Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In 1872, Judge William Waldo planted a giant sequoia tree he bought from a traveling salesman on the corner of his farmland outside of Salem, Oregon. As the city grew, eventually Waldo sold his land to the city, but only on the condition his tree be preserved.
As the city and tree both continued to grow, the tree started to become a road hazard, but public outrage kept the tree in place, even after Waldo's death and in 1936 the 12x20 piece of land it sits on was declared a city park, making it at the time the smallest public park in the United States, a title it would hold for 40 years.
In 1948 the city of Portland built a spot for a light pole in the middle of what was then Front St, but never installed the pole. Dick Fagan, a journalist with the Oregon Journal could see this hole from his office window and took matters into his own hands. He planted flowers there and began to upkeep it as a park.
Fagan wrote a popular column called Mill Ends, and thus the park became known as Mill Ends Park. In his column, Fagan would describe the park and talk about a colony of leprechauns that lived there and even claimed its the only leprechaun colony west of Ireland.
In 1976 Portland made it official, Mill Ends became a city park, making it the new smallest in the country, and according to Guinness, the smallest in the world.
In this video we travel to both Waldo Park in Salem and Mill Ends Park in Portland to look at the smallest parks in the United States.
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►Also please follow Sidetrack Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/sidetrackadventures
►Music in this video is from Epidemic Sounds; use our link for a 60 day free trial: share.epidemicsound.com/v927fj
In 1872, Judge William Waldo planted a giant sequoia tree he bought from a traveling salesman on the corner of his farmland outside of Salem, Oregon. As the city grew, eventually Waldo sold his land to the city, but only on the condition his tree be preserved.
As the city and tree both continued to grow, the tree started to become a road hazard, but public outrage kept the tree in place, even after Waldo's death and in 1936 the 12x20 piece of land it sits on was declared a city park, making it at the time the smallest public park in the United States, a title it would hold for 40 years.
In 1948 the city of Portland built a spot for a light pole in the middle of what was then Front St, but never installed the pole. Dick Fagan, a journalist with the Oregon Journal could see this hole from his office window and took matters into his own hands. He planted flowers there and began to upkeep it as a park.
Fagan wrote a popular column called Mill Ends, and thus the park became known as Mill Ends Park. In his column, Fagan would describe the park and talk about a colony of leprechauns that lived there and even claimed its the only leprechaun colony west of Ireland.
In 1976 Portland made it official, Mill Ends became a city park, making it the new smallest in the country, and according to Guinness, the smallest in the world.
In this video we travel to both Waldo Park in Salem and Mill Ends Park in Portland to look at the smallest parks in the United States.
○ Gear we use: amazon.com/shop/sidetrackadventures
►Please subscribe for weekly updates showcasing some of our adventures: youtube.com/channel/UCdueDRFYPVgzPAAOM_bxVWA?sub_confirmation=1
►Also please follow Sidetrack Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/sidetrackadventures
►Music in this video is from Epidemic Sounds; use our link for a 60 day free trial: share.epidemicsound.com/v927fj
