PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 15, 2023
Independence Day 1866 ended in one of the most devastating days in Portland’s history. Immediately following the the Great Fire of 1866, the city councilors gathered and raised $80,000 to purchase approximately 2½ acres of land at the entrance to Munjoy Hill. Its purpose was to create the first public park in Portland, as well as provide a firebreak. This splendor exists today, in 68 well-kept parks in Portland. It seems appropriate to write this essay on parks and trees in the year when the nation is celebrating the 200th birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted, the creator of Central Park in New York City, as well as hundreds of other parks of all sizes throughout the country. Your journey along the blazing trails to Portland’s glorious parks begins now. See you there, enjoy! ~ Frank E. Reilly, Friends of Lincoln Park