The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-05-22
NORTH SIDE NEWS
Yes, Garfield Park Is Open to
the Public.
III. Ill. Bair Tells of Winfield in
Early Days.
HAD LOG POSTOFFICE
ChaS. L. Smith Sold 8 1.2 Acres
for 81, OOO-Improved Tract.
At the Churches Tomorrow and
Other Items of Interest.
Had LOG POSTOFFICE

Many South side people and some
from the First ward have been in
curing whether or not Garfield park is
now open to the public. Therefore,
be it known to whom it may concern.
that Garfield park is open free to the
pubic and will be from now hence
forth and for ever more. Accordingly
the Sunday school girls can don their
Whlte 1rocks and bring baskets-and
boys-with them to the park for an
all day picnic. Then the happy hand
holders may also hold mutual adj
mlrat1on socfals in the park whenever
they choose.
However, laying all jokes on the
shelf, Garfield park, with the improve
ments which have just been com
pieted, offers great attraction for
p1cnlckerS and others who wish to
spend a pleasant hour or two. There
Is good boating as Soldier creek runs
through the park and offers as many
advantages as any other stream near
Topeka as a place for rowing.
Fred MornS, secretary of the park
board, this morning said that he
wished all people to know that Gar
held park was open to the public free
at any time for pfcnickers, etc., ex-
cept in cases where some entertain
ment is to be held at the park for
which an entrance fee is charged. In
such cases, he said, the park board
will charge for the use of the
grounds.
First ward, is in favor of holding a
formal opening at some time in the
near future. His idea is to have
Marshall's band give a concert in the
Opening evening"
H. H. Bair of S3S Kansas avenue
will go to Winfield tomorrow for a
short visit and business trip. His in
| tended trip recalls to him the first
| time when he went to Winfield in
1876, and his experience in a cyclone
which destroyed a small town near
there a few years later.
I'VE came from Ohio to Kansas
said Mr.. Bair, .in May, 1876. When
we left Ohio it was cold, damp and
| foggy so when we reached Kansas,
with it's blue sky and sunshine, it
seemed like we had entered a fine
Wichita by stage. 1 remember that
| the stage stopped to let some of us
pick wild flowers which covered the
prairie. I think they were called
indigo flowers. When we entered
| Winfield it had only about 400 inhab-
itants. The postoff1ce was in an old
| log cabin. Now Winfield is a fine lit
| tie city. One of the streets just east
of Main street is called Church street
| because there are so many churches
on that thoroughfare.
| "A year or two after we located a
Winfield, we moved to a farm severa
miles north of the town. near a small
village called Flora.
About 5 o'clock Sunday evening, june
II, the town and our house was wiped
out by - cyclone. The storm LASTED
only a few moments. but it swept ev
erything In the neigh orhood clean.
| Sunday afternoon we saw three fun
rel shaped clouds which later combined
and in the evening, swooped down OF
us. We escaped by lying fiat dow1
upon the prairie.
Some time after this my father wen
Into business in Winfield and late
moved to Topeka. He is in Chicago
now