Page:Report of the Park Board 1903.djvu/44

 enough to contain ten to fifteen acres of the level ground in addition to the bluff and some of the river front, ought by all means to be secured, even if nothing is done to improve it for many years. The population in this part of the city is now small, but some pleasure ground of this sort is certain to be needed, and will be very desirable as a terminus to the proposed river bluff parkway. After the suggested bridge is built across the river at Fulton, and after the population shall have grown up on both sides of the river, this little park will come to have greater importance than it is easy to realize at the present time. If a meadow park cannot be secured here, it would be very desirable to secure a sufficient tract of flat land east of Milwaukie avenue for a park largely devoted to field games.

MOUNT TABOR PARK.
There seems to be every reason why a portion, at least, of Mount Tabor should be taken as a public park. It is the only important landscape feature for miles around, and the population in its vicinity is destined to be fairly dense. It is already a good deal resorted to by people for their Sunday and holiday outings, and it will be better known to and more visited by the citizens as time goes on. It has been sufficiently cleared to open up all the important views from one point or another of it, yet there still survive considerable groves of the original growth of fir trees, including many tall ones, as well as other trees and shrubs. There can be but little doubt that public sentiment will cordially support the city government in acquiring considerable land on this prominent and beautiful hill. It will hardly be possible to take too much land on the hill, but financial restrictions may compel the curtailment of the park area to a comparatively small portion of the hill. In order to attain the purposes of the park, it will be absolutely essential to take the residence now occupying the highest point on the hill, and it will be necessary to take land in all directions from this point far enough down the slopes to enable the park commission to prevent the growth of trees which would eventually block the views. The summit of the hill has an elevation of 645 feet but some good view points are lower than this. Southwest of the summit the slope is so steep that it cannot be very valuable, and here it will be well to take down to the base of the steep slope. East of the summit it would probably be necessary to take down to Conkling avenue (extended). North of the summit, it may prove necessary to limit the taking by Belmont avenue, but northwest of the summit it will be very desirable to take the secondary peak and its steep slopes northward down to the electric railroad. West of the summit ridge, it may be impracticable to take any considerable areas except in the ravines, which apparently have