By Sarah Taylor
Indigenous Lands
We recognize that all our parks are on the lands of the Indigenous Tribes who lived and worked and gathered here since time immemorial. Large homestead grants were given to settlers. Some of them gave part of their land grant to the community for parks and schools. They remain as small pockets of past dreams and a commitment to the well-being of the community. The LNA approved the creation of a mural that honors the history of the canoe on the Willamette River. It is the hope of many, that the new River Trail will help allow for a place for these murals.
Linnton Park
The park included the old Linnton school house, which sits in the southwest corner of the park. It was owned by Aaron Meier who was one of the original owners of Meier and Frank. Although the land was logged, the boy scouts were always allowed to use it and built a log cabin on the property. Aaron’s, son, Julius, who was then Governor donated it in 1938 and the boy scouts worked to reforest the park.
Clark and Wilson
Clark and Wilson, of the lumber mill, donated 17 acres of park. These small pieces of park were folded into Forest Park.
Kingsley Park
This is a 1.1 acre park that was donated to the children of Linnton so “they would have a place to play.” There are still residents who remember the playground equipment and summer recreation programs.
River Beaches
In Oregon, all beaches, including the Willamette River, are public. This was made possible by Senate Bill 100 and the work of Tom McCall and Bob Straub. The area along the river was intended to be a Greenway and a trail system giving access to the river.
Mill Site
The Mill Site is a Habitat, which was developed through the Superfund Process. It is managed by The Trustee Council. After ten years of monitoring, it will be turned over to a non-profit to manage. The developer, ReStor Cap sells credits in a mitigation banking system. PCB’s were buried in the hillside.
Linnton Community Center Playground
and Food Bank
The land for the community center playground was donated by Glen and Martha Gordon in October 2002.
Ma Olsen’s Garden
At the foot of the staircase at NW 107th Ave. is a small garden area that honors the history of Linnton and Grandma Olsen, a one time Linnton resident, owner of a previous Linnton business district store torn down due to the highway widening in the 1960’s and beloved member of the community.
Trees on the Meridian
Building off of ODOT Highway 30 safety planning efforts in the 1990’s, a group of Linnton moms, led by Pat Wagner, successfully applied for a federal DOT grant that funded the installation of street tree medians and the brick rumble pattern through the business district. Separate organizing efforts over the past 20 years led to the installation of benches, planters, and trash cans in the business district.
Skyline School
The land for Skyline School was donated by a local resident.