The Winchester news. [volume] (Winchester, Ky.) 1908-19??, 1908-12-12
BEAUTY IN A DESERT.
How One Persons Persistence
Transformed Great Falls.
M0NTANA'S FINE PARK CITY.
Trains Run Through Avenue of Trees
to Vine Covered Railroad Station.
Paris Gibson's Enterprise In Start
ing Its Parking System.

Great Falls, Mont, has several points
Of distinction that can be copied by
other towns and might we'll excite the
envy of the largest cities. The success
sion of cascades through which the
Missouri river flows in passing it's site
affords the town an aggregate availa-
bic water power greater than any 9th
er in the country. These falls, togeth-
er with the Giant springs, comprise one
OF the wonders of the west, but their
beauty, like that OF Niagara, is des-
tined to gradual destruction as the ap-
plication of the water to commercial
purposes extends. In educational IA
cilities this comparatively small town
is rich, and it contains nineteen church
es, being one to every thousand of its
population, which is proportionally
twice as many as Chicago has and two
and half times the number possessed
in New York.
But the feature in which Great Falls
takes the greatest pride and that which
justilies its claim to being the most
beautiful city of the northwest is its
parking system, says the Craftsman
for November. After passing through
hundreds of miles of treeless country
the weStbound traveller comes with de-
lighted surprise upon this orderly lit
tie town in its leafy setting. The rail
road station and yards, which are usu-
ally 1 3 ugliest part of a new settle
ment, here have been converted into
place of beauty. The train runs
through an avenue Of trees and depos-
its one at vine covered building that
Is In striking contrast to the usual
grimy structure. The approach to the
station ON the town side is rendered
attractive by well kept grass plots and
flower beds, through which are broad
carriageways.
This APPROACH is but an Introduction
to the sylvan beauty of Great Falls.
Extending along the river front is the
principal park, its natural loneliness
enhanced by well tended lawns and
artificial lakes. This wealth of wood
cant of the spirit of homemaking. and
the tree lined streets, with their pretty
villas set on terraced grass plots, seem
to extend silent welcome to the stran-
ger.
1t is only in the present generation
that the idea of raising trees on dry"
land was seriously considered and put
into practice. Great Falls was a pio-
neer in the movement. 1t has no prec-
edent to encourage or guide it, but 1t
has definitely solved the problem and
proved that desert city may be made
as beautiful and comfortable as any
situated in the humid states.
Twenty-Five years ago, when Paris
Gibson and his family migrated from
Minneapolis to Montana, the land upon
which Great Falls now stands was a
barren tract Of sand, thinly covered
with buffalo grass and patches of sage
brush. For miles in every direction
the country was devoid of human habi-
tation, except perhaps the rude shelter
of sheep herder or the solitary shanty
of squatter. -
1t was from the park system of Min
neapoliS that Gibson derived the in
spiratiOn which prompted him to at
tempt tree planting in his new home.
He preached the subject to his fellow
settlers, but they treated his sugges-
ton with derision. The thing had
never been done; therefore it could not
be. This attitude they maintained IN
til it was absolutely proved to be err
roneous, and several years elapsed be-
fore the effort of this one individual
developed into municipal movement.
Failing to find sympathy or support
for the enterprise among his fellow
townSmen, Gibson determined to un-
dertake alone what he believed could
and should be done for the benefit of
the infant city. Regardless Of the
gibes of skeptics Gibson planted a
number of young trees upon the ground
along the river, covering a tract which
is now included in Margaret and Whit
tier parks. He bore unaided the ex-
pense and care of looking after the
young shoots, and many a cynical jest
was aimed at the cumbrous tank wag-
ons that labOriously supplied them
with scarcely sufficient dole of water.
They grew, these first paintings of
cottonwood and box elder, and Glib
son ventured to add to them young
elms and ash. No such trees had ever
been seen in that part Of the country.
and so the scoffers were encouraged
to predict that they would never grow.
But they did, and birch and maple
and oak were added to the list and
fOuriShed like the rest. Before this.
however, the courageous founder of
the Great Falls park system received
the recognition that his enterprise and
persistence deserved. The city coun-
ell at length responded to his appeals.
and gradually increasing number of
the citizens lent their aid to the move
ment. The sums appropriated for the
purpose were for many years pitifully
small and even now are none too lib
eral, but compared with the limited
resources Of one man the municipal
grants were magnificent and permit
ted considerable extension of the
work each year. If during the past
decade the citizens Of Great Falls have
been commercially active In beautify.