This is an unusual grave, on the fringe of the River View Cemetery, some might call a potter's field.
The grave seems to be all by itself next to an unpaved road along one of the branches of Stephens Creek.
We now understand that Irene's grave is at the top of a section that occupies an arm of land between branches of the creek.
This is one of two 'forgotten' sections each holding ~150 graves! These sections are getting renewed attention from the cemetery, and have been targeted for invasive species clean-up. RVC will be reintroducing native species over time in these areas.
Behold the magical and enigmatic gravesite of IRENE MULHOLLAND MILES.
Irene Mulholland Miles gravestone on 2-19-2022
About Irene
Irene lived a short life, giving life to two daughters, who were aged 6 and 9 when she died at age 26.
Irene was Born in La Grande, Union County, Oregon, in 1900.
She Married Edward O'Bray Miles in La Grande in 1916.
She Died in Portland, July, 1926, at age 26.
See the section below for details about Edward, and her family. Irene's genealogy is beyond the scope of this blog.
The Gravesite
The grave is in Sec. 114. This section is in a remote area, not on any modern map.
Sections 113 and 114 each have over 150 people buried in them.
A large portion of them came from the Morningside Asylum and many others were a part of the Multnomah County Welfare burial assistance program.
Irene's death certificate (below) states she was "White" and that she was under a doctor's care when she died, so she was not from Morningside Asylum.
Mulholland Grave Site
Irene's grave is located to the side of a road known informally as "Log Dump Road". The grounds crew brings all kinds of logs and brush to rest and decompose here. We are not giving directions to the grave at this time. Maybe late Summer 2026.
Remember - The cemetery is Private Property. If you venture to either section, Do Not attempt to drive on dirt roads. If you get stuck in the mud, the groundskeepers will (not) be amused!
How this Grave was "Discovered"
The author stumbled upon this grave site when exploring pathways through the cemetery.
On subsequent walks through, he noticed that someone seemed to be caring for the site.
One day, he came through just as a family from the east side of the river was tending the site and was packing up their tools. A nice chat resulted.
From Irene's Guardian Angel:
I found this site while searching for mushrooms. Was shocked that numerous logs and limbs and such had been dumped all around it. I contacted the office and they bulldozed the logs and such away and I’ve maintained it ever since. Somehow I just felt like taking responsibility, and gardening is my meditation. So I’ve been spreading moss, licorice fern and plantings trees and columbine and mostly native plants over the last few years. I’ve rescued many a plant, bush or tree that the groundskeepers have thrown out in their large grounds dump which is close to this site.
The author has been intrigued by the mystery of how the grave came to be here, and why it seemed to be an outlier.
April 26th Cleanup Event!
See the Clean Up Event details at the end of this article. Volunteers Welcome!
Death Notice
Word received here this morning of the death of Mrs. Irene A. Miles, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Mulholland, of this city at Portland hospital. Mrs. Miles death came at the end of along illness, which started with typhoid fever.
She leaves besides her husband Edward J. Miles and two little daughters, Leona Adeline and Mary Jane, her mother and father, seven sisters and one brother.
Her mother and father and two of her sisters, Mrs. Marcus Fulgham and Mrs A. L. Ferguson were with her during the past five days of her illness.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been made, but the body will probably be sent to La Grande for burial.
Evidently it was decided that Irene would be buried at River View Cemetery instead of being taken to La Grande. Also note that Edward's middle initial was given as "J" in the published Death Notice. His middle name was O'Bray!
Death Certificate
Death Certificate
Irene's HUSBAND Edward Miles
Edward O'Bray Miles was born on 21 February 1892, in Paradise, Cache, Utah.
He married Irene Mulholland on 17 July 1916, in La Grande, Union Co., Oregon.
He died on 25 March 1973, in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, at the age of 81, and was buried in Tigard's Crescent Grove Cemetery.
Find-A-Grave
[LINK].
Ancestors Family Search
[LINK].
Irene's DAUGHTERS Leona and Mary Jane
Edward and Irene were the parents of two daughters. Leona and Mary Jane are on Irene's gravestone.
Leona Adeline Miles Arnhold
Born 9/26/1917
Died 1/23/1984 in Ellensburg, WA
Married Sam in 4/3/1936
[No LINK]
Mary Jane Miles
Born April 13, 1920
Died January 2, 1986, Seattle
[LINK]
Edward Miles re-married after Irene's death
Two years after Irene passed, Edward O'Bray Miles married Louisa Barber Davenport — making her Louisa Miles.
They had perhaps six more children.
Louisa is buried with Edward in Tigard.
Editor's Note
Wooden Heart - every-changing natural landscape of the site
We would Love to hear from any of Irene's family.
A neighbor pointed out to the author that the gravestone is more modern stone than one would expect for her date of death. So, at some point it may have been replaced, or it was added to an unmarked grave. Is there is some other explanation?
Thanks to River View Cemetery for organizing this event and making things right.
Bless Pleiades Seven for protecting and caring for Irene's gravesite.
Thanks to River View Cemetery for providing the section maps.
Photos: J Miller. Author/Editor: J Miller.
Clean-up Event - Saturday, April 26th 2026
This is a clean-up of two sections of the cemetery, not IRENE's grave — it doesn't need cleaning, although it may be transformed in the process! :^)
On April 26, 2026, the cemetery is beginning a clean-up of this section and an adjacent overgrown section. There are around 150 graves in each of these two sections!
Clean-up Event flyer
Event Description: During this free event, we’ll be clearing out invasive species in
two overgrown areas of our 144 year old cemetery. We will
provide all tools needed such as clippers, buckets, etc. We will
also provide restrooms, water & lunch with vegetarian options.
We just suggest that you wear long sleeves and pants & bring
garden gloves if you have them. The ground is uneven & may be
challenging for those with mobility issues. To sign up, visit
[Volunteer.Solve.Org] and look up our River View Cemetery event page, or feel free to email Lindsay@RiverViewCemetery.org
We hope to see you there!
You need to register. Volunteers will meet at the cemetery office, and staff will lead the group to the clean up site(s).
This event would be an excellent way to see the grave and help recover overgrown sections of the cemetery. Please don't show up unannounced on the 26th without registering or contacting Lindsay. There will be other such events.
This is a Long Term Project!
The cemetery stopped tending to these sections sometime in the 1930’s or 1940s, for reasons unknown.
The goal with this event is to clean up both these sections and bring them back into perpetual care.
Because of where 114 is in particular, the cemetery will host an annual volunteer invasive species clean-up as it will take time to reintroduce native species and create resilience in that area.
The ultimate goal of this project is to create memorial plaques for each section with the names of the individuals there who don’t have headstones as well.
I will fill these Q's in on 4/16 - before sharing the article on Nextdoor --jm
When was her gravestone placed, and who paid for it? Perhaps a daughter? (It doesn't match the style of her husband Edward's, in Tigard.)
Are there any photos of Irene?
Was the gravestone actually placed over Irene's grave, or just in the general area?
Could "Log Dump Road" be formally named Mulholland Drive?
?
?
Comments submitted on this article
Comments will appear here —
To be curated from Nextdoor, then posted a week or so after article is published.
(At this time, we don't support commenting directly on the blog.)
From Facebook: This article makes me so happy!
On Nextdoor: I suggest checking to see if anyone has goats you can borrow to help clean up the area.
Our Response: Interesting idea! On second thought, there is no fence to keep goats from wandering, and there are coyote dens within say 200 yards, so the goats might be eaten instead of eating.
