The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-01
TO MAKE A PARK
EX-MAYOR cox THINKS THE CITY
NEEDS A PLEASURE RESORT.

says the County Ought to Take Grlsvold
Park and join the City in Making 1t the
Hest Retreat aud Pleasure Resort In
the state-WouId Cost But Little and
Would be a God send to the Poor Man
Who Cannot go to Colorado or the
Mountains-wouid Fix Place for Boats
and skating Too.
| There is considerable agitation OF the
! proposition TO make GrisWold city
park, owned and controlled by the city
and county. Parks are a thing that Wich-
/ tia is deficient in-not in number. bu.
| in capacity and convenience. Linwood
! park is a beautiful place and an excel
! lent park for picnics, bicycle riders ana
! carriage drives, but il is 20 far from the
center of town fer the workingman TO
walk. Hyde park, though nearer the CEN
! ter, is too small Griswold is near and
| a beautiful spot. 1t is a natural park. Il
Is just what Wichita needs for a park
"a quiet place, where people may go
when they wish to have quiet time for
recreation.
Men who have at heart the enjoyment
Of the working people OF the city have
been considering what would be the best
plan TO give this place 10 the people. ne
Of the most enthusiastic is ex-Mayor l..
N. Cox. a representative Of the Eagle
talked with the ex-mayor yesterday. To
the question whether he thought the
plan a good one, Mr.. Cox said, in his
usual emphatic style:
II do. 1t is just what we need.
have always thought so. Il would not be
a hard thing to accomplish. The
bank that owns it is not making
anything out Of it. Nobody has ever
made anything out Of il as private
concern. The bank owes the county. The
county could settle with the bank in con-
sheraton of obtaining the park and then
the county and city together could ar
range TO make park of the ground
would you adyocatt banking the riv
err"
Yes certainly, for a distance. If
dam were put in near the mouth Of the
river and the river cleaned out it would
cost very little to bank the river for some
distanc, and there would be very fine
boating. Then the drives should be put
in shape. A band stand and platform
and summer houses should be erected.
There are natural depressions which
should be made into lakes and ponds.
Flowers should be planted and many
Things Of less Importance put in to beau
tify what is already beautiful. place.
But ii would cost considerable money
70 accomplish such an undertaking."
"Weu, not 50 much. The place is so
conscotuted by nature that all these plans
could be followed out with little difficulty.
Besides, al the money expended on the
project would be for labor, and we have
'ong ego learned that what is paid out
for labor stays right here in the city"
For how much could the work be
done?''
The whole cost, after the grounds be-
longsd 70 the city, would not be over
four thousand dollars, and think could
be done for three thousand, or less
But there is no good approach to the
park"
That would be easily arranged if the
park was once certainty. A foot
bridge could be placed across the river
into Riverside park and the street rail-
way would only too gladly extend their
tracks a block farther. If that park was
once put in shape, Central avenue would
be desirable street 10 live on, and could
be grade up and made very fine street
TIE people who live along il would do
that themselves.
There have been quite a number of
attempts to make this city park before,
out no one has ever taken hold of the
matter in earnest. The last one I re-
member was in 81, when the project was
talked Of considerably. The time was
not then ripe for such an undertaking,
and 50 the effort ended in getting the
council 10 pass an order to throw what
remained OF the old Douglas avenue paw
ing into the river as a dam. But there
is no use attempting the thing in a half
hearted way"
do you think anything will be done
soon to make il a city park?'
Yes. 1 do. The people are anxious
for just that thing. The citizens Of this
town want as fine a city as can be
made. There is spirit OF improvement
and enterprise growing stronger here ev-
cry iay. This movement for better walks
is just one manifestation of It. Tint peo-
pie want ii, and what the people want
generally comes. This hot weather makes
the reed Of a park more strongly fell
than ever. All these fishing parties which
ave a1nounced but show that the banks
Of the -:v3r are from ten to fifteen de-
grees cooler than the heated houses. /
What TIE people want Is refuge from
the heat, a place 10 sit in the shade, Or
10 SO boating. and while you are talking
about COO pleasures. wouldn't il be a
fine place 10 skate in winter?
The city and county ought 10 take !
hold of the matter. In Griswoid and Riv- /
erside is material for as fine summer !
resort as there is anywhere. There are I
dozens CT people in Wichita who can go /
away 10 Colorado, the mountains and the 4
north. but we can't al do IL The man /
who iabors by the day and can III af- 4
fori any other day than Sunday for /
pleasure. would find a God-send in this 4
park such weather as this. Little river /
could be damned and banked 70 make I
good boating FOR mile or so at very
little cost. There could be drive-ways .
ana flower spots. cream and soda founi- /
ans and a. sorts OF refreshments, and /
the place would be full every evening. /
It's what Wichita needs"
r.