Sarah Helmick State Recreation Site, State recreation site in Monmouth, US.

Sarah Helmick State Recreation Site is a 33-hectare day-use park on the floodplain of the Luckiamute River, 9 km south of Monmouth beside Highway 99W. Bigleaf maple, Douglas-fir and black cottonwood shade a meadow set with picnic tables, and a short walking path follows the river.

This recreation site was established in 1922 when Sarah Helmick and her son James donated land to create it, marking the start of Oregon's state park system. This early creation made it the first in a new era of protected spaces for the state.

Sarah Helmick, who gave the first land in 1922, had come to Oregon from Iowa in 1845 and settled a donation land claim that included the park. The park began as an automobile campground for travelers on Highway 99, and its picnic tables and group shelters keep that roadside-rest tradition alive.

The site has two large picnic areas, each able to hold up to 150 people, with electricity, water, tables, and restrooms available year-round. Plan to visit during daylight hours and dress for changeable weather typical of this region.

The park grew through a 1948 purchase of 23.65 acres plus a 1.7-acre gift that same year, and later acquisition of a World War II artillery range site; by 1985 it reached its present size of about 33 hectares. Sarah Helmick, born in 1823, lived to 1924 and gave the land from Albany, where she was a resident.