The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-21

AduuS,s WudG COSG III lakes duu WIctb |
princely gifts of public-spirited citi-
zens are represented in the Minneapolis
park system. :
Minneapolis in 1906 is reaping the
fruition of an idea which had Its birth
in 1856. The great result which we
now begin to see in more or less tan
gible form, altho by no means yet
worked out, is an evolution from 2
beginning made In territorial days.S It
connection with the foregoing outline
of plan for a. great central park, to
place il chronological order the steps
leading down from the first tiny park
gift, made in 1855, to the territorial
village, in order that there might be
somewhere on record a: connected story
Of our park history, Short chapters Of
written from time to time. The follow
ing narrative covers what thus has
been published .piecemeal and much
more that hitherto has been inacces-
sible to the general reader. AS here
presented, the story Is yet crude and
imperfect. It represents the work Of
odd hours during a year or more. The
warrant action in recording the facts
before 1t was too late, and it Is hoped
this story will at least aid the labors
of some better historian.
N The history Of the park idea in Min
neapoHs dates back a half century to
the pioneer days when Minneapolis was
q town Of not more than two or three
Thousand souls; In fact, the old origi,
nal town, of Minneapolis not only had
the park idea, but a park, as early az
1856, nearly a dozen years before the
West Side was chartered and known to
the world as the city Of Minneapolis,
and over a quarter of a century before
There was a Minneapolis park board. n
Minnesota was still territory, and
Minneapolis was a territorial town,
when Captain Edward Murphy took the
first step in founding the Minneapolis
park system, by donating to the town
its first park. That park is today,
nearly half century later. a part of
the park system of Minneapolis and is
known as Murphy square, 1t oc-
cupies 1872 acres at Twenty SECOND
avenue and even-and-one-half street.
Today Minneapolis has park sys-
part the gift of many generous dom
ors, but Murphy square, the pioneer
park of Minneapolis, deserves a mouu-
ment in honor Of Captain Edward Muir
ply. the pioneer park 4 donor, and
thereby the, pioneer founder of the
Minneapolis park system. .s
q The Park Movement of 1865.
At the close of the civil war, in 1865,
when Minneapolis, on the West Side,
was given by the state census popu-
the East Side, had a population Of 2, 400,
making total Of little over 1000
people for the joint municipalities, the
park idea took hold Of the public mind
in the shape of a movement on the
part Of far-sighted> and public-spirited
~ re DC
destined to be a city of note, and be.
Heved that-one of the elements OF
greatness and usefulness in. city was
the city park. s., ...... -.y
Minneapolis was still a town, and
was governed by a board Of town SUI
later delegated by the city charter to
the mayor, the city council and the
various executive boards, except that
the supreme legislative power was vest
ed in the voters themselves, as .ex-
pressed in the regular and special town
meetings called by the board, after the
New England idea. To satisfy the am
the state legislature Of 1865 enlarged
the powers Of the Minneapolis board of
town supervisors, giving them many
powers afterward assumed by the city
council ., - ,oez a. -
10 Gu0t VI 4uiuuOdp-
oils under its first city charter, belongs
the credit of the first official recogni-
and likewise the credit of the first off
eial acts in the direction of park
system. Among the well, known names
as active and ardent friends of the
early park movement, are those Of Do
rilus Morrison, E. 8: Jones, s. =. Matti-
son and George A. Bracket. OF these,
the only surviving member, and, IN
deed, the only living, representative OF
Is George A. Bracket. E. S. Jones was
ness man, and was the father Of The
present chief executive Of the city
$ Mayor DIP. Jones; s. Il; Mattisor
was for years a prominent business
rison occupies a prominent niche in the
history Of the city and state. Messrs
Bracket and Morrison, whose first of
s fetal labors in behalf Of the park sys
TEN for Minneapolis began. in thei
capacity as town supervisors in 1867
were twenty years later members of thu
first two park boards of the city, Il
the park Improvement committee ant
the latter as chairman Of the fnanc
committee, were active in the acguisl
ton and improvement of Central, Pros
D6CT, $hlVofS1O6. Lake ndIIiSI, hdhO "
the Isles and other well-known par
properties. IS FAT
First Call for Park Meeting. =
Aug. %, 1865, is the date of the frs
official call for park meeting. in Min
neapolis, and Sept. 1, 1865, at 8 o'cloc]
am, at the store Of Dorilus Morrison
on Washington avenue, are the dat
and place Of the first meeting Of Min
neapolis citizens and voters, called b
the town board to consider the pro
priety and necessity of purchasing TO
the use of the town lot of land TO
park or public square
The meetings on Sept. / resulted 1
the purchase Of the site of the old cit
hall. and the inspiration of public ser
tinent which led to the holding of othe
special park meetings and the consider
alton of various park propositions Th
text of the first park call and of tn
first two park meetings, which deserv
q prominent place in the history of tn
park idea in Minneapolis, is in part an
substance as follows:
Call for Special Town Meeting.
To the Town Clerk of the Town
Minneapolis: The undersigned town o
ficers and other freeholders of the tow
Of Minneapolis do hereby state that
special town meeting is necessary to ii
interests of said town, the purpose (
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