The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-10-03
Redwing, MINI Shows What
May Be Done by Co-opera-
ton and Energy
CIVIC PRIDE BRINGS RESULTS
A Scraggly Little Village is Trans.
formed Into an Up-to-date Town
With Parks. Drives and
Modern Streets

like any other little Middle Western
toWn-a homelike, livable place, but a
bit scraggly about the edges. Then
somebody left bequest for a munich
pal auditorium. The dedication of
the auditorium brought lecturer on
esthetics, says a writer in Golfers.
He made the Red Wingers shiver by
explaining the influence of environ
ment, and the effect of color and
beauty on symmetrical DEVELOPMENT.
The impulse toward beauty was sud
denly quickened in the minds of pub
lic-spirited citizens who, till then, had
had burdocks and dande1ions in their
front yards, and ancient lawn mowers
reclining in graceful abandon in Sc
queStered hooks. Result-the Civic
League. It's labors make a stirring
tale.
weeds and dandelions began to
disappear, chants our Red Wing cor
respondent. ''Many gentlemen whose
generous proportions implied inertia
were seen in the jungles on their pre-
misses hewing down the growth now
so offensive to the public eye. The
antediluvian mowers were brought
out and oiled. Toothless rakes were
taken to the dentist, and the crusade
of determination was on. The whir
of the mower blended with the croak-
intgs of frogs and creakings of crick-
cts far into the night. Flower beds
appeared in front lawns. Ministers
and children 1abored in backyard
gardens. The town was awake!
''The Junior League, with the pub
lie school teachers in command, were
enlisted. Stray papers were stabbed
by umbrellas in the hands of jealous
Leaguers, ard the accumulation re-
moved, no more to offend the sight or
brighten coquettish horses.
''The League became active in the
Council and overhead signs were ban
ished. Garbage cans were placed at
principal street corners and protected
by ordinance. The searchlight of art
was next turned upon those canker
sores-posters and placards--that in
suit the eye of the beauty-worshipe
on every hand. Our chief phi1anthro-
pist enlisted the energies of the boys
of the Junior League by offering
prizes to those who would bring the
greatest number of posters at speci-
fed time. The young crusaders
started out on their still hunt and
every fence and telephone pole with
in city limits was stripped.
s'On the day set for distribution of
prizes at oar Carnegie Library, the
streets were alive with boys, with
arms full of signs, boys with carts
groaning under loads of them, boys
with creaking wheelbarrows. The
philanthropist made speech and dis
tributed prizes, and there was album
dant enthusiasm and free lemonade.
''Next we turned our feverish eyes
on the river front and beheld what
gave us renewed coura lge-rows upon
rows Of di1apidated heht houses and
fish shacks. Here we're new fields to
conquer. These vanished to limbo.
The river was filled in to make room
for a levee park. The railroad was
persuaded to build new depot.
This now overlooks the park which
is made beautiful with shore drive.
It has a retaining sea wall of con-
crete and beautifully nodded curbs of
the same material. The park is at
the gateway of the city, and leading
up from it is the principal avenue of
approach. On it is located the civic
center, consisting of the Municipal
Auditorium, Carnegie Library, and
the Federal Postofdce (this last has
not yet been built, but has been To-
cated) and there is room for more.
And the end is not yet. No, not yetr'
Red Wing has population of 9. GAO.
Kenosha has population approach
ing the 10000 mark. What can we
not do if we will but work together?