The Portland daily press., 1890-10-29
THE PRESS.
WEDNESDAY MORNING. OCT. go.
A REDWOOD GROVE.
Col. Armstrong; Plan ror 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 600 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 Francis
co, which is seventy miles distant.
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
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 300 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 I'M
derstood. The trustees will be selected
about as follows: Perhaps the chairman
of the Golden Gate park trustees of San
Francisco; the landscape gardener of
Central park, New York city; the chief
justice of the supreme court of Califor-
MIA, and a local trustee of 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 struct-
ures, and a gateway and fountains in
keeping with its purpose, for which a
sufficient endowment is to be placed in
the hands Of the trustees. The details
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, etc., are being put
into condition for yielding a considera-
BILE 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-
ton 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 long while to work it out,
though in the main the natural features
of a wild forest are intended to predom-
mate always