Page:Report of the Park Board 1903.djvu/59



CITY PARK.
The name of this existing park is not distinctive. It might be called "Explorers' Park" or "Lewis and Clark Park," to honor Lewis and Clark, the early explorers, or "Settlers' Park," in commemoration of the early settlers who bravely endured many hardships that their descendants might possess a beautiful and prosperous city of their own. "Pioneer Park" would be a more euphonious title, but might be thought to be imitating Seattle.

This park is an illustration of how valuable for purposes of recreation additional large areas of hillside land southwest of the city would become in the course of time, as the population grows. Already the capacity of City Park is taxed to its utmost upon holidays and pleasant Sundays in summer.

Lack of due appreciation of the problems of park development, combined with insufficiency of funds applicable to the purpose, have prevented the securing of proper boundaries of this park. The park should have included the steep land along the south side of Barnes county road eastward from the present park boundary to a point at Ford street. Buildings and high land values now prevent this extension of the park, but it may be possible to take sufficient land back of the lots facing on Barnes county road to provide for a drive and walk and suitable planting borders. It would be essential to have a screening border plantation along the downhill side of this drive to hide the rear premises of the lots above referred to, but not necessarily along the uphill side as the proposed drive could be made to serve as access to lots facing upon its uphill side. A slight but apparently easily accomplished modification of the lot lines of Cedar Hill Addition would doubtless prove to be necessary. Possibly a few of the westerly lots facing on the county road might be added to the park without undue expense.

The main driving entrance to City Park from the east should be from the end of Park avenue. The existing drives near this entrance answer well enough for the present, but eventually they should be moved further from the boundary, which should then be concealed by evergreen shrubbery. One of the drives leading from the Park avenue entrance to the concourse north of the upper reservoir should eventually be widened. The southerly of these two drives seems to be the more desirable for this purpose.

Another entrance drive which will become more important in the future, is that from Jefferson street. The plan of this drive should be improved, so as to secure better grades and less sharp turns, and so as to provide for a moderate widening. The principal drives in this park