Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
The Creation of a Park
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, February 3, 2014
1. The Creation of a Park Marker
Click on photo to view photos and captions.
Joaquin Miller Park was formed in 1917 when the City of Oakland and its citizens – led by The California Writers Club – purchased 68 acres from the estate of Joaquin Miller, the noted 19th century “Poet of the Sierras” and environmentalist.
By 1929, when developers began building nearby, the Save the Redwoods League purchased and later gifted (to the City of Oakland) the adjacent groves, known as Sequoia Park. Members of the California Writers Club created the Writers Memorial Grove and led the Woodminster Committee for 11 years.
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) paid laborers from all walks of life to build the Cascade, fountains, pools, and the Woodminster Amphitheater during the Depression of the 1930s.
Joaquin Miller Park represents the best of Oakland. A diverse group of concerned citizens have worked together over a century to create an urban park and a “Cathedral in the Woods.” Today’s park users and contributors carry that glorious tradition forward.
The redwoods here and in nearby East Bay Regional Parks are considered to be the only redwoods flourishing today in an urban setting.
Erected 2010 by City of Oakland.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed
this page online
Location. 37° 48.628′ N, 122° 11.569′ W. Marker is in Oakland, California, in Alameda County. It is in Joaquin Miller Park. Marker can be reached from Sanborn Drive near Joaquin Miller Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3501 Sanborn Drive, Oakland CA 94602, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Monument Loop: A Legacy (a few steps from this marker); Joaquin Miller (within shouting distance of this marker); Joaquin Miller’s Abbey (within shouting distance of this marker); A Haven for Artists (within shouting distance of this marker); The Funeral Pyre (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Pyramid to Moses (approx. 0.2 miles away); John C. Fremont Monument
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, February 3, 2014
2. The Creation of a Park Marker
More about this marker. This marker is located near Joaquin Miller's "Abbey." Sanborn Drive is closed to vehicular traffic.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, February 3, 2014
3. The Cascade
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, February 3, 2014
4. The Cascade
Woodminster Amphitheater is in the background.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 14, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 570 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 14, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
