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From Here is Oregon: A Zoo Moved, Making Room for Portland Japanese Garden’s Start 60 Years Ago

An early Japanese maple that was planted at the beginning of the Garden’s construction. Photo by William ‘Robbie’ Robinson.

Here is Oregon, a news site created by The Oregonian to “lift and celebrate Oregon” recently published a story that provides insight into the amazing transformation that took place at Portland Japanese Garden over sixty years ago. In a lovely and heavily researched article, journalist Janet Eastman writes, “A half a million visitors see the Portland Japanese Garden every year, but few know the tranquil scene’s wild history when zoo animals lived on the rugged hilltop in Southwest Portland’s Washington Park.”