Council Crest Park

At 1,073 feet above sea level, Council Crest is one of the highest points in Portland. Originally known as Talbot's Mountain after its pioneer settlers, it has also been known as Glass Hill and later as Fairmount, the name of the road that encircles it. As for how it got its current name, there are two widely shared theories. One is that the name comes from stories that Native Americans held gatherings and lit signal fires here. The second comes from McArthur's Oregon Geographic Names, where the author suggests it was named in 1898 by delegates to the National Council of Congregational Churches, who met at the summit.

The water tower that now stands atop Council Crest replaced a 77-foot-tall wooden observatory that was part of the Council Crest Amusement Park, which operated from 1907 to 1929 and was torn down in 1941. From the top of the hill, visitors can see five mountains in the Cascade Range: Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson, and Mount Rainier. The park also offers sweeping views of Portland and surrounding communities.

In July 1956, a welded, sheet-bronze drinking fountain featuring a mother and child was installed in the park. Sculpted by Frederic Littman, an associate professor of art at Portland State College, it has often been mistakenly identified as a "pioneer woman." The sculptor said the statue was not meant to represent a specific era. Instead, it shows a mother and child playing in the park and is meant to express joy. The fountain was made possible by a $6,000 bequest to the city in 1949 from the estate of Florence Laberee, widow of local builder and contractor George P. Laberee.