The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-10

tended by Superintendent of Parks
Nussbaumer.
Meanwhile, Lake Como was rapidly
drying up. Large areas of it's ancient
bed, which was covered with several
feet of water when the park was To-
Gated there in 1873, was dry land in
1891. A few pools in the midst Of
uncovered deposits of black mud were
all that was left of the once brim-
ming lake. The threatened calamity
OF its entire disappearance was hap
PLY averted by the discovery that ar
tes1an wells, sunk in it's border, would
yield ineXhautible supplies of water
TO rep1enish it. Before this was done
boulevard was constructed, in 1928.
on new meander line around the
larger arm of the diminished lake un-
der legislative act authorizing the CITY
council to issue $4,000 for the pur-
pose, on the condition that the owners
of the land required would deed it to
the city, which they did. The area
OF the park was considerably enlarged
by these concessions and-by the inclu-
sion OF the acres in the lake. Other
important additions have been made
from time to time until it now con-
ta1nS 425 acres.
como park is much the largest park
In the Northwest outside of Chica go.
ana In the restful, rural loneliness Of
It's natural landscape, with it's hills and
oaIes and groves and meadows and its
Pretty little lakes nesting in the en-
clrcllng arms of its tree-clad hills #
has few peers among the parks of
America
Many Improvements Made.
Much has been done to improve the
park Tor the purpose of a pleasure
GROUND since 1t came under the juris-
hn
years ago. Ten miles of roadway. four
miles of paths for pedestrians and
Two and half miles of bicycle paths
enable visitors to explore and enjoy
all the beauties and sequestered re-
cesses of the park. Four artesian wells
with a powerful equipment of pumn.
ing engines, serve to keep up the level
Oh the lake, and, through large tank
and irrigation plant, to distribute wa
ter to every part of the grounds. The
lake itself has been dredged out so
tnat 1t now has an average dentb of
Iltteen feet, and its 1877 rowboats are
lnsuncient to supply the popular de-
mand for this form of recreation. A
feIreshment and shelter pavilion.
erected in 1893, although enlarged with
spacious seating annex in front of
the bandstand, has for years been in
adequate for the accommodation of the
crowds that are attracted by the fine
music which is furnished every after
noon and evening throughout the sum-
mer months. In the capacious. hut
still too small, greenhouse at the mark
the skiIlful florist who occupies the
oh1ce of superintendent Of parks has
raised many thousands Of trees. of
which $50 have been planted in Como
park alone, and many others In other
parks and along the city streets. A
long felt want was recently supplied
IN shelter pavilion on the picnic
grounds. An elegant stone bridge. de-
signed by the superintendent, arches a
gap in the ridge through which runs
the road around Cozy lake. and an
other bridge, almost hidden in foliage.
| spans the channel between Cow lake
and the main lake. An elegant and
! costly spray fountain, the gift of DIR.
Rudolph Schiffmann, a former member
| of the park board, occupies a con-
spicuous place at Como park. on the
road to the pavilion A number Of
tasteful hygienic fountains have been
donated to the park by citizens.
THE park is, or is to be, well lighted
with 1876 arc lights, erected and main
tanned by the st. Paul City Railway
company as one of the conditions on
which it was permitted to run its rail-
way through the park Another con-
dition was that its tracks were not TO
cross permanent park road at the
surface, but were to run under or over