DeWitt Park - SW Portland - 10.8.22

 DeWitt Park is located in the Hillsdale neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. I've passed it several times and have yet to see a child playing there.

The park's swing set and the freestanding slide are newer, but the wooden play structure looks like it's at least 30 years old, maybe 40. (The tire swings have been replaced as needed.) 

I know it may look rugged, but I love the fact that a vintage wooden/metal structure still exists in Portland. I'm sure its days are numbered, but let's enjoy it while we can.

According to Portland.gov's website, the park was acquired in 1960 and was named for Francis DeWitt, "a pioneer who came to Oregon from Germany in 1847 on a sailing vessel." As this in itself is not a notable achievement (we have lots of German immigrants here), perhaps that's why Francis's park is extremely basic. Still, I love it.

Location: 1805 SW DeWitt Street.

Mill Park Elementary School - SE Portland - 10.6.22

 Mill Park Elementary School's playground (as of 2022) boasts an eclectic collection of old and new equipment spread across two adjacent play spaces. Most of these structures are made of metal and have years of chipping paint giving the pieces an artisinal look. 

Mill Park is located at 1900 SE 117th Avenue in Portland, Oregon.

These rings are pretty old; we had some at the nearby Menlo Park in 1985, and I assume Mill had a similar setup: large cement stepping stones underneath on one side, and NO barkdust whatsoever. Oh, how we lived.

This playground has remained virtually unchanged since I first photographed it in 2005. Those photos are not archived on this site, but I'll try to find them for comparison. My suspicion is that the only major difference will be the paint colors.