Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-10-29
A REDWOOD GROVE.
Plan For a Public Park That Will BE I'M
like the Others.

Plan For a Public Park That Will BE Un-
like the Others.
The newspapers have got hold of a
story that our townsman, Colonel Arm
strong, is to present the State with
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 munich pality
or society, but to trustees for the use of
the people, for posterity and for all
time This magnifcentg gift Of 600 acres
lies in Big Bottom, near the extremity
of the branch of the San Francisco &
North Pacific railway, about one mile
from the river at Guerne ville in Sonoma
County, and accessible by rail from San
Francisco, which is seventy miles dis
tant.
It 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 mon
strous trees, much on level land, bor-
dered by the side of the Mount jackson
range, with tree trunks from five to
fifteen feet in diameter and more than
three hundred feet high, intermingled
with various other sorts of growth, occa-
sional frs, laurel and other woods add
ing 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 understood. The trustees will be Sc
lected about as follows: Perhaps the
chairman of the Golden Gate park trus-
tees of San Francisco; the land
scape gardener of Central park, New
York City; the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of California, and local
trustee in this county. These gentle
men and their successors forever will
have control, under but few restric lions
in the deed of trust One will be that
no tim Der shall ever be cut or trimmed,
unless it be Blown down. Another con-
dition 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 we'll as many ornamental
structures, and gateway and fountains
in keeping with it's purpose, for which
sufficient endowment is to be placed
in the hands of the trustees The de-
tails can not be given for publication,
nor, in fact, are they completed. But
1t is understood 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 800 acres about 200, with valuable
improvements, orchards, buildings, ETC.,
are being put into condition for yield
ing considerable income, and much of
it is as fine land as lies in Russian river
bottom.
After its income may no longer be re-
CURED by the family 1t is provided that
it shall become part of the parp, and
the trustees will be directed to use such
portion as may be convenient to erect
glass houses for propagating strange
plants. flowers trees and shrubs. to be
used in bordering the drives and orna-
menting the ground. 1t will be seen
from the sketch that the plan IS for
posterity, and it will take along while
to work it out though in the main the
natural features Of q. wildyforest are in
tended to predominant always.-Clover-
dale .Reveille.