The herald., 1894-02-10
Mr. HOWARD'S ROUNDUP
Of COuncilmen and Park Com
missiOners.
The BurrO Trail Trip Through
Elysian Park.
Viewing the Lands Necessary to Perfec
ElysIan Park-Converts to the
Park Improvements
Proposition.

Secretary Howard of the park COM
mission fairly beamed with delight yes
terday morning over the round up of
councilmen to visit the Elysian park.
When 9 O'Clock arrived there was u
goodly gathering at the city hall. and
when the big secretary had everybody
seated in carriages the party consisted
OF Mayor Rowan, President Teed. Coun-
cimen Munson, Campbell. Nickel,
Pessell and Innes, City Attorney Dunn,
Park Commissioners Pinney, Mesmer
and Hubbell, Superintendent La Grand
and representatives of the HERALD and
Times.
The object of the ride to the park was
to take look at the land In its center
not now owned by the city, and which
the commissioners want to round out
the fair proportions of the park.
The party went in by the Buena
Vista street entrance end drove all
through the park.
Engineer Lowndes, who has been sur
veying in the park for the purpose Of
making relief map, wss found NJ on
a hill top, and pointed out the lines Of
the coveted land.
1t lies in somewhat irregular shape
directly in the middle of tine park, and
embraces land which at one time and
another has been sold by the city to pri-
vate individuals before ever the idea of
park had been thought about.
There are seven 35-acre tracts, owned
by l. W. Hellman, ]. B. Lankershim,
Mr.. Solano and Mr.. Hansen. Some of
the LAND is good and some not, some in
valleys and some ON hillsides.
At present very little of it is accessible
and nearly all of it is required to make
the park complete.
1t is just az if in Golden Gate park at
San Francisco, slice of 200 acres right
in the heart of the park was owned by
private individuals.
Elysian park can never be made per-
feet with this land cut out of it. In
places the boulevards already built run
over some OF this land and in other
places some of the park land has been
plowed and is being cultivated by
private individuals - not the leased
land.
Several members of the party had
never been through the park before and
they grew quite enthusiastic over its
rough but majestic beauty, and the
magnificent scenery Visible on all sides.
1t seems scarcely possible that 80
much has been done by Superintendent
LeGrand and the commission with 80
little money.
1t was stated that up to the present
time, all told, there has only been ex-
psnded On Elysian park $12 1000.
This amount has gone in planting
trees and building roads, and already
the cultivation of the park is having a
perceptible effect in reducing the rough
ness into softness, and in the growth up
on the west side, OF the thick forests of
trees.
This was the first time that any con-
siderable number OF councilmen had Wis
tied the park in a body, and the COM
missioners were kept busy explaining
the nature and extent of what had been
done and what it is desired to do.
One councilman said very frankly that
he had no idea that there was such a
park as Elysian. He had been DESTROYS
of having as much as he could done on
a park in his ward, and had thought
very little about this park. But the ride
had changed his mind. He would be
just as earnest in having his ward park
attended to as ever, but he saw that
here is a magnificent and princely park
that is for the whole city and not for any
one part.
He realized that all the city could do
to assist nature in giving the finishing
touches to Elysian park would be re-
turned Thousand fold, and was here
after an enthusiastic convert to the
park.
The subject of the condemnation of
the land needed is now in the hands of
the land committee OF the council, and
the course which it takes in the matter
will be watched with much interest by
the growing army OF friends of Elysian
park.
The party, after driving through the
winding and excellent roads OF the park,
come out at the western entrance, and,
after visiting various places where the
unemployed are at work, returned to the
city hall well pleased with the little
Journey.