Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-26

belong TO the Fair association and are OF
course maintained at no cost to the city, up
20 two years ago they were exempt from TAX.
alton, but granger assembly decreed that
they should bear their share OF the burdens
of the state.
snAw's GARDEN.
Shaw's garden is one OF the most famous
spots in AmerIco. II is as yet private prop
erty, but the public Is allowed free access TO
IL every day in the year except Sunday. IL
Is owned by Mr.. Henry Shaw, the bachelor
philanthropist, many times a millionaire, who
has spent thirty years and thousands OF DOL.
lars bringing IL TO its present degree OF
beauty and perfection. The. garden has an
area OF fifty-four acres and is situated on
Tower Grove, between Shaw and Magnolia
avenues. Its hot houses and conservatories
contain the rarest flowers that the earth pro-
duces. The fora of the world is represented
within its walls, all so charmingly arranged
that the visitor walks as If in fairy bower,
and with few steps spans whole zone,
and breathes all the climates of the flower
producing world. Oranges, lemons, bananas
and figs are seen growing, and the stately
palm rises around rubber. trees, century
plants and other rare curious products. IL Is
regarded by botanists as without doubt the
finest garden In the world. MIR. Shaw, who
is now in vigorous health at the age of ninety,
will eventually make the garden the prop.
erty of the city. 1t is now maintained en-
tirely at his own expense.
FOREST PARK.
Forest park is the apple OF the st.
Lousians eye, the pride and glory OF the
town. II lies four and a-half miles due west
of the court house, and embraces l,31l acres
of forest, through which dancing stream of
living water courses, shaded by the spread
ing protection of great oaks. Four street
and one steam car line reach it, and 1t is the
"Centraln park of st, Louis, the Fair
mount" of the west. Two of the handsomest
boulevards in the world, Forest Park" and
"Lindell," also connect 1t with the city, and
every afternoon, In season, they are bocked
with carriages, alive with eauestrians, and
dotted with wheelmen. The park was
established in 1875, long before the city
reached It's. eastern gateway, and the com
missioners who condemned it, under order
OF court, after special act Of the legislature
had authorized its purchase, allowed the
owners $780, 995 for IL. To raise this money
twenty years six per cent bonds were issued
and they are now worth in the st. Louis
money market, some of them having been
renewed, however, at lesser rate, twenty
three per cent premium. The sum OF S3O,O0O
is annually spent in the park, which amount
is drawn from the ordinary revenue fund for
municipal purposes Forest parks popular
ity is almost phenomenal, and no wonder.
Situated high and dry, accessible from any
part of the city in few minutes for single
fare of five cents, veritable rural retreat
within step, practically, of down town, why
should IL not bei
The Gentlemen's Driving club maintains
track one mile round, picnic parties
by the score can lose themselves in shady
hooks where Indigenous blue grass springs
from the earth with tropical Insurance,
twenty. five amateur base ball games can be
played at one time in the ''open'' without in
terfcrence, and it is the paradise for school
children out for frolic The st. Louis
Post-DIspatch with characteristic enterprise
has inaugurated n movement to send the
poor children out with their attendants every
day during the heated term this season, and
already one cable road has volunteered 1000
passes, round trip per week, to the fund.
The fresh air mission will cooperate A
lake covering fifty acres affords unexcellea
advantages for boat riding
There are monuments in Forest Park of
Frank p. Blair, who ran for vice president
on the ticket with Seymour in 1868, and Ed
ward Bates, Mr.. Lincoln's attorney general.
TOWER GROVE PARK.
The citizen who has cents and a leisure
half day can ride from the court house to
Tower Grove park on a not very swift horse
line of the putyour- r-nickle-in-the slot variety
and enjoy himself to the full. Tower Grove
is another monument to the generosity of
Mr. Henry Shaw, the venerable owner of
Shaw's garden. 1t comprises 216 acres be-
tween Magnolia avenue and Arsenal street,
and was decided to the city by the phllanthro-
pist IN, IN 1870: There are hand
park and within are numerous rare decidu-
Gus and evergreen trees. IL has fountains,
statues artificial lakes rivulets, ornamental
bridges, shrubbery, flowers, an evergreen
trees of infinite variety. Handsome bronze
statues of Shakespeare, Humboldt, and
Christopher Columbus add to the interest of
this park, and busts of Mozart, Wagner,
Rossini, Verdi, Gounod, Beethoven and Han
del are much admired, Tower park being
pre-eminently the central park of St. Louis
The city, under conditions of Mr. Shaw's
deed, spends S25, 200 year on Tower grove,
drawn from the general fund for municipal
purposes. 1t is under the control of private
commissioners appointed by Mr. Shaw,
chosen from among ST. LOUIS most represent
ative citizens.
LAFAYETTE PARK.
Lafayette park is one of the Oldest breath
ing spots in st. Louis, and was formerly st.
Louis commons, but it was dedicated to its
present purpose in 1851 and has since been
under the hand of the gardener until it
blooms and blossoms like the vale of Cash
mere. 1t comprises 30 acres almost in the
heart OF the city, situated within fifteen min
utes ride by horse car from the court house,
bounded by Mississippi, Lafayette, Missouri
and Park avenues, aristocratlc residence
streets, whose stately mansions, IL FORUM
ately situated opposite, rejoice in q thirty
acre front yard maintained at public expense,
whose estimated value Is 100000 per acre.
Bronze statues of Thomas II. Benton, thirty
years United States senator from Missouri.
George Washington and the Marquis De
artist. A keeper employed at a salary of
81, 300 per annum, looks after Lafayette park,
under the general supervision of the park
commissioner. The entire cost of the beautl-
full spot for the year 1888, was S6,917.S2 and
1t is probably visited by 0,000 people daily
on an average. Lafayette park is also con-
trolled by q board of private commissione RS,
which is perpetual corporation. All the
other parks (except Shaw's garden, VIII ich
is private property maintained for public
benefit) are controlled by the municipal as
sembly.
oFALLoN PARK.
O'F'allon park, three and one quarter miles
northwest from the court house and short
distance north of the fair grounds, covers
just one-quarter Of section of land (160
acres), and was formerly the country seat of
Colonel John O'E'allon. 1t is dotted through
out by ''clumpsn of trees making beautiful
groves. 1t was purchased by the city in 1875
and in 1882 commission fixed its value at
S2l3, la.
BENTON PARK.
One of the prettiest and most popular re-
sorts in ST. Louis was originally the Potter's
field, the city cemetery being removed and
its site made Benton park in 1856, after the
great cholera epidemic. 1t cost the city very
little to make the place what it now is, 140
acres of beautiful forest, field and flowers,
situated between Jefferson avenue ana
Arsenal street and Wisconsin avenue and
Wyoming street. 1t cost the city 81, ,66l .6S to
maintain this handsome resort for South ST.