The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-13
GREAT CROWD LEAVES.
Martins Hill Picnic Proves
Very Popular.

Beginning at about 1890 today and
continuing during the early part of the
afternoon the streets were lined with a
crowd of men, women and children, all
making their way towards the Rock
Island depot The occasion for this was
the picnic at Martins Hill this after
noon.
BY the time the first excursion train
backed down to the depot the platform
was a mass of human beings from KAN
sas avenue to jackson street ana near
~ to Van Buren, street
The guards who were to have been
stationed at the entrances to the cars
to collect the tickets gave up in de-
spair when they realized the size of the
crowd. and everyone piled pell-mell
into the cars.
The train was loaded in less than five
minutes, hardly making a perceptible
eange in the size Of the crowd on the
change in the size OF the crowd on the
There were fourteen coaches, and it is
estimated that at least $50 people were
crowded into each ear, making a total
of over two thousand.
As soon as the frst train pulled out
the crowd was constantly added to I'M
til it was soon as large again as It was
before the departure of the first train.
After the departure of the first tram
a wait of about thirty minutes was put
in as best could be by the crowd before
the second train went out. Following
this the trains were run as often as pos
sible until the crowd was cared Tor.
The purpose of this excursion, aside
from giving the people of Topeka an
outing and pleasant time, was 70 aHoId
a wide opportunity for extending knoWl-
edge and inforfna ton about this beautl-
TAI tract of land. 1t has wonderful nat
ural park facilities; high smooth table
land, wooded slopes, large forest trees.
rocky bluffs, deep ravines, half mile OF
river bank wonderful views and pie
t1lresque paths and roadways. These
points and many others the reception
committees pointed out this afternoon
to the visitors to the hill. Seeing, now
ever, was believing, and the visitors hau
only to go about from place to place anu
note all these things, and more. Tor
themselves. The tract contains 24O acres,
lies four miles west of the city on Sixth
avenue It is a half mile wide east ana
west and three quarters mile long
north and south, extending from the
Sixth avenue road to the river. and from
Forbes fence on the eastern slope to the
cornfield on the western crest of the hill
The tract has been secured from the
First National bank at the low price OF
$4,000 by sixteen enterprising citizens,
who are holding the land in trust until
a time when it is expected it will be
turned over to the city, when wanted
for a park and without any profit or
bonus. None of the gentlemen has any
other interests in the neighborhOod to be
benefited, and all are acting simply for
the public advantage. 1t Is expected in
due time trolley line will be built
through Cages park to the hill, ana a
boulevard strip 200 feet wide is anticipa-
ted will be donated by land owners. to
the park commission, for a road exclu-
sively for pleasure driving. The expense
of developing and improving the Mar
tins Hill tract would be very slight as
the purpose would be to preserve it IS
natural park with as little of the ar
tificial as possible.
The Rock Island, Santa B'e, Union Pa
eiflc and Missouri Pacific with excursion
parties, church and fraternal picnics
could all reach the grounds direct over
the Rock Island tracks. The Rock ISL
and would take Topeka people out every
Saturday throughout the summer.
The hill affords wonderful opportun-
ity for a summer hotel and restaurant.
Something Of this kind it is believed,
would be largely patronized not only
by Topeka people, but Kansas and west
efn people generally.
All these things and more the commit
tee and those who visited the hill talked
about in the efforts to show what is at
hand for Topekans and to stimulate the
demand for the requirement of this nat
ural park as a public resort.