Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-05-22
BEAUTIFIED A PARK.
AN OKLAHOMA TOWNS LESSON IN
CIVIC IMPROVEMENT.

Transformed by Citizen - Hum
dreds Of shade Trees PIanted-Ad-
vertises the Town.
Only few years ago the public
square in the town OF Perry, Okla, the
! heart Of the business district, was a
forlorn waste Of dust and red sand. 1t
was Uttered with papers and glared
ugly and lot in the blaze of summer.
Ii was typical of the indifference and
impoverished pride OF many western
towns where the identifying of streets
and the making of parks are regarded
as useless extravagances. Today Per-
RVS public square is the shadiest and
most inviting public park in Oklaho-
ma, says the Kansas City Star. Nearly
| u thousand young elm trees, strong and
vigorous stretch their greer. branches
over the once barren ground. Every
man, woman and child in town knows
| the story of this park and has learned
the lesson it teaches in civic improve
ment.
| The making of this park Is perhaps
! the finest example of unselsh citizen
ship to be found in Oklahoma. The
park was planned and given by lover
Of trees, w. Z. Little, Perrys present
postmaster, and as a tribute to his de-
voted energy is known as Titles park.
Mr. Little's interest in forestry is less
sentimental than practical. In his H.
| brary he has pictures of Individual
| trees made because Of their beauty.
But his love Of trees embraces a much
wider field and contemplates system
| Of forestry that would transform eli
matte and soil conditions In the plains
| and prairie regions Of the west till
rainfall and crops would be no less GER
tain than in the states that form the
western watershed Of the Alleghanies.
In the spring of 1895 Mr.. Little told
the commissioners Of Noble county that
| II they would enter into Il two years
contract by which he would be permit
ted to spend without hindrance such
sums as he might see fit in the planting
of trees in the public square he would
charge nothing for his own labor and
experience. The county should pay for
the trees and their cultivation. The
offer was 80 broad in Its terms that
suspicious persons cried graft and Op-
posed the making Of the contract. The
commissioners had confidence in Mr..
osition. Two Of the heaviest tax pay
ers in town sought to enjoin the plant
ing Of the trees, but failed.
For three acres Of ground surround
ing the courthouse Mr.. Little bought
10000 American white olive seedlings
from a nursery at Sturgeon Bay. Wis.
The freight and trees cost $3.50. They
were so small that In planting
twelve-year-old boy carried POO in each
| Of his coat pockets. The seedlings
were so diminutive that casual glance
at the plowed ground would not sug-
gest that anything had been planted.
! The ground was plowed to depth
of nine inches and then SUBSIDIZED an
equal depth and put In fine state Of
cultivation. The contract required that
! the trees be plowed not less than six
/ times year, after rain II possible.
The seedlings were planted In May. In
the fall Of 1895 one tree was three feet
high Next fall this tree had grown
to six feet. Today, nine years later,
this tree Is the tallest tree In the park
and was fully thirty feet before it was
topped. The symmetry and proportion
Of the trees are due to the care taken
by Mr.. Little in trimming them. Every
where are trees from ten to fifteen
feet high, all topped. and from three
to five inches In diameter at the base.
One tree measured recently was TWEEN
ty-one inches in circumference. In sum-
mer the trees arch the granite walks in
the park and are Of such dignity in
size that men lean against them to
talk In their shade and GOODNESS. In
another decade these fine trees will be
50 tall alnd sturdy that storms cannot
bend them, and birds will build nests
in safety In their high branches.
When the trees were planted crowd
gathered and said unkind things about
Little. He was accused of getting q
rakeoff Of 81, 800 and pointed out as
schemer who was preparing to rob the
county. At the end Of the fall Of 1895
citizens wondered If 1t might be posi-
bic that the little twigs would make
trees. In another year public feeling
had changed till citizens Endorsed the
tree farm" and any person who
talked adversely was called a knocker
Then they began talking of "Littles
park" Today no stranger can get out
Of town till he has been shown the
trees In the park.
The park has attracted attention
throughout Oklahoma. Mr.. Little has
received letters from officials Of eleven
Oklahoma towns asking him to tell
them how to grow trees in a park. The
nursery firm from which the seedlings
were purchased was so pleased with
Mr. Little's success that for two years
its letters have borne picture of the
park and advertised Perry In every
state.