SheSue Experience

Imagine if you will a park 24″ by 24″. This tiny park exists in downtown Portland, Oregon. It’s quite famous to Portlander’s, but if you don’t pay attention, you’ll easily miss it. Located at Naito Parkway and Taylor street, this tiny park is right next door to Tom McCall Waterfront Park that lines the Willamette River.

The park was dedicated on St. Patrick’s Day in 1948 by Dick Fagan, an Irishman and a journalist. When he returned from the war, Fagan return to his journalistic career with the Oregon Journal. His office as was located on Front Street (now Naito Parkway). He overlooked the busy traffic and the waterfront. A hole was dug in the street for a light pole, but the pole never went in. Fagan grew tired of seeing weeds grow in the hole and decided to plant some flowers.

Fagan kept up his park and wrote a column about it, often referring to the leprechauns that lived there. He continued to write about the activities in the park until he died in 1969. In 1976, the tiny park became an official city park, named Mills End Park after the column Fagan wrote. Over time, people have donated various things to the park including statues, a tiny swimming pool and a miniature ferris wheel.