Waldo Park is a municipal park, located in downtown Salem

Salem, Oregon

Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is one of the smallest city parks in the world, measuring 12 by. The park consists of a giant sequoia

Sequoiadendron

Sequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens and...

 (one of the biggest tree species in the world) surrounded by landscaping and marked with a plaque and sign.

The park is named for the 19th-century lawyer and Marion County

Marion County, Oregon

Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg, a meeting place on the Willamette River. On September 3, 1849, the territorial legislature renamed it in honor of Francis Marion, a Continental Army general of the...

 judge William Waldo

William Waldo (Oregon politician)

William Waldo was an American politician and attorney in Oregon. Born in Missouri, he came to the Oregon Country with his family that included father Daniel Waldo. He would serve in the Oregon State Senate, including as president of the body in 1885. Waldo was also a county judge, while his...

, who planted the tree on his property in 1872. Waldo later sold his property to the city, under condition that the tree be preserved. In 1936, the tree was made into a city park as a result of activism by the American War Mothers

American War Mothers

The American War Mothers was founded in 1917 and given a Congressional charter on February 24, 1925. It is a perpetual patriotic, 501 4 non-profit, non-political, non-sectarian, non-partisan organization whose members are mothers of children who have served or are serving in the Armed Services...

, with the support of prominent Salem citizens.

The tree is located at the intersection of Union and Summer streets, with Summer Street, a major Salem thoroughfare, temporarily reduced in width to make room for the tree. The tree currently reaches a height of 82 feet (25 m).

See also

• Mill Ends Park
  Mill Ends Park
  Mill Ends Park is a tiny urban park located in the median strip of SW Naito Parkway, approaching esplanade along the Willamette River near SW Taylor Street in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The park is a circle across, with a total area of...
  
  , the smallest park in the world, located in nearby Portland
  Portland, Oregon
  Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
  
  

External links

• Waldo Park from City of Salem Parks Department