The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-28

of Minneapolis is noted for its system
of beautiful parks, and they are the dl-
rect result of the work of Mr.. Loring.
"I visited Topeka once before" Mr..
Loring said today, when there was no
need for parks. AS a matter Of fact
it was all park. There were no houses
to speak of. That was in 1856 1 drove
up here from Lawrence with old
Hutch as he has been known since,
and we expected to start a bank in
Kansas. But on the same boat that we
came on there were four hundred 9TH
ers, and all of them were going to start
banks, so after looking the ground over
we gave it up We came by boat to
LeavenWorth, crossed overland to Law
renee and then drove up here. Topeka
does not look much now as it did then.
There was hardly a house here, as re-
member, although there We're settlers
scattered around over the country.
When we started to agitate the park
question in Minneapolis the city was
tsill small, and we were told that we
didn't need any parks. We held a meet
ing when we had about 5000 population
for the purpose of agitating the pur-
chase of 20 acres of land for park The
old fogies said that the young men
would ruin the town by Such metnods.
They said the town would never extend
beyond Tenth street, and that the park
was away outside of where the town
would ever grow to. Now l live on
Nineteenth street, and the city extends
to Fiftieth street, and this first park
is in the heart of the city.
1.-The result of this opposition Senti-
ment was that when we did succeed in
getting an appropriation for parks,
they cost a great deal more money than
they would have done had we all pulled
together in the first place. The work
had to be taken up gradually and eX-
tended over a period of many years 1t
was over 20 years from the time we be-
gan until the friends of parks finally
secured the passage of an act by the
legislature which provided for the or
ganization Of park commission Tor
Minneapolis.
'We have a string of three lakes at
Minneapolis which we desired to use
for parks, and we attempted to con-
denim what we wanted. but the ap-
praisement on just one lake was $216,-
900, so we had to abandon that project
for the time being. We purchased land
nearer the city, and the property ad-
jacent to it imm mediately advanced so
rapidly in value, that the property own
ers around the lake saw that it would
be to their advantage to donate US
what land we wanted. They gave US
strip averaging 125 feet wide around
the lake and we improved it. 1t was
four miles from the city and at that
time the land was worth about $500 an
acre, but in six months time after the
park was located it had advanced to
it up to $4,000 and $4,000 an acre with
in five years, but 1 do not claim that
was it's real value. 1t is now worth
about 81, 500 an acre.
Lots fronting another park in the
city sold, before the park was located,
for 81, 500. After the park had been To-
Gated and before a dollar had been ex-
pended on it, they advanced to SO, 000 I
know of two of these lots that were
purchased for $1,000 when they had
been offered for $4,000 just before the
park was located. They were held for
one year after the work was begun on
the park and they were again sold for
$4,000 The following spring they
brought $21, 900, and one of them was
again transferred for $4,000
1T pays to get your park lands early.
You can get 20 acres perhaps now for
less than you can get ten two or three
years from now. We have a park Of 80
acres in Minneapolis to which we have
made additions amounting to eight
acres more, and the eight acres cost us
more than the original 80.
4 am very much in favor. wherever it
is possible, of utilizing land for parks
that is not good for anything else. Such