The San Francisco call., 1897-09-10
The Personnel of the Associa-
ton Which Is Working
for the Scheme.
WOULD FAVOR A SMALL PARK.
The Residents of the Warm Belt
Will Oppose the Monkey
Ranch.

The claim having been set forth that
the proposed park and Squirrel Hollow
zoo is a movement of the residents Of the
Mission may be justly Sc: down as quite
the reverse. A glance at the names and
residences of the origin ators of the scheme
will dispel this illusion. Before proceed
ing to show who they are it will not be
amiss to go back a little into the history
of what the Mission residents have done
for the welfare of their section.
The first movement started in the max
ing of Folsom street a boulevard and hav-
ing it paved with bitumen. which was &C
compHshed by the united efforts of al! the
Mission property-owners. principally A
B. Macuire, who Iabored most assiduousy
in having the work done. This having
been accomplished the next movement
made was TO get a High School located in
that section for the accommodation of the
thousands of children who by reason OF
the distance from that part of the City
where he high schools were located 10
their homes were com PEELED to pay car
fare and at the same tim travel long
distance.
The justice of this was accepted by all,
and as a consequence an appropriation
was made and a school size selected.
Having thus succeeded so well in what
the Miss ion residents considered as their
just rights because OF the amount OF taxes
so cheerfulv pa!o by The people for the
improvement of the other portions of the
City, and recognizing that the number of
small parks or squares scattered through
out the Western Addition had neen both
heathtul and ben nefcial to the people and
TO the owners OF real estate, II was thought
that the procuring of the two cemetery
lots in the central portion OF tAe Mission
proper and facing the new High School
building would be both attractive and
also beneficial as a health resort, and at
the same time add to the value of real
estate. While this was under con-
sideretion, and with a fair prospect of its
consummation, a so-cailed mission PARK
Association" was organized in the month
of April, and Immediately after the Or
ganization OF this and at time when
there seemed to be no opposition to the
movement. the ZOO proposition was
lacked on the original article.
The names and residents of the pro-
moters of the Mission park and zoo at the
time of its originaticn are here given. 1t
will be seen that out of the nineteen, who
permitted their names to be used in the
procuring of what at that time seemed TO
be park for the Mission, nine did not
reside in that section:
George D. Shadburne S19 California street
William NJ. Bunker, l001 Pine street,
]. J. McEwen, % Webster street.
John B. Grady. 1926 TwenJy-fourth street.
Thomas w. OBrien, S0S Van Ness avenue
and Belvedere.
John A Buck, 619 Hampshire street.
c. C. Bemis, 419 Bryant street (Rincon Hill).
DR.. 6. G. Kenyon, 901 Sutter street
George l. Center, 1928 Sixteenth street.
W. H. Grim, 1926 Howard street
Ma jor Bsrna McKlnne, 3l7 Hill street.
w. L. Williamson. % Webster street.
A P. Tonelli, 1923 Turk street
A. B. Mcguire. 1928 Twentieth street.
=. D. Code, $40 Vaiencia street.
w Metzuer, 1921 Guerrero street
Colonel John O'Byrue. 800 Fair Oaks street
George A. Raabe, 1888 Twenty fist street
Thomas Jennings, 2273 Fifteenth street.
But since the ''rawness" of the attempt
to sell piece of land that is only assessed
at $57, 600 to the taxpayers through the
Supervisors at $400 900 Messrs Mcguire,
Center, O'Byrne, Williamson and some
others quietly withdrew.
At no time in the history of the under
taking were there more than twelve per-
sons present at any one meeting, and at
the last one held in Lawyer Shadburne's
Office on last Wednesday afternoon there
were only four Of the original promoters
present.
owner residing at 9I7 Guerrero
street and one of the most
energetic workers of the Mis-.
sion Improvement Club: II am
now, as L always was, nrm advocate of
Improvements in the Mission. | have
been a member OF the Mission Improve
ment Club since the first one was started
and l have never remained away from a
meeting when the question of expense
was factor. so long as the meeting was
for the improvement OF the section in
which / live. ! mean the entire Mission.
But when few men held meeting in a
real estate Office on Montgomery street
and hatcned out one OF the greatest
schemes of the age to foist upon the tax
payers an imposition such as the Gum
Tree tract of land for public park at a
price more than three times it's value, and
al this in the name of the people OF the
Mission, [ am so opposed to it that at
times l am inclined to think that the at
tention of the Grand Jury should
be drawn to it. OF Professor Jor-
dan, and his interference in this
matter, 1 have this to say: That
if it were not for his reputation in this
com munity his rose-colored statement of
the beauties of Squirrel Hollow dis
covered only by himself, would render
him subject to the suspicion that his
pionship of this colossal fraud, not
only on the Mission people, but the entire
people of the City and County of San
Francisco, is not prompted by disinter-
esied motives. But as l have said l am
willing TO give him the benefit of the
doubt and simply come to the conclusion
that he has permitted himself to be i'm
posed upon by a few designing men who
saw chance to improve their finances
out of the pubic crib.
aTHE CALL deserves great credit for tn e
brave tight 1t is making to protect the tax
payers against the thieving job that is
being put up bv lew shrewd zeal estate
men. The Colleen Gate Park is the place
for any and all animals that may go 10
make up a geological collection"
d. .. HOysOn. proprietor of "a
drugstore on the corner of
TWENTY first and Valencia
streets: Golden Gaze Park Is The
place for the zoo If the people are 10 have
one. and the Mission residents want a