Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-18
DEDICATE new
PLEASURE SPOT
BLAKE PARK, GIFT OF MANNING
AND WELLMAN rs FORMALLY
OPENED TO PUBLIC.
.AD DR. ES SEES GIVEN
Mayor Hartman. Julius Feoht, W. r
Harper and Calvin Manning Make
Observation-Disclosures Band
Leads Big Crowd.

Leads Big Crowd.
Basking In the beautiful Octobe
sunshine and inhaling the pure ali
which comes from the woods ane
grasses on the plateau. hundreds O
OttumWans attended the dedication O
Blake park, Manning and Wellman'.
generous donation to the city of OF
tnnwa. yesterday afternoon. The
pleasure of soiourning in .Blake's park
ia beautiful spot filled with rustic
scenery was made more enjoyable by
the concert by the Fifty.fourth band
The dedication Of the new addition tc
Ottnmwa's park system was success
4 The area OF twenty-eight acres is one
4 OF the prettiest pleasure spots in OF
i tumwa and will afford a recreation
place for thousands of Ottumwans in
i the future. The park Is located along
Kettle creek. which winds through
Wildwood. affording natural scenery
which is most pleasing to the eye.
4 Addresses Were Given.
] The dedication of the park was
featured by addresses by Mayor S. P.
Hartman. julius Fecht, chairman OF
I the board of park commissioners.
] President w. +. Harper OF the OF
tumwa Commercial association and
Calvin Manning, one Of the donors of
the park. The addresses were deliv-
cred in an open spot near the band
stand. surrounded by ve1vety grass
and .shrubbery. A large crowd list
| ened to the addresses after which they
explored the pretty Wildwood alon..
Ethe park and Wildwood country side.
Manning and Wellman's new addition
to Ottumwa. The large bridge cross
| ing the bubbling brook, connecting
Greenwood drive, was viewed by many.
Public Pleasure Grounds.
Mayor Hartman made the opening
address in which he reviewed the
growth of the park system through
out the country The subject OF his
address was Public Pleasure Grounds.
Fifty years ago" said Mayor Hart
man there were no great public parks
in this country and most of the large
park systems have been developed
within the last twenty-five years OF
the 159 cities of the United States
each having population OF $4,000 or
more there are 81 that have no public
parks. The population Of these cities
range from 25,O0O to $4,000. Forty
three cities with from 10000 to 100000
have parks the smallest park area
being three-fourths of an acre, the
largest 4S acres. and the average park
area for these 43 cities is 10 acres.
The number of cities having parks and
park systems varying In size from so
acres up to Greater New York's grand
system of parks comprising about
1000 arces is 10. Up to about 1858
when Central park began to show
some degree Of finish and beauty under
the wise direction of park commits
sioners Of high character and fntelli-
gence and the almost magic touch OF
those great landscape gardeners, Fred
rick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux,
public pleasure grounds were generally
considered undesirable. il not unat-
tainable Injuries, but at this time the
question Of park making was not be-
ing seriously considered in many
cities. Soon after Central park was
opened to the public 1t hHcop.e Inn
mensely popular and was visited by
thousands from all parts of the
country. From this time municipali-
ties seemed to realize that liberal ex-
penditures for the purchase and I'M
provement of public pleasure grounds
were not only legitimate. but were
demanded in the interest of the public
welfare. In some cities-a few strong
men worked persistently for parks.
Il t., ;,,, ROT I'M at
and prominent business
men. q.
Real Estate Values.
"But in the end the park promoters
were successful: probably not one of
the cities that did not take kindly to
the creation, of public parks but finally
accepted the idea, would. il it were
possible. part with its parks for twice
their total cost. 1t has been found in
some cities that the parks have earned
money for the taxpayer. and from a
financial point of view are good in
vestments. Attractive parks now oc-
cupy large areas that for years were
Instructions to the extension and
material prosperity of many cities, and
as these insightly and waste places
were gradually improved and beauti.
fed. the value of land in those neigh
borhoods soon began to rise. Twenty
two officials representing parks In
thirty-three cities state that real es.
tate near their park territory has in
creased in value greatly beyond the
average increase in other parts OF
their cities. Fifteen years ago the
board OF park commissioners OF Bos
ton reported that the increase in the
value of lands near the Back Bay
system had been over 900 per cent;
during the same time the value of
lands In the rest Of the city has In
creased 10 per cent. Land values
have increased enormously near the
parks in other cities and must con.
tinue to do 50 a. parks are developed
and grow more beautiful. The i'm.
provement and identifying OF any
section OF a city by the erection OF
handsome buildings, especially when
surrounded by beautiful grounds. i'm.
mediately causes surrounding prop
erty to become more valuable. and at
tractive public parks In still greater