Minto - Brown Island Park - Municipal Parks and Plazas on Waymarking.com

In 1857, Isaac "Whiskey" Brown made his way up the Columbia and Willamette Rivers from Astoria and established his home on an island which became known as Brown's Island. Here, the colorful and untidy Brown raised livestock, farm produce and tobacco. Ten years later, John Minto purchased 247 acres on another island which was to be named after him. At that time, the island was covered with dense brush and flood debris, which he subsequently cleared, turning the land into productive farm land.

Today, the islands aren't true islands due to periodic flooding which has changed the channel of the Willamette River. The greatest flood ever recorded occurred in December, 1861. Previous to this flood, the Willamette River flowed between the two islands, so that Minto Island was on the east bank and Brown Island was on the west bank of the river.

After the flood subsided it was discovered that the river had changed its course to the present location. The 1964 flood was almost as great as the one 100 years previous, and many structures were destroyed at this time. Periodic flooding of the Minto-Brown Island area has allowed the site to survive to this day as a low density agricultural area.

In 1970, the City of Salem acquired the 308-acre Minto Island site located 2 1/2 miles from the City center. A Land and Water grant, Willamette Greenway funds, and a donation by the Schindler Brothers left only a small portion of the purchase price to be paid by the City. A year later, Marion County acquired a 525-acre site contiguous to Minto Island that brought the total park area to 833 acres. The site is bounded by the Willamette River on the northwest, Salem Golf Course on the south, River Road on the southeast, and Boise Cascade aeration ponds to the northeast.

Cooperation between Marion County and the City of Salem has resulted in preparation of a Master Development Plan and subsequent application for Land and Water development funds over the past few years. The city and County have recently negotiated a Land Use Permit with the Fish and Wildlife Commission which permits continued farming of the area. The agreement requires that some of the farm crops remain unharvested for waterfowl and wildlife which constitute a recreational use.

The remainder of the site consists of gravel pits, old river bed, sloughs, native timber, dense underbrush and grassy meadows that serve as a natural habitat for birds and wildlife.

Many people now use the site and enjoy the very natural, rural farm setting. the use of the bike trails by bikers, joggers and strollers has been very compatible with the farming interests there. Many clubs use the area extensively such as the Audubon Society, and bicycle clubs and other interests such as equestrian, archery, boating and canoeing will probably be served in the near future.

Minto-Brown Tree Restoration Project

Federal funding assistance was approved to Parks Operations Division by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The acronym for the program is CREP, which stands for Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and was created to assist with the endangered species act (ESA).

Thanks to the efforts of many volunteers, over 5,000 native plants have been planted to help create a 200' buffer along sloughs and river banks. The purpose of this buffer is to allow a natural filtration system to prevent run off of chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, from entering waterways. The buffer will also help prevent soil erosion, help habitat and help improve the water quality.

A number of groups helped out at four planting sessions by planting trees, adding plant guards and stakes in the ground and covering the plants with mulch to help ensure they thrive. School groups included Yoshika, Marion Miller, Livingstone Junior Academy, McKinley, Houck (two different groups), Sprague, Judson, North Salem, Morningside, Grant, Brush College, Candalaria, McKay and Delphian. Eagle Scouts, Cub Scouts, Shoots and Roots Club, Boys Scouts, the Environmental Club and a variety of individuals were also on hand to help out. The total number of volunteers were over 750 and 3,000 volunteer hours were tracked! Parks Operations Division would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who assisted with this important project.

Some of the amenities:
Play Equipment
Portable Toilets
Shelter with Barbeque
Picnic Tables
Benches
Jogging Paths
Walk/Bike Paths
Dog Exercise Area (off leash area)
6 mutt-mitt dispensers

The main coordinates stated above will bring you to the main entrance of the park. The following additional coordinates are included for your information: (only if you have a GPS)

N 44 55.308 W 123 03.525 Large parking area #1 - Info-Toilets-Trails
N 44 55.222 W 123 03.684 Duck Pond-Fishing Dock - Trail
N 44 55.407 W 123 04.014 Dog Run - Unleash large area
N 44 55.436 W 123 04.411 Huge Main Parking Area,trails,Barbecue
N 44 55.627 W 123 04.394 Willamette River View and Trails
N 44 54.502 W 123 05.329 S. Entrance #1 - Trail at Railroad Track
N 44 54.626 W 123 05.330 S. Entrance #2 - Trail at creek
N 44 54.946 W 123 05.324 S. Entrance #3 medium parking & trails
N 44 55.086 W 123 05.421 S. Entrance #4 Large Street Trail

Please note that all the S. Entrances are off Homestead Rd S. and have limited parking except for the #3 entrance which can accomadate about 12 cars.

I am including these South entrances for those who have been to Minto Park before, are familiar with the area and are looking for a change and have a GPS. If you are new to the Park, I recommend that you come through the main entrance and go directly to the Main Parking area at the end of the road where there is a covered picnic and barbecue area, playground, and trails that go to the river. All the trails, even at the South entrances inter-connect with each other. Most of the trails are paved and end up back at the Main Parking area.

Name: Minto-Brown Island Park Street Location: 2200 Minto Island Road Local Municipality: City of Salem State/Province, etc.: Oregon 97302 Country: Marion County Web Site: [Web Link] Memorial/Commemoration: No Date Established: 1970 Picnic Facilities: Shelter with Barbeque,tables,benches Recreational Facilities: Play Equipment Portable Toilets Jogging Paths Walk/Bike Paths Dog Exercise Area (off leash area) 6 mutt-mitt dispensers Monuments/Statues: None Art (murals/sculpture, etc.): Many Information Boards describing Natural Habitat and Wildlife Fountains: Fountain at shelter Ponds/Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Beach: Ponds/Streams,Willamette River,dock areas/Bird Blinds Special Events: Audubon Society, and bicycle clubs, and Geocaching get togethers Traditional Geocaches: There are over 40 traditional geocaches in this park. Please go to geocache.com for selection. There are also a couple of waymarks also at waymark.com

Visit Instructions:
One photo of the park that is a different view from the one on the page, and give the date and description your visit.

Add any additional information that you may have about this park. A GPSr photo is NOT required.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   09/08/2013 ddtfamily visited it 02/17/2013 Queens Blessing visited it 07/06/2009 shadow101 visited it 09/10/2007 Bandmaster visited it

View all visits/logs