Portland's Mill Ends Park 'only leprechaun colony west of Ireland'

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Mill Ends Park, a miniature urban park perfectly suited for a leprechaun, has an Irish tie that dates back to the 1940s.

According to Portland Parks and Recreation, Dick Fagan created the park in 1946 after returning from World War II to work at the Oregon Journal.

His office was located on what is now known as Naito Park and provided him a clear view of a median on the street that had an unused hole intended for a light pole. Weeds eventually formed where a traffic light was supposed to be, so Fagan took the opportunity to plant flowers in their place.

Oregon Historical Society’s Oregon Encyclopedia says Fagan spotted and caught a leprechaun who was digging in the area. Apparently, a popular Irish legend states that a leprechaun has to grant a wish to the person who captures them.

Fagan wished for a park.

The journalist soon started a well-known column named “Mill Ends,” which are defined as the wood fragments that remain after production at a lumber mill. In this column, Fagan discussed the happenings at the “World’s Smallest Park” — a title that the park now has in the Guinness World Records.

Some quirky park events that Fagan wrote about include the magic appearance of a swimming pool with a diving board for butterflies and a tiny Ferris wheel transported by a not-so-tiny crane.

“[Mill Ends Park] was dedicated on St. Patrick's Day in 1948 since Fagan was a good Irishman,” PP&R said. “He continued to write about activities in the park until he died in 1969. Many of his columns described the lives of a group of leprechauns, who established the ‘only leprechaun colony west of Ireland’ in the park. Fagan claimed to be the only person who could see the head leprechaun, Patrick O'Toole.”

Mill Ends Park became an official city park on St. Patrick’s Day in 1976. Since then, 452-square-inch park has been the site of many Rose City St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.