Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-18


cred duty to preserve the gifts which the wealth
of the world could not purchase, and transmit it
heritage of beauty to your successors for
ever.''
THE SECOND OR PRESENT REVIVAL.
This, as said above, was written in 1872.
They were brave words most fifty spoken,
and undoubtedly met with an answering
response from thousands of jewellers
in the city, and also duly impressed
the city authorities; but before they had
begun to bear fruit, the business prostra-
ton and financial depression of the 7O's
was upon the country, and the park re-
vival, of which it was one of the evidences,
was dead, and it is only in the last two or
three years that the subject has shown any
vitality, and within the past year, dating
from the present council and the appoint
ment of the park committee, with VIM.
A. Van Slyke at its head, that an organized
movement and q systematic effort has
been made in the direction of park i'm
provement and park extension. OF what
the committee has done in the way of park
improvement will be mentioned somewhat
in detail further along. The most i'm
portant move made,secured through its in
huence, was the passage through the late
Legislature of an act authorizing the city
to Issue $4,000 in bonds as
PARK FUND
to aid in the purchase of land for three or
more parks But,as these public parks add
largely TO the value of surrounding prop
especially if it be residence proper
ty-there was very wisely incorporated
in the act proviso that not more than one
half the cost of any land purchased for
park purposes, and for which the proceeds
of such bonds is to be applied, shall be
paid by the city of st. Paul, thus requir-
ing the land owners and capitalists of the
city-the ones most deeply interested in
making the city attractive and healthful-
to go forward hand in hand with the city
in making these i'm provements. It has also
the effect to awaken a more general inter
est in the subject, as every one person who
contributes of his personal means to To-
cate park at certain point will have a
personal interest, not only in seeing that
particular park improved, beautifed, kept
neatly, and made accessible by pleasant
drlveways, but in seeing the system ex-
tended to other portions of the
city, thus adding to its general
attractions and incidentally enhancing the
value of his personal interests.
Another legislative act secured the past
winter, gave authority to the city council,
upon a two-thirds vote of all the members
elect to sell or exchange Smith park in
the First ward,upon a satisfactory arrange
ment having been made with all persons
interested in said park, for such price and
upon such conditions as the council may
deem for the best interests of the city, the
proceeds to be used for no other purpose
than the purchase of other parks. The
reasons for desiring this legislation and
the benefits it is believed will result from
it, will be referred to elsewhere in this
article.
Still another act in reference to the plat
commission contained clause looking to
the reservation of portion of all new
additions to the city for park purposes.
This clause reads as follows:
''No map or plat of any new addition of lots
or blocks In to the city of st. Paul, the area
of which lots and blocks in the aggregate shall
exceed five acres exclusive of streets and alleys,
shall ever be accepted by said plat commission
unless a. least one-twenteth part of the area of
the land so laid out into lots and blocks shall be
dedicated by the owners of said addition to the
public, public park.''
That this clause might be made to serve
the purpose for which it was designed to
the fullest extent possible, and to remove
the incentive whi3h it might give to some
to divide the additions to be hereafter
made to the city, up into small tracts, and
thus making the reservation provided for
lily adapted to park purposes, the plat
commission at their meeting adopted the
following acceptance of the terms of the
act:
That in accepting plats under the laws organ
izing and regulating the plat commission, pieces
and portions thereof which shall be thereon laid
out and plated in the shape of what is common
ly called and known as boulevards, shall be
known and called, for the purpose of accepting
said plat, park, and upon all other plats, all
pieces or parcels that may and shall be laid out
in accordance with the topography or natural
lay of the ground, and marked park shall be
considered a compliance with the law in rela-
ton to laying out plats. Provided, that in all
cases the location of said park in every plat or
map shall be as nearly central to the property so
plated as practicable.
By this rule, as will be seen, future addi-
tions will be provided with pleasant
boulevards-a good substitute for parks in
the one feature of identifying and making
the city attractive-if not with actual
parks. Had such law been in OPP
Grafton since 1870 the large
area of new territory since plated upon
st. Anthony, north of the Wabashaw street
hill and upon Dayton's bluff, would not be
entirely void of park reservations, or So
deficient in the boulevard substitute, as
they are.
PRESENT AND PROSPECTIVE PARKS.
Having thus gone over in a general way
the subject of parks in st. Paul, we will
now give brief sketch of the individual
parks of the city, with brief review of
what has been done in the past, also
glance at some things it is proposed to do
in the near future, and such other sugges-
lions as may seem appropriate. First in
order of age and in value of expenditures
for its improvement, is
RICE PARK.
AS stated above this park was dedicated
to the city in 1S49, but it was allowed to
remain an unoccupied waste until the year
1862, in which year Hon. John S. Prince
was serving one of his several terms as