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  • Washington Park is one of Portland's most used parks as its location is just minuites from downtown. Within the park are a number of separate attractions, including the Oregon Holocaust Memorial, International Rose Test Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, Children's Playground, Zoo Train, Oregon Zoo, World Forestry Center, Portland Children's Museum, Oregon Vietnam Veterans Living Memorial, and Hoyt Arboretum. Also located within the park is an archery range and soccer field.<br /><br />In 1903, John Charles Olmsted of Olmsted Brothers, a nationally known landscape architecture firm, recommended several changes to the park including the present name, location of the entrance, separate roads and pedestrian paths, and replacement of formal gardens with native species. The name was officially changed from City Park to Washington Park in 1909. width:450;;height:431
  • This staircase is the main entrance to Washington Park at the top of SW Park Place. At the top is the Lewis and Clark Memorial. Besides the Lewis and Clark Memorial there is another memorial, the Holocast Memorial, located arond the corner. Close to the entrance are two statues, a fountain, and the historic Reservoir 3.<br /> width:500;;height:376
  • The foundation stone for the Lewis and Clark Memorial at the entrance to the park was laid by President Theodore Roosevelt on May 21, 1903. The 34-foot granite memorial was completed and dedicated in 1908. On the base in bronze are the seals of the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, which were formed from the territory Lewis and Clark explored. width:300;;height:400
  • The Sacajawea Memorial was unveiled July 7, 1905 at the Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition. Susan B. Anthony, Abigail Scott Duniway and Eva Emery Dye were present for the unveiling. The statue was sculpted by Alice Cooper of Denver and cast by the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company of New York from 14 tons of copper from a mine near Mt. St. Helens. width:361;;height:480
  • Just 4-5 blocks east of the fountain is the statue called "Coming of the White Man." It was given to the city by the heirs of David P. Thompson, an early Portland mayor and donor of the elk statue on SW Main Street between the Plaza Blocks. Completed in 1904, this bronze statue, sculpted by Herman A. MacNeil and cast by Bureau Brothers Foundry, features two Native Americans. Facing eastward, they look down upon the route that ox teams trudged bringing settlers to this part of the country. width:369;;height:395
  • In the main circle of the park is what is simply referred to as the Washington Park fountain, although some call it the Chiming Fountain. Commissioned by the city for $400 in 1891, the cast iron fountain was created by Hans Staehli, a Swiss woodcarver and artist, who designed it after a Renaissance fountain.<br /><br />Originally the fountain was painted white and was topped by a cast iron figure of a boy holding a staff from which water spouted. At some point over the years, the figure disappeared. width:376;;height:500
  • The Oregon Holocaust Memorial was dedicated on August 29, 2004. The memorial consists of a town square with lamp post in honor of those who survived at one end, and a curved basalt block memorial wall at the other. Scattered about the town square are small scuptures representing items that belonged to Holocaust victims, including a doll, book, candelabra, suitcase, shoe and violin. The front of the wall displays Holocaust-related quotations and the back of the wall list the names of Holocaust victims and their surviving relatives in the Pacific Northwest. width:460;;height:307
  • In the summer of 2006, the Portland Water Bureau opened the gates to Reservoir 3. You can now enjoy a quarter-mile walk around this tranquil resource during daylight hours from dawn to dusk. Portland has five open drinking water reservoirs - three at Mt. Tabor Park and two at Washington Park. Reservoir 3 and its gatehouse in Washington Park were built in 1894 as major facilities of the water system that provided Portland drinking water from the Bull Run Watershed (Mt. Hood) in 1895. The facility holds 16.4 million gallons of drinking water which arrives at the reservoir through a gravity-fed system primarily from Reservoir 5 at Mt. Tabor Park. Water from Reservoir 3 serves the low hills on the west side of the Willamette River. width:500;;height:327
  • The stairs leading down to the walk. width:500;;height:333
  • This is the sign that greets visitors as they walk or drive near Reservoir 3. width:463;;height:500
  • A dog enjoying the park. width:432;;height:359
  • A trail in Washington Park that many local residents use on their walk to work downtown. width:504;;height:336
  • Hikers enjoying a spring day on a park trail. width:432;;height:318
  • Homes in the Arlington Heights neighborhood adjacent to the park. width:560;;height:373
  • The International Rose Test Garden was founded by Jesse A. Currey in 1917. The garden was originally located where the parking lots are now. The oldest rose in the current garden is the Grand Duchess Armstrong, planted by the Grand Duchess in 1943. width:500;;height:353
  • There are over 9,000 rose plantings in the garden and each year over half a million visitors "smell the roses." width:640;;height:480
  • The popular, accessible play area (sand boxes, swings, jungle jims, etc.) was built in 1995 by the Portland Rotary Club. It is located just around the corner from the International Rose Garden and on the original site of the Oregon Zoo. The Children's Park itself is the result of major fundraising efforts of the Portland Rotary Club, which helped raise the $2 million it took to develop and install the colorful play features in 1995. width:250;;height:188
  • During August the Portland Parks Department presents a series of concerts in the amphitheatre at the International Rose Garden. Many of the Arlington Heights residents pack up a picnic dinner and head for the concert. The program runs the gamut from Brazilian, jazz, cowboy, and classical. You'll see kids dancing (many with their older sibling or parents) in front of the performers under the warm August Portland skies. width:540;;height:308
  • The 5.5 acre Japanese Garden is composed of five distinct garden styles. When we enter a Japanese garden, the desired effect is to realize a sense of peace, harmony, and tranquility and to experience the feeling of being a part of nature. width:480;;height:360
  • In a deep sense, the Japanese garden is a living reflection of the long history and traditional culture of Japan. Influenced by Shinto, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophies, there is always "something more" in these compositions of stone, water, and plants than meets the eye. width:500;;height:430
  • In 1887, Richard Knight, a local pharmacist who collected animals as a hobby, officially presented his menagerie to the city and the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi was created.<br /><br />Oregon Zoo is home to animals from all corners of the world, including Asian elephants, Peruvian penguins and Arctic polar bears. From the mist-filled Africa Rain Forest to the majestic Great Northwest exhibits, the zoo encourages visitors to understand and experience the natural world. Committed to conservation of endangered species and their habitats—both locally and around the globe—the zoo is a center for wildlife preservation and field research. width:324;;height:360
  • This is the MAX Light Rail stop located at the Oregon Zoo. Taking the MAX from downtown (as well as other locations) makes it easy for visitors to explore all of Washington Park. width:432;;height:296
  • Packy, the Oregon Zoo's famous bull asian elephant, was born in 1962. Packy in the oldest Asian elephant born in a zoo in North America. width:300;;height:450
  • Christmas at the Zoo. width:456;;height:331
  • The Washington Park Run goes through the forests of Washington Park to a station above the International Rose Test Garden and back to the zoo. Round trip is four miles long and takes 35 minutes. Passengers may obtain a no-charge re-boarding stamp to visit the Rose Gardens, Japanese Gardens or Children's Play Park and return to the zoo on a later train. width:360;;height:360
  • This diesel-powered streamliner was built in 1958. A replica of General Motors "Aerotrain." It is one of three trains operated by volunteers. width:500;;height:344
  • Built in 1959 for the Oregon Centennial, the "Oregon" steam locomotive offers a trip back to yesteryear. Reminiscent of the 1800s, the locomotive is painted in bright colors with polished brass trimmings. A glistening brass bell is mounted on the gleaming boiler jacket between the sand dome and stack. The locomotive is patterned after the Virginia & Truckee RR "Reno." width:432;;height:324
  • Hoyt Arboretum borders the park. The 187-acre site with 21 trails covering 12 miles possesses the largest group of distinct species of any arboretum in the U.S. Its plant collection contains 6,000 individual trees and shrubs, representing nearly 1,100 different species from around the world. The park also includes an archery range, soccer field, amphitheatre, tennis courts, picnic sites, and restrooms. width:432;;height:319
  • Spring in Hoyt Arboretum. width:672;;height:446
  • The 20,000 square foot museum was built in Cascadian style architecture. You'll marvel at the intricate hand carvings and grand entry outside, and delight in hands-on, one-of-a-kind exhibits inside. The first floor of our museum focuses on forests of the Pacific Northwest and the role they play in providing habitat, water, recreation, wood, and a multitude of other benefits. The second floor of our museum is divided into two major sections. One half of the space is devoted to temporary exhibits that explore art, history and culture from around the world. width:462;;height:363
  • A student completes a worksheet in an exhibit showcasing three tree rings from Douglas firs that were 60, 280 and more than 600 years old, respectively. width:428;;height:472
  • The Museum is the sixth oldest children’s museum in the country, and each year the Museum welcomes more than 280,000 children from birth to age ten and their caregivers. Programs included natural history displays, arts and crafts classes, and a pet lending library! As research on children's early learning expanded in the 1970s, the Museum's focus shifted to one of hands-on, experience-based learning. width:800;;height:292
  • Opal Public Charter School of the Portland Children’s Museum is an elementary school that is chartered by the Portland Public School District. Opal’s teaching and learning approaches are influenced and inspired by the early childhood schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. width:500;;height:375
  • Inspired by the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, in 1982, a group Oregon Vietnam veterans conceived of the idea of a veterans memorial in Oregon. Through the efforts of many volunteers on behalf of the Vietnam Veterans of Oregon Memorial Fund, the memorial was dedicated in 1987. width:600;;height:450
  • Designed by Walker Macy, a Portland landscape architecture firm, the curved black granite wall lists the names of all Oregon residents who died in Vietnam or who are missing in action. The wall also chronicles three years of the conflict and concurrent local events, providing a poignant contrast. width:500;;height:332
  • Its location in the arboretum provides a serene setting for reflection. The memorial also includes several symbolic components: a bosque of pear trees at the entrance symbolizes life and sacredness; water elements in the Garden of Solace signify life, purity, and hope. width:600;;height:450
  • The archery range is a large field with bales of hay located at the west end of the park and close to the Oregon Zoo. In the late summer, many of the elk and deer hunters (the archery season for these animals opens in September) from the metro area can be seen on the range improving on their skills. width:500;;height:375
  • Matt Groening's (the creator of the Simpsons) grew up in Portland. Homer's father earned a large part of his living producing promotional movies for the Johnson boat-engine company, among other clients. When he wasn't directing "A Tour of the Plant," Homer entertained himself by making avant-garde films such as "A Study in Wet," which juxtaposed shots of surfers and water-skiers against electronically processed sounds of water dripping and splashing in a bathtub.<br /><br />Homer cast his children in a 1969 film called The Story. It set scenes of Matt (then 10) and Lisa (his sister in real life) walking in Washington Park as Lisa tells baby Maggie about how they went out to play "because there's nothing good to watch on TV." The film premiered at a theater in Portland, an event Matt still recalls fondly. "I got to see my big face on the big screen." The video can be found at http://thedailything.com/post/103341761. width:657;;height:468
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