Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-06-03

Their Value to Towns and How
to Secure Them.
NOTED EXAMPLEIN WISCONSIN
Move Begun by Women to Beauty
Waterways In Observation-Disclosures
Congress to Cooperate In Plan to
Adorn Rivers and Harbors.

! Waterways In Observation-Disclosures
Congress to Cooperate In Plan to
Adorn Rivers and Harbors.
Clean, tidy water fronts along the
rivers and lakes or seashore add great
! ly to the appearance of towns situated
| by them. The same kind of work that
has been done in q Wisconsin city can
be tried in any town, according to local
circumstances, as the following article
shows:
| Many prominent cIubwomen having
a keen interest in public affairs, as
shown by their activity in the women's
national rivers and harbOrs congress
for the promotion of improved water
ways, have been enlisted recently in
the movement for the identification of
American waterways.
In response to an invitation to CO.
operate with the American Civic asso-
citation with a view to identifying the
waterways the wOmen's national riv-
ers and harbOrs congress enlisted with
enthusiasm in the work. This organ
izatiOn has a representative executive
board, it's members being drawn from
many states, and it promises to be one
of the most important factors in the
plan to have American waterways
adorned in way pleasing to the eye
as well as effective in q utilitarian
sense.
Mrs. HoyIe Tomkies of Shreveport
La, is president Of the congress, and
In q recent letter to J. Horace MCFar-
land, president Of the American Civic
association, Mrs. Tomkies wrote that
particular attention would be given by
the congress to the aesthetic phases Of
waterway projects. In connection with
the utiIitarian feature Of the rivers and
harbors improvement the women, who
include prominent members of the
General Federation Of WOmen's Clubs,
have been a great factor.
A notable example Of the application
of the beautiful to q commercial water
way was afforded by the city of Mil
waukee during the year 1908. That
city has three navigab1e rivers, and be-
cause of their depth it is one of the
principal ports Of the great lakes.
The Milwaukee river passes through
an important jobbing district, and over
one of its bridges connecting opposite
sides of its principal retail streets pass
thousands Of persons each day. Dur
ing the summer months many eXcur-
sion steamers go up and down the Mil
waukee river, and it had been a sub
ject Of common talk that the water
front as revealed to the passerby, both
on land and water, was anything but
pleasing-in fact, was a discredit to a
city so beautiful as Milwaukee.
At the suggestion of the Women's
Outdoor Art association movement
was begun to rehabilitate the water
front along the Milwaukee river. The
cooperation of one Of the leading bust
ness organizations of the city was OBJ
tanned and 4 landscape artist invited
to visit Milwaukee to make a tour Of
investigation of the river the report Of
which he presented at a mass meet
ing, when he offered suggestions for
immediate work. The first great thing
to do was to remove from the dock
line great accumulatiOns Of ashes, de-
bris, broken boxes and disabled sign
boards, and in that undertaking the
mayor of the city gave promise of his
active and immediate cooperation.
A general committee was formed,
composed of representative of vari-
Gus business associations. A canvass
Of the property owners along the
streets fronting the river was made
for moral and financial support. \ com
mittee was appointed to take charge
of the special work Of replacing the
bare spots, cleared Of their debris, with
green grass. shrubs and Towering
plants. Window boxes were placed i'll
some of the buildings, and ratings
were newly painted. A few, too few,
offensive billbOards were taken down,
and a general atmosphere of cleanli-
ness and beauty pervaded the entire
territory, which before that had been
one of carelessness and positive ugli
ness.
That work, so well inaugurated last
year, is to be continued this year. The
commercial activities of the business
men along the river were in no way
tnterfered with, the attractiveness of
the city through one of its entrances
was heightened and the spread Of
civic pride was alone we'll worth the
effort and expense connected with it.
What Milwaukee did with its river
fronts can be accomplished by scores
of other cities and towns in all parts
of the United States.