Palmerton Park at Rogue River, Oregon

3,833 views · Published 7 May 2012 · 4:02 · Indexed 16 October 2026

Channel: Randy Johnson · 2012 · Entertainment

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Evans Creek runs through Palmerton Park before flowing into the Rogue River just west of the Depot Street Bridge at the City of Rogue River in Oregon.

This original treeless land of Palmerton Park was owned by the Skevington family, whose name commemorates the bridge connecting Palmerton and Anna Classick Bicentennial Parks. The park is now owned and maintained by the City of Rogue River.

The land was sold to Mr. Orin F. Palmerton, an avid nurseryman, in the early 1920s. Mr. Palmerton was perhaps one of the first nurserymen in Southern Oregon. 

Mr. Palmerton was born on July 2, 1880. The former Rogue River resident was a veteran of the Spanish American War, enlisting in the 15th Cavalry Regiment at Portland in 1901. He turned the land into a plant nursery in the 1920s and ran it as such until 1966, when due to failing health, he sold the property to the county at a nominal price. Palmerton had always envisioned that someday the area would be preserved as a park.

Palmerton Arboretum's five acres feature plant specimens from all over the world, including pines from Japan, cedars from the Mediterranean, and several large coastal redwoods, including a Dawn Redwood thought at one time to be extinct. More than 70 varieties of trees grace the grounds.

The engraved stone plaque on the site was donated to the City of Rogue River in honor of Jim Smith by his three daughters (Barbara Farrow, Joan Ruffatto, and Wendy Conley) in recognition of his ten years of service as Tree City Committee Chairman for the years 1994—2004. It is to thank him for his time and energy spent in selecting and planting new trees to continue the beautification of Palmerton Park.

Rogue River Chamber of Commerce: http://www.rogueriverchamber.com

Soundtrack: Open Tuning by Prolificarts

Video ©2012 by Johnson ArtWorks
Video and photographs were made May 6, 2012
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