The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-08-13
kenoshaAld Given Practical
Demonstration Of Workings
or a Park Commission
RACINE SYSTEM GR0WsFAST
In Less than Three Years the Park
Commission There Has Begun to ),
Build up a Splendid System aof oit
Parks and Play Grounds 81

~
Council had practical illustration Of
the value of Park Commission to- a
city on; Sunday morning when Mayor
Scholey and representatives from all
of the wards Of the city took an auto
mobile trip to Racine as the guests
Of Mrs. George A. Yule and made a
close investigation of the workings of
the Racine Park Commission.
The Park Commission of Racine has
done wonders and it should be said
right now that Racine is ten years
ahead Of Kenosha in the matter Of
breathing places for her people and
she has start on what promises to
be one of the finest park system in the
state of Wisconsin.
The members of the Kenosha party
consisted of Mrs. G.. A. Yule, Mayor
M. J. Scholey, Alderman Marlatt, Will
lens, Simons, Higley, Thomassen,
Schend, Schultz and Mayer, also F. j.
Gottfredsen and John M. Kehlor. The
members of the party were met at the
Racine hotel by the members Of the
Racine Park Commission, consisting Of
Former Mayor P. B. Nelson, Charles
Armstrong, James Rohan and S. Y.
Bryan and David Griswold.
Racine is proud of the work Of her
park commission and it was evident
that it was a pleasure for the commit
tee which had been sent by Mayor
Horlick to show the visitors from Ke-
nosha what had been done. The Ra-
cine Commission has been at work but
three years and it's beginning was a
very modest one.
Former Mayor Nelson who is now
the president Of the Commission is a
believer in parks and just before he
heart talk with some of the most +promi-
nent men of the city and outaof this
talk was evolved the idea of the Com
mission. An ordinance similar to cone
now pending before the Kenosha Ooun-
Gil was promptly passed and with an
appropriation, of thousand dollars the
Commission started to work. It looked
like uphill business, but the members
Of the Commission were. among the best
known citizens of Racine and it was
not long before they had received gifts
! to the amount Of several hundred dol
lars. and before the end of the first year
the Park Commission had secured a
Landscape architect and had worked out
system Of parks. Then they began to
improve the breathing places they had
and with the opening of, the second
year the Council found that public SEN
timent demanded an appropriation for
parks. Then William Horlick came to
the rescue of the Commission and pre-
sented the city with fifteen acres Of
land and this gave the Commission
something to work on. Since the gift
was made the commission has done a
great deal of work. It has laid out
lawns and athletic fields, play grounds
for the children and built beautiful
and artistic bridges. In addition it
has planted hundreds and thousands Of
shrubs and trees. Later the Commits
sion took an option on more land near
the Horlick Park and this is to. be pur-
chased next year. They also took an
option on the Erskine woods near the
Mound Cemetery and this will be add
ed to the park system just as soon as
the funds of the commission will per-
nit. All of this land consisting of
nearly seventy acres is to be one great
park and it is certain that when the
plans made are carried out it will be
equal in beauty with any park to be
found in Wisconsin.
This park is not only to be an orna-
ment to the City of Racine, but itswill
be of greatest practical value. While
beautiful to look upon it is for the
use of the people and it is being filed
with benches and rustic seats just as
rapidly as the land is graded and
seeded.
The Park Commission. of. Racine is
extremely pratical and during the
last two weeks it has secured for, the
children of Racine bathing beach
which is a wonder. For "a price of
ten thousand dollars the Commission
purchased half mile of beach and, with
money raised by subscription bath
house with fifty rooms is now being
erected. It will be completed before
the end of another week. On Sunday
morning there were no less than two
hundred young men and children, en-
joying this beach and it is claimed
that soon after it was purchased there
were 1900 people in the surf at one
time.
The trip to Racine opened the eyes
Of the Kenosha aldermen and it is GER
tain that Kenosha has every natural ad-
vantage that is to be found in Racine
and it is just as certain that TIE phiIan-
tropic people of Kenosha will be Just
as willing to give to the use of parks
as the people were in Racine. Many
of these people are anxiously awaiting
the organization of the Park Commits
sion and it is certain that the Com
mission will have several generous gifts