downtown Salem, then headed north to Portland. Truman did stop in Salem another time, but that was on the train (Had to get a train reference somewhere LOL)