Cañon City record., 1908-03-26
R. C. ARTHUR DISCUSSES the
QUESTION OF PARKS FOR CANON

1t was thought by many that the
to buy the IL lots Of the
Wells and the Cone estates for park
purposes seemed 20 impracticable.
and met with so little general favor,
that it was considered as settled that
the land, by reason Of its small size
and other undesirable features. cou-
pied with the high price. would not be
bought. But judging from the col
umns of at least one Canon City pa
per, the sale 10 still being pushed
along, and in the same manner as was
attempted when first presented to the
city council. that is. that the city
ought to buy this little scot. and buy
1t quick" Under these circumstances It
seems that It might be we'll for all
the people to go to thinking about the
park question. and examine this par
ticular case by looking on the other
side as we'll as at the one side that has
so far been presented.
The proposition is to buy twelve
lots, approximately one and two-ifths
acres in area, at cost of e12.7OO,
which has later grown to $16,6oO.
with a hope of reducing it to only
$4,000.
Clearly the price Is extravagant for
what the city would get-merely a
OF what 1t already has
(small parks) in abundant number.
Depot Park. Greydene Park, City
Park, not to enumerate the State Park
at the penitenuary. All these are
comparatively close in, and the far
therest out will In a few years be sur
rounded with residence districts.
Can the taxpayers afford to pay as
much money for such duplication
as would be required to buy two large
park tracts OF fifteen or twenty acres
each. say outside OF the city limits.
where suitable land can be secured at
prices that the city can afford? 1t has
been suggested that two such tracts.
one north and the other east OF town.
be bought for park purposes. and
opinions have been expressed that they
could both be bought at a price within
that named for the one and two-ffths
acres. 1t will not be proper to esti-
mate the cost of two twenty acre
tracts on the basis OF what landowners
might ask, for the city would not have
to pay more than the actual value.
Small spaces for such parks. So
called, for resting places, are seldom
used for the people for whom they are
established. being monopolized by the
hoboes and town loafers. who do not
go so far from the source of supplies
as the outlying parks. They are the
ones who do the resting there. A
gentleman in this city lately resident
in Denver said that is the result there.
and that women are afraid to go to
those small parks. Repeated COM
plants show the same trouble to exist
here already, which will grow worse
as the city gets larger. No one would
ever go to such a place with wife and
children and a picnic dinner to spend
the day.
The later tendency in buying such
small areas Is for the purpose OF
and beautifying them at
great cost, but not for resting places.
very. very few, seats. II any. being sup
piled. But not until Canon City has
nrst secured large parks for recrea-
ton can she afford expensive beauty
spots. The former are necessities.
the latter luxuries.
This space has even been talked. OF
as q sita for a city hall. a. . site for
another IRE station. II the city II
not able to build a city hall ON the
splendid site It already owns. and It ls
not, can It afford to buy . more expsn-
sive one for that purpose? Its pres
ent 66x120 feet frontage 10 large
enough With a,tvo story building. for
city hail and one are station for nfty
years to come. and with' thiyd story.
for . hundred years; and when . Sec
ond fre station 10 required It will
surely be found necessary to locate It
q number of blocks east and north Of
this now talked of location, for that II
the way the city 10 spreading most
It 10 also talked Of a. Q playground
for children. To some It seems that
near home. under the eyes Of the par
ents, 10 one Of the best Fairgrounds for
children: but sometimes that does not
suit over-exquisite ideas about home
lawns, AZ seems to be the case with
some people In Canon City. who don't
want their children to play on their
lawns because It spoils the grass. Are
10 many Thousands Of dollars from