Page:Report of the Park Board 1903.djvu/36



NORTHWEST HILLSIDE PARKWAY.
Beginning at the southwesterly end of the row of park squares, it would be practicable and exceedingly desirable to lay out a parkway, which, bending first to the south and soon turning abruptly and running in a generally northwesterly direction, and rising rapidly to get above existing houses, would pass one of the city reservoirs situated in a gulch or small canyon at the southwest end of Tenth street. Continuing to rise, in a northwesterly direction, the parkway could probably be made to reach a remarkably prominent view point, already well known and much resorted to by the citizens of Portland Heights and the neighboring parts of the city, situated on the line of Seventeenth street, which is here on paper only, and half way between Hall street (also on paper only) and Montgomery street, and about one hundred feet east of Terrace road. This view point is well worth preserving as a local park, even if it be found impracticable to carry out the proposed parkway. Turning abruptly southwesterly into the ravine and then northwesterly the parkway could be made to reach a higher, larger and locally more attractive view point, known as "Smith's View Point," which is almost on the line of Market street, and three blocks west of Chapman street, upon which is the cable incline. Both of these view points, and, in fact nearly all of the parkway between them, would command unobstructed views of the city, which, from its close proximity, would be very interesting to examine in detail, and at the same time the distant views are among the finest to be commanded from any of the hills about the city. From no other points will it be possible to view the city so close at hand, and at the same time so high above it, with so little possibility of obstructions, which would detract from or block the view, being created hereafter.

From "Smith's View Point" the parkway could be made to bend along the hillside forming the southeast wall of the canyon of Tanner Creek. The hillside is exceedingly steep, and some special devices might be required, such as retaining walls and splitting the drive into two narrow drives at different levels. If sufficient land could be secured on the spur northwest of "Smith's View Point," it might be cheaper to construct the drive in several zig-zags. In either case, the drive would be carried across Tanner Creek by a bridge, high above the bottom of the canyon, to the ridge between Tanner Creek and the proposed addition to City Park, and across this ridge on a winding line to the corner of the addition to City Park at Carter street (which forms the boundary between the park and West End Addition). Within the park the drive could be continued up the ravine formerly occupied by a cable railway incline, now abandoned. Bending back westerly into the ravine and there turning sharply, the drive would run in an easterly