Island Information

The Name

"Tsuru" is the Japanese word for "crane". For the Japanese, the crane is a symbol of hope.


History


Crane Island, a garden in Gresham with Japanese flair. This Japanese style garden was built in the 70's by the JACL (Japanese American Citizen League) Gresham - Troutdale branch. After years of neglect a group of volunteers, Tsuru Island Tomodachi ... or Friends of Tsuru Island took a giant step and committed to bring back this special space. Work on our renovation began in July 2011.


Co-chairs of the garden project were Kaz Tamura and Yosh Mishima. Sam Iwamoto designed the plan. Tractors hauled in 30 boulders from Johnson Creek, 5000 rocks were transported from the Clackamas River, and over 650 trees and shrubs were planted. Upon completion the garden was donated to the City of Gresham. Over the years the island was neglected and it became overgrown.

Location


The garden has been cleaned and now we are ready to begin planting, repairing the bridge, and bringing back the serenity of this magical garden. Stop by and walk through to see what is happening. We are located south of Powell right on Main Street in downtown Gresham. Our volunteers are usually there every Sat starting at 9 a.m. and will be glad to answer questions and show you around.
Present Events

We have been fortunate to have the support of our very special volunteers, the Johnson Creek Watershed Council, the Correction Department, and community groups. All of our work has been done by volunteers, and to date generous donations of supplies has kept us going.