Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1908-02-20
WILD WEST FOR BOYS
Vast Country Fairgrounds Plan
! ned For City Youngsters.
FIRST ONE TO BE IN MICHIGAN
yshn D. Rockefeller and His ssn-in-
law. Harold Mccormick, VIII FL
nance Captain Jack crawfsrd's
! Scheme to Make Boys Self Reliant.
! Poet Scout to Boss First Playground.

Great summer Fairgrounds In the
country for city children Is the latest
philanthropy in which John d. Rocke-
fefler intends to use part OF his wealth,
aided by his son-in-law, Harold Nc
Cormick Of Chicago. Captain Jack
Crawford, sometimes known as the
'.Doet scout" made the statement re-
Gently while in New York. He ought
20 know, for he is to have direct
charge Of the first playground to be
opened. tract of wilderness in Mich
lgan on Portage lake, about twelve
miles from the town OF Manistee.
The plan provides not only for a
playground, but for systematic super
vision Of the boys summer play, which
wip be largely along the lines Of hunt
ing, trapping, woodcraft, swimming.
military exercises, target practice and
regular exercise in the old tricks Of the
former wild and woolly west.
Indians will be employed, and against
them the boys will so on weekly expe-
ditons. There will be stagecoaches for
the boys to save from the attacks OF
bandits. the outlaws being other boys
Of the vacation crowd. There will be
q typical old time frontier military
post where the lads Will the life
OF the mounted service. Miniature des-
erts will be provided, SO that the boys
may learn another. form of western
life. In fact, everything will be provid-
ed to keep alive the old ability Of the
frontier days in the masculine Ameri-
can breast and to make the boys as
capable as were their ancestors when
called upon in an emergency. The
study period" will range from three
10 thirteen weeks.
Within the next year two play wilds,
Il not more. will be opened, the one In
Michigan. which will be In operation
next summer. and another ON largo
tract In New Mexico or southwestern
Texas. The land In Michigan embraces
almost 1.2o0 acres. Captain Crawford
claims the conception Of this idea as
his own. though Rockefeller and Nc
Cormfck moneys are to finance 1t In Its
fuH development In speaking OF 1t he
said:
It suggested itself to me In q talk I
had with George Gould on a steamer
coming back from England nearly twelve
years ago. Mr. Gould was lamenting
that much in the way of outdoor sports
OF healthy and spirit building character
was almost impossible In those days.
when the country was growing 30 poph-
lous. asked him what he meant. and
no said he wished there was some from
tier left to which he could send his
older boys. under suitable supervision
where they could learn something OF real
roughing 1t for a few weeks every year.
''It makes better men OF boys" he con-
ttnued ito learn something Of tho from
tier life and of the things they must
know in order to stand Independent un-
der such conditions
agreed heartily with him. but the
1dea of creating an artificial frontier
didn't occur TO me until we had reached
New York Then George Gould had
started west on an inspection tour.
intended to present my idea to him II the
chance ever came. but 1t never did.
was delivering lectures at the Hamp-
stead Chautauqua last August, and one
day John D. Rockefeller and Harold
Mccormick were among my auditors.
met them after the lecture and had
particularly long conversation with Nc
Cormick. in the course, of which hap
pened to touch on my scheme for Amer
lean boys. He became interested and
elaborated 1t to him. Two days after
ward he sent for me and told mo that
whatever money needed for the plan he
and Mr.. Rockefeller would furnish.
The plan in detail calls for the estab-
lishment Of many parks for the pur-
pose Of teaching the boys military life
AMI the old wild west methoda- The
parks will be as large as It is possible
to make them under local conditions.
The park in New Mexico. for example,
probably will cover thousands Of acres.
The sections will be restored to a wild
state. ! sna' military post and few