The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-08-19
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK.
That New North End Park,
To the Editor of The journal.

10 the Editor OF Ihe Journal
Thirty-four thousand, five hundred
and eighty dollars to be taken out Of
your pockets, you good people Of Cam,
To build new schoolhouse with9 No.
TO be used in making some Of the
streets in and around Camden Place
| passable? No. Such a foolish use of
your money you would not tolerate.
| What is the money to be used for then,
you ask. Why, for incidental expenses
in accepting gifts Of one acre Of land
and nineteen acres Of water along Shin
gle Creek, to be converted into park.
First, there is a gentleman who pur-
chased a lot not more than four months
| ago (see Document No. 410,217, office
of register of deeds, Hennepin county,
for the sum of $780, This lot he now
offers to the park board at the ridicu-
lousy low price Of $4,000, Taxpayers,
don t you know bargain when you see
it's <..... Il.
Then again, adjoining this valuable
which magnificent pile of architecture
in the form of a blacksmith shop rears
it's majestic presence, with it's pinnacles
Nesting among the clouds This
Values is worth about t $3.50. The te owner
agrees to donate this land, (the build
Ing does not belong to the owner of the
land) to the park board, for the shame
fcent and princely gift should by all
means be accepted before it is too late
Not to be, outdone in generosity by
these two aforementioned gentlemen,
and being interested in the proposed
park, the owner of the land (mostly
water), which lies east Of Lyndale av-
enuee and borders on the railroad
tracks, has also concluded to donate
this , land (m3oStly wat G{)i to the Min N!
ularly fine tract. On these. premises
is located the dam site, which for a
long time furnished motive power for
a mill except 1862 days in each year.
By the expenditure Of only a few
thousand dollars, the dam. now demol-
ished,, could be replaced. This would
provide a splendid swimming pool, in
which the Taxpayers of Camden Place
could disport themselves, and cool off
! on their. return, from the courthouse af-
ter paying their park tax. The ex-
pert from Milwaukee, engaged by the
purchasing committee, and who made
numerous and exhaustive tests on the
premises, has called the taxpayers at
tentlon to a feature connected with
this tract, that should be taken into
over this land, if converted into beer
would represent untold wealth. =
In order to make the transfer of this
valuable tract legal, since every deed
must rest on consideration, it has
been decided, merely as a matter of
the sum Of So, 900, not as payment fo1
the land (mostly water) which he is
willing to present to the park board
but merely to secure good title to the
land in the name of our city.
The tract that this philanthropit
gentleman has determined to donate as
a, gift to the, taxpayers of Camden
Place, whom he has always held dear
lies west of Lyndale avenue, and thru
it maiestically sweeps Single creek az
it wends its serpentine course TOWARD
the Father of Waters. This gift seems
| all the more princely when we con
slider that this gentleman, by his mag
nanimity, is depriving himself Of
considerable income. For years thi
tract, which is a. large swamp, has
the busy marts Of trade. The owne1
is now willing to turn over this fer
tile frog pasture to the city. with only
one reservation. He wants thirty day!
in which to capture and remove tn
:: frogs. 5& Er& < /.1
am sorry to say that the records
of the park board show only 1870 PEG
pie In favor OF the park proposition
and many of these, I am Informed
have now made up their minds tina
they don't want the park at all. TIL
same records show that the 222 own
ers of 4,0l3 Of the 5000 lots that ar
to be taxed for the park are oppose,
, to it, and the owners of only 927 O
these taxable lots are in favor of it
Of course, when the property ha
| been acquired, we shall need only abou
$4,000 additional to improve it. Thi
will be paid out of the general par]
fund. All we have to do is to go dow
to the park board, and altho the boar,
has not money enough to properl
maintain the parks already established
!, they will be so tickled to see us com
for that $4,000 that some of the par
commissioners will pawn their watche
and mortgage their furniture in orde
to give us the money.
Of course the philanthropic gentle
3 men who are giving us the land vii
: still be 50 interested in the park tina
they will devote all their time to helI
ing us get this extra $4,000, and on
park will be cared for before any o
the others. You ask what would b
the result if this $4,000 should not b
Forthcoming. Don't ask such FOOLS
questions. Andrew Hanson.
1858 Dupont avenue N.