St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-03

small parks and fine lake shore drives
are, with the single exception of River
side park, at the other extremity of her
limits. She has given fifty acres for tire
soldiers home at the mouth of the Min
nehaha, but the whole of the wonder
fully picturesque region from the falls
to the mouth is yet in private hands,
and no effort has been made towards
securing the river bank above or CON
Meeting the region about the falls with
the lake shore drives by boulevard up
the Minnehaha to Lake Harriet.
st. Paul has given much stronger cyl
dence of appreciation Of the Importance
of locating her improvements within
the territory which must eventually be
occupied by the great city. She is ar
ranging beautiful park on Lake Como
nearly ten times as large as any one OF
the parks of Minneapolis. and. in fact,
comprising larger area than all the
parks of Minneapolis put together. She
is making a boulevard 200 feet wide OF
Summit avenue clear to the river, while
it is to be feared that Minneapolis has
forever lost the opportunity OF contlfu-
ing it on the same line to Lake Cal
houn, which would have made such a
superb avenue as could nowhere else be
riValed. She has secured fifty acres,
comprising the most picturesque por-
ton OF the area opposite the mouth OF
the Minnehaha, and the survey has
been completed, and it is believed the
land will be secured fol an avenue
On the river bank all the way from Fort
Smelling bridge to Marshall avenue,
thus insuring the preservation OF It's
grand and picturesque features. 1t Will
be the favorite drive of the citizens OF
I.,r4 In. c1,O of ~ c
attractions if Minneapolis fails to make
make similar Improvement on her
side of the river. The st. Paul man
will take his visitors out by Summit
boulevard to the river, and then down
the superb drive on its bank, and while
enjoying their admiration of the plctur-
eSque scenes which have been preserved
in their pristine grandeur will point to
the
DISMAL-LooKING QUARRIES
on the opposite side and the squalid
quarters beyond and tell them that is
Minneapolis
Mr.. Cleveland wound up his appeal
for the preservation of the river banks
as the grand natural feature which
would give character to the future city,
in these words:
1.-THE decision must soon be made
and it will be irreyOcable. If you can
contemplate the alternative calmly and
feel no sense of personal responsibility,
no forebOding of the muttered curses
that will be heaped upon us by future
generations when they think of what
might have been, you are made OF
Sterner stuff than am. am but new
cOmer-almost stranger here-but haF-
ing been employed professionally by
40 nif to ftfn
tasteful development of their park sys-
studied the topography of the whole in
tervening region, and after thirty-four
years Of professional practice, extend
ing from Nova Scotia to Colorado, and
from Dakota to Florida, can say in all
sincerity that | have never known an
instance in which the future growth of
a great city could be more safely predi-
Gated from all the circumstances on
which such growth must depend; and
secondly, that | have never seen a site
SO favored by nature for the creation of
a magnificent city if we choose to
avail ourselves of the opportunities
she offers US. The city will certainly
be here, and / doubt not will be mag
niticent in its display of wealth and evil
dence Of enterprise. But here in most
important section nature has placed
features susceptible of such develop
ment of grand and picturesque scenery
in the L
VERY HEART OF THE CITY,
for an extent of miles, as are perfectly
unique in their character and beyond
possibility of artificial imitation, and
every days delay adds to the danger
that their destruction may be begun. 1T
may seem to you that / am riding my
hobby beyond all bounds of patience!
can only reply that / am pleading the
cause of future generations, who will
find by the records of both cities that
their systems OF park Improvements
were intrusted to me, and might justly
charge me with neglecting their rights
if | failed to call attention to matters
which so vitality affect them." ~