Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-08-28
A REDWOOD GRANT.
Plan for a Public Park that Will Be
Unlike All Others.


The newspapers have got hold of a
story that our townsman, Col. Arm
strong, is to present the State with a
tract of redwood land in Sonoma county
for park. We made inquiry of the
donor and found the rumor correct, only
that he does not intend to give it to the
State or to any particular municipality
or society, but to trustees, for the use of
the people, for posterity and for all
time. This magnificent gift of 900 acres
lies in Big Bottom, near the extremity of
the branch of the San Francisco and
North Pacific Railway, about one mile
from the river at Guerneville, in Sonoma
county, and accessible by rail from San
Francisco, which is seventy miles dis
tant.
1t is the last considerable tract of
these big trees in this region or so near
the city. OF course there are other
scopes of scattered timber in the hills,
scrubby in growth and out of the way.
But this is a grand forest of monstrous
trees, much on level land. bordered by
the side of the Mount Jackson range,
with tree trunks from five to fifteen feet
in diameter and more than 800 feet high,
intermingled with various other sorts of
growth, occasional frs, laurel, and other
woods adding to the beauty of the spot.
The donor says the gift will not be
fully appreciated for the next fifty years.
Then, when no other spot like it can be
found in reach, his motive will be under
stood. The trustees will be selected
about as follows: Perhaps the Chairman
nf ha Do Il e
Francisco, the landscape gardener of
Central Park, New York City, the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of Cali
fornia, and local trustee in this county.
These gentlemen and their successors
forever will have control, under but few
restrictions in the deed of trust. One
will be that no timber shall ever be cut
or trimmed, unless it be blown down.
Another condition will be that the park
shall not be place for encampment, for
fear of fire, and shall only be visited in
daylight.
There will be drives, paths, and the
like, as well as many ornamental struc-
lures, and gateway and fountains in
keeping with its purpose, for which q
sufficient endowment is to be placed in
VIC Ihuuo VI tllc ITuSIteS. ut uttdllb
cannot be given for publication, nor, in
fact, are they completed. But it is un-
derstood that some of the work will be
done in the time of the owner, and that
he will retain control for the present and
as long as he lives. Out of the 600 acres,
about 200, with valuable Improvements,
orchards, buildings, &C., are being put
into condition for yielding consider
eble income, and much of it is as fine
land as lies in Russian River bottom.
After its income may no longer be re-
quired by the family, it is provided that
it shall become part of the park, and the
trustees will be directed to use such por-
tion as may be convenient to erect glass
houses for propagating strange plants,
flowers, trees and shrubs, to be used in
bordering the drives and ornamenting
the ground.
1t will be seen from the sketch that
the plan is for posterity, and it will take
a long while to work 1t out, though in
the main the natural features of wild
forest are intended to predominant al
ways.-Cloverdale (Cal. Reveille.