* Meeting Information * News and Events * Spring Show * Pt Defiance Rhododendron Garden * * Tacoma ARS Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society * * Website Map * back to The Anderson Garden *
A Project of the Tacoma Chapter of The American Rhododendron Society * Introduction * Garden Map * Special Plants * June Bloomers * Garden Restoration Work *Azalea Slope* * ARS Article * Metro Park Cooperation * About Point Defiance Park * * Memorial Bench * Picture Storage * Rededication, May 14, 2005 *Lem's Original Point Defiance Rhododendron Plant * Seedling Bed Discovery *
| Point Defiance Park, the largest city park west of the Mississippi River, integrates old growth forest, several miles of saltwater beach, and extensive bluffs with spectacular views of Puget Sound islands. It contains a world class zoo and aquarium, Fort Nisqually historical site, and a museum of the early days of logging. Besides the Tacoma ARS Chapter rhododendron garden, the park is home to a Japanese garden, rose garden, and native garden. A five-mile drive winds through the remote parts of the park, and is complemented by additional miles of hiking and jogging trails. |
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Point Defiance was first established as a military reservation by President Andrew Johnson. Since it was never used for that purpose, it was signed over to Tacoma as a park in 1880 by President Grover Cleveland. In the 1890s, park visitors arrived by streetcar. The Lodge, still in use for weddings, meetings, and receptions, was completed in 1896. The heated Nereides Saltwater Baths were added in 1907 and a ballroom a few years later. The Pagoda, now centerpiece for the Japanese Garden, was built in 1914 as a streetcar station. |
| The Tacoma ARS Chapter approached the board of Point Defiance Park in 1968 about establishing the Rhododendron Garden. [5 acres set aside; early history and names; Lem's Pt Defiance hybrid; White as a park supevisor] |
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