Clark, Robert Carlton, Ph.D. "History of the Willamette Valley Oregon."  Vol. 3.
Chicago: Chapman Publishing Company, 1927. p. 158.

FRANK D. BLIGH

     Successfully following in the business footsteps of his father, Frank D.
Bligh has given to Salem a theater of which the city may well be proud and which
typifies the progressive spirit of the west. A native of Canada, he was born
December 20, 1890, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and his parents, T. G. and Anna
(McConnell) Bligh, were also born in the Dominion. They were early settlers of
Winnipeg and migrated to the province of British Columbia in 1898. For four
years T. G. Bligh was the proprietor of a hotel in Vancouver and in 1902 he
brought his family to the United States. Locating in Portland, Oregon, he was
there engaged in the real estate business for six years and in 1908 opened the
Star Theater in Salem. This was the first ten-cent show house in the city and
had a seating capacity of one hundred and ninety-seven. In 1912 he established
the Bligh Hotel, provided with sixty guest rooms, and in the same year opened
the Bligh Theater, which contained five hundred seats. It was closed in 1927 and
the Star Theater was sold in 1912. He also owned the Mascot Theater, with
seating accommodations for two hundred and fifty persons, and the Bligh,
formerly known as the Klinger Grand Theater, provided with three hundred and
fifty seats. He added the Liberty to his chain of theaters, and for six years
was the owner of the house, which had five hundred seats. He was one of the
foremost business men of the city and left the deep impress of his individuality
upon the history of its development. In November, 1925, when fifty-four years of
age, he was fatally injured in an automobile accident. His widow still makes her
home in Salem.
     Frank D. Bligh received his early instruction in Vancouver, British
Columbia, and completed his studies in the public schools of Oregon. In 1908,
when eighteen years of age, he became associated with his father, under whom he
received thorough training in the hotel and theatrical business, and gradually
assumed heavier responsibilities. In 1926 the son erected an imposing building
of concrete, brick and terra cotta which constitutes one of the chief
architectural ornaments of Salem. It is situated on State street and covers a
quarter of a block. The structure is fireproof and contains twelve stores and
thirty-five rooms designed for offices. It houses the New Bligh Capitol Theater,
which has twelve hundred seats and the largest stage in the northwest. The house
has twelve exits and great care has been taken to avoid the possibility of
accidents. Good taste is reflected in the appointments of the theater, which is
artistically decorated, and its patrons are entertained with high class
vaudeville acts and the best productions of the silver screen. The business is
efficiently managed and a high standard of service is maintained.
     Mr. Bligh was married July 1, 1912, in Salem, to Miss Mildred Rhodes and
they became the parents of two children : Donald Gregor, deceased; and Margaret
Ann. Mr. Bligh is an adherent of the republican party and belongs to the Ad Club
and the Illihee Country Club. Along- fraternal lines he is connected with the
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Masons. In the latter organization
he has attained the thirty-second degree and is one of the Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, while he is also connected with the Grotto. Generous and broad-minded,
he is always eager to foster a worthy cause and for nineteen years has
brightened the lives of the inmates of the Oregon State Penitentiary with
entertainment at Thanksgiving, Christmas and on New Year's day. Mr. Bligh is a
young man of proven worth and ability and enjoys the esteem of many friends.
     
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in April 2011 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.