BOOK REVIEWS DISCOVERING PORTLAND PARKS: A LOCAL’S GUIDE OWEN WOZNIAK
by Brian Goldman
P
ortland resident and Mazama Owen Wozniak has just recently published a guidebook by Mountaineers Books, Discovering Portland Parks: A Local’s Guide.
The author selected over 100 of the 500+ parks in the region, from popular (Council Crest; Kelly Point; Sellwood) to many lesser known (Joseph Wood Hill in NE Portland; John Luby in East Portland; Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park in Clark County). You can use this guide to explore different corners of the region, from Hillsboro to Wilsonville to Gresham and across the Columbia to Vancouver, Washington and Clark County. Published in June 2021 during the pandemic, the author hopes there is renewed interest in local parks, given their necessity during these stay-at-home times. The guidebook includes a succinct history of the development of parks in the United States, and, in particular, Portland parks, beginning with the guidance of the Olmsted brothers, sons of famed Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted and, later, Emanuel Mische, who designed and administered parks such as Laurelhurst, Mt. Tabor, and the rose gardens at Peninsula Park and Ladd Circle. Although the glossy pages are filled with superb color photographs of most of the listed parks, the book will not collect dust on a coffee table. The clarity and easy-to-use, color-coded approach inspires usage. Each listed park includes a description, location, acreage, amenities, jurisdiction, transportation access, and history. Icons indicate whether the park is dog-friendly, contains formal gardens, has barbecue grills, public art, and whether it is wheelchair accessible. The narration is smooth, witty and informational. Even longtime Portland residents will be surprised by the number of parks within several miles of their homes that they may never have visited. When asked how he selected the parks for this guidebook, the author responded, “I decided to focus on parks I felt were representative of different experiences, e.g., a neighborhood park, a West Hills forested natural area, a flashy “destination” park, etc. While I tried to include all the parks I felt were “must see” (like Mount Tabor or Vancouver’s excellent new downtown waterfront park), I also made plenty of arbitrary choices. As I noted in the introduction, I wanted to spotlight lesser-known places, especially those with interesting historical and cultural dimensions. I also wanted to emphasize natural areas. To me, these places are worth crossing town to visit. The hardest part was picking from among the many great mid-sized parks … at the end of the day, it was arbitrary and driven to no small extent by my personal connection to these places.”
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The author encourages buyers to purchase directly from the publisher: mountaineers.org/books/books/discovering-portlandparks-a-locals-guide. It is also available in the Mazama Library. Wozniak, O. Discovering Portland Parks: A Local’s Guide. Seattle, Washington: Mountaineers Books, 2021. Mazama Library number 917.95 W91
