The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-26
AN INDIANA SUMMER RESORT
A Brief Summary Of the Attractions
and Beauties of Island Park.
Place Where 1t Is Necessary to Fence Out
the Breeze, and Where the Brass Bands
Are Numerous as the Sands Of the Sea.

see, you must never turn the cold shoulder on
an opportunity to spend day at Island Park
To be sure it is July, and the weather is all that
the word implies; but when it is so hot that it
cannot get any hotter, location here or there
does not seem to make much difference, SO the
day is chosen the lunch basket packed, the
excursion train boarded, and away we 60
breezy ride of ten or twelve miles,
between cool groves and waving corn
fields, brings US to Rome City-the little village
which chaperones Island Park Assembly. An
energetic struggle at the station for the neces-
S2ry official stamp our return tickets, and
then we drift along with the perspring crowd of
men, women, children and baskets, over a
pretty little bridge, up wellshaded avenue,
and find ourselves in Island Park The island
and the park, which themselves and each
other simultan eously, is beautiful and pictur-
esque collection Of miniature hills and valleys;
covering about twenty acres, and lying in a
pretty little sheet Of water known as Sylvan
lake" Nature and art have here locked arms in
combining to create as charming spot as ever
fell under the vision of the average
summer pleasureseeker The island is
dersely shaded by groves of oak; tidy gravel
beds, rustic bridges fountains, arbors and
benches are placed at almost every turn for the
enjoyment and refreshment of tired humanity.
Check room" is a sign which catches the eye,
and we speedily get rid of our lunch baskets,
Some one suggests that we check the children,
aid so get rid Of them for the day, but such
howl of protest rends the summer air that we
are glad to pacify outraged childhood by the i'm
mediate application of popcorn balls. AS the
'island Park Assembly" is Familiarity known
as the western Chautauqua," any
detailed account of the organization
would be superfuous. 1t is wholly
free from all sectarianism or political bias, and
is an association simply. and purely in the inter
est of the moral and mental man Its disinter
ested character is shown in the announcement
that its officers receive no compensation for their
services. Whatsoever profits accrue being devoted
to the work Of the Assembly and the improve
ment of the grounds Each day has now and
varied programme, in which, surely, any and all
minds find pleasant pasturage normal
school, an elocution class. an art school, music
school, language classes. and Bible classes GER
tainly leave corner Of mans intellectual needs
upadministered to, while the 200 row boats on the
lake, the two steamboats, plying busily hther and
thither, the lads and lasses laden with pond
lilies, amply attest that the professors in the
recreation departments are fully entitled to their
degrees. In pursuance of our intent to see all
see, we look about at the many buildings,
the hotels, the W. c. r. Z. BOOTH LaGrange
Museum which consists of an immense nlasto
don tusk recently extracted in this region. and
finally the ever-present bazaar of Jerusalem curios
which would doubtless appear on the top Of Mt
Himalaya, if a prospect of customers in that
III hN I'D
by is little house filed with
Indian work from Petosky-rare novelty to
Southern Hoosiers. We plunge in rapturously
and come out smiliEgly, hoping the government
won't eXterminate the Indians until get our
iii of birch-bark baskets bound with sweet
clover stems.
1t is Grand Army Day on the assembly calen
dar, and the crowd is something appalling in
its magnitude, but happy and orderly to a won
derful degree. Boys III blue are everywhere,
and brass bands are almost as the sands of the
sea for multitudinousness. The true "bello of
the ball. however, We are informed is the
Goshen Band Again following the drift OF, of the
crowd, We cross the canal en- rustic bridge
and wind up the hill to the "taber-
naclo, where appropriate services are to be
held by divers distinguished orators. The tab
ernacle is large open building on the very
edge of the lake. On the lake side is a high
board screen to ward off the lake breezes
which were wont TO visit the audiences too
roughly. The building is brightly decorated
with the figs of all nations, and the wall behind
the platform is inscribed with Bible texts, for
all nations, as we'll. We find the building crowd
ed to its outer edges Rev. A. Ii. Gillett, Of
Ohio, ably conducts the exercises. Professor
Case, of Chicago, leads tho chorus choir, and
male quartet from Fort Wayne merit and receive
enthusiastic applause, while the Goshen
band play inspiringy, and retire
covered with perspiration and glory
The speakers of the day are entertaining. Rev.
j. H. Wilson. of South Bend, relates his expe-
in hOdoPSOuVil1p hrau
of New York, discourses on Company d. or
the Dieno- Mores" We have a back seat and
cannot hear atall; buckingham women keep get
ting up and down III frcEJ Of u.s. we
not half the time see the platform; people walk
IN and out, babies cry, so we give UP in disgust
and slip out to patronize the ice-water barrels
and explore the assembly grounds. Oh, what
crowd! Thousands everywhere We walk around
awhile and let people look at Us, and
then sit down and let other folks
walk by for our diversion. Every phase
of life and costume is here set forth
from the two-hundred pound woman dressed in
black velvet to the little dwarfed creature who
has to be dragged around in q child's express
wagon, and who yet finds existence interesting
enough to justify red sash and a button hole
bouquet Dinner is an interesting affair, par
taken OF on grassy slope to the lake, where the
breeze is only kept at bay by weighing the
tablecoth at the corners with pickle bottles; and
the lemonade flows about in tin cups, afterwards
utilized finger bowls. When our appettes
are appeased, we grow jocular, and some one is
requested to pass around the afternoon maps"
but, on investigation, it is discovered that these
and the tooth picks must have been left at home.
The assembly tenting ground is the main
land, and is reached by little stroll arcross one
OF the many little bridges which branch out from
the island A roomy hotel, several handsome
cottages. and Chautauqua Hall are here found,
but the ma orty of the campers out live in tents,
deeper in the woods, and on pretty bluffs over
looking the lake. The tents. about eighty IN
number were almost all closed and deserted
the occupants being at service on the island.
Again on the island, we found a seat the
lake and watched the busy little tugs plying
over to Spring Beach with their lively cargoes,
and the many red row boats which
dotted the water in every direction.
Among the crowds which passed and
Tepassed u.s. the most popular occupation seemed
to be finding folks" Have VOC found your
folksl OH there fnll.sI and oh where