Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-16
E EXPOSITION SITES
Proposals Submitted and Referred for Con-
sideration.
CLAIMS OF COMPETING LOCATIONS
Miller Park, Hnnscom Park, River
view Park, EImwood Park and
CourtInnd beach Are
Presented,

The question of the location of the exposl
tion is now a live issue. Five scale
proposals Offering ground in as many differ
ont parts OF the city were opened a a meet
ing nf the Board of Directors held Saturday
January Q, ard were then referred to
special committee consisting of Directors C.
II. Yost, j. H. Millard and X. :. Wilcox
This committee was directed and empowered
to employ an engineer and Landscape
architect to make thorough and detailed
examination of each of the, sites offered and
report to the full board on January %,
These sites have been before the public
for some time as proposed locations for the
exposition and have been designated az
follows: Miller park, Hanscom park, River.
view park Elmwood park and Courtland
beach. Three of these, viz: Miller River.
view and E.mwood park sites, contemplate
the use of the public parks of those nance
and have been designated by the names OF
the parks proposed to be utilized. The
Harscom park site contemplatCs the use OF
large tract of vacant ground. belonging tc
Douglas courty lying adjacent to the County
hospital, which was the site of the old
Douglas county poor farm.
MILLER PARK.
Miller park lies in the northern part of the
city, about four miles from the postofice
The proposition submitted offers the use OF
400 acres OF ground more or less. and con
templates the use of the public park, con
tanning eighty acres and the use of the
government reservation Of eighty acres, on
which the abandoned military post, known as
Fort Omaha. is situated, together with ad-
joining properties. The land covered by this
proposition Is almost level, but is sufficiently
rolling to afford good drainage. There is al
present small artificial lake in the public
park, which is supplied by springs but the
o ~ hnyA Ia.
Omaha Water company an offer of free water
Tor such lakes, lagOons, etc. as NAV be
desired. The available sewerage consists of
an open ditch which follows a natural water
course to the Missouri river. There are a
large nun Der of stree:G leading directly to
the proposed site, one of them. Thirticth
street being paved the fun distance
Particular stress is laid upon the fact that
all of the approaches to the proposed loca.
tion are of light grade. Two lines of street
cars now run almost to the site and the
promoters represent that two more lines may
esaily be extended to that point. The
accessibility by means of steam RAILWAYS n
another argument urged by supporters of this
site and the beauties of the surrounding
country furnished the text for a flowery
peroration in the proposition.
HANSCOM PARK SITE.
In the southwest part of the city. one and
two-thirds miles from the PCS office
Is located the Hanscom park site.
This site comprises from l25 TO
l6O acres, The location is very slightly
one, the greater part of the land lying on
the crest of a very broad ridge" com-
manding view of the surrounding country
and with just enough slope to inaure good
drainage. The western portion of the land
slopes gently to a valley through which
rur5 the Belt Line railway One of the
main arguments advanced by the promoters
of this site Is its accessibility ard its prox-
mi IN hA ,,,-g
1t may be reached from almost every direc-
tion on paved streets, and is less than two
miles frcm the postofice, having the ad-
vantage, in the latter respect, of all of the
other proposed locations. In addition to the
tract which has been described the proposI-
ton also includes the use of a narrow strip
of ground eXtolding from the northwest
corner of the main plat. at Thirtv-third
street and Poppleton avenue, in a northeast
erly direction, to the intersection OF Dodge
and Twenty-ninth streets being about one
mile in length. This strip of ground slopes
from the main plat to a valley of variable
width and follows this the remaining dis
tance. II is suggested that this valley
might be utilized for a chain OF lakes and
other landscape attractions. and would form
an excellent point Of entrance to the eX-
position grounds, being less than one mile
due west of the postolllce.
RIVERVIEW PARK.
The public park bearing this name Is
situated in the southeastern part of the
city on the crest of the bluffs overlooking
the valley of the Missouri river 1t Is
slightly over two miles from the postoifice
and contains siXty-siX acres Of ground The
promoters of this location as an exposition
site have secured pledges from owners OF
2i0 acres of surrounding property, granting
the use of their land. From a typographical
standpoint, this entire tract of land is rough
,t,I g,f.,t.. T. I'LL.
amount of grading would be required in
order to make the location suitable for a
large number of buildings. Aside from this
objection, the location is a very slightly one.
Four lines of street railway run within a
short distance of the park and the main
line Of the b. & NJ. railway passes along
one side OF the ground.
ELMWOOD PARK
Four miles almost directly west Of the
postofce and three-quarters of a mile out
side of the city limits lies Elmwood park
a part of the public domain 2l5 acres In eX-
tent Adjoining 1t on the south is the
state fair grounds, containing 100 acres.
The tender of this land as a site for the
exposition contemplates the use of both of
these tracts. This land is rolling and is a
beautiful spot The rdrk board has ex-
pended about $50 900 in boautfying the public
park and large sums of money have been
expended on the fair grounds. number
or substantial buildings nave been erected
on the last named tract and 1t also contains
one of the finest one-mile race tracks in the
west. There Is no water except that pro-
yided by nature in the way of springs and
wells. neither is there any sewerage. One
limo of street railway, three lines of steam
railway and two macadamized roadways af-
ford ample means Of access to the grounds.
THE COURTLAND BEACH SITE.
Three miles northeast OF the postofIice
anH ahp holf mil mt do nF bn OF
ern city limits lies the level tract of ground
which has been designated as the Courtand
beach site. The land is over 1000 acres
in extent and is as level as a floor. 1t lies
between Florence and Cut-On lakes, the
latter having formerly been part of the
main channel of the Missouri river The
tract offered as a site for the exposition is
40 acres dn extent and abuts upon both
lakes. This Is the only site offered which
has natural bodies of water within its bor-
ders or adjacent to 1t and its promoters lay
particular stress upon this fact This site