Arizona republican., 1902-02-09
THE NEW PHOENIX PARK
A Place That Will Shortly Be Real
 Pleasure Resort.

The management of Phoenix park is spending some thousands of dollars
 in improving that property and in mak ing it what it's name signifies. By the
 time warm weather comes again it will
 be pleasure resort in reality and one that will certainly be appreciated by every resident of the city. The work
 has been quietly going on for month or two and is now so far advanced that the visitor can form a fair idea of
 what it will be a little later.
 As mentioned some time ago in these : columns. q new athletic field has been added on the south and the grand
 stand moved and repaired. Where the ! old ball ground was there is now q
 beautiful lake a quarter of mile in circumference with an island in the center thirty-five feet high. That is, it ! is a lake all but the water and the
 water will be turned in in few days | when there will be excellent opportun- ity for boating. Four times around it
 means a mile, which is about as far
 as young man wants to row his girl unless he has very severe case. In laying out the lake thought has been | taken for the picturesque and nowhere
 on it's margin is there a stretch
 of straight shore line. At the west en'l | of the island there will be a smaller | island. and at the east end. approached through d narrow inlet. is delightful | little cove.
 A boat house will be erected near the
 west end of the lake and eight row | boats have been ordered. Launches viii | be secured later. On the highest point
 of the island there will be erected an
 observatory twenty-five feet high. making a total height above the sur | rounding country of sixty or seventy | feet and from it a good view of the | city may be obtained. Water pipes have been laid beneath the surface to the | top Of the hill and it is planned to | eventually have a rockery and water
 fall at the west end of the island.
 Al the base of the hill on the island
 there is width enough left for prone
 made and a similar promenade will be 1 arranged around the circumference of l the lake. The island and the bank oi | the lake for some distance back will be set out to Bermuda grass through the l transplantirg of sod and in a short time there will be a beautiful sward in ! evidence. This planting will begin in l q day or two. Water pipes will eXten | around the lake for the watering of the grass and variety of trees and shrubs
 will be planted on the island and the [ Borders or the lake Inal. m a general way. is how the new part of the park ! will look in month or two.
 i But a great deal of work is also be 1 ing put on the old park for it's better ment and for the convenience of visit
 ors. The old cottonwood trees have ! most of them been topped and the rest ! of them will be. That will give tho ! other trees better chance and the cot | tonwoods will send out a short. dense shade for the comfort of the present till | the other trees are large enough to war rant the removal of the cottonwoods. | The old lawn is being burned off and ! put in good condition. New swings and drinking and ornamental fountains will ! be erected. and some day new theate'' building will be put up
 But the greatest convenience of all is the new loop in the street car track. From the former end of the track it turns south to Jefferson street. then west by the swimming bath and along the north line of the park and then north to Washington street, so the trip