Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-10-26


a Encouragement Of railroad lines
and spurs that viii more nearly meet
the requirements Of your citizens
who now must cross, in the settled
section Of your town when streets
are connected, over fifty grade cross
ings. Most of these grade crossings
could be eliminated by a plan that
would provide for the joint use of
tracks similar to the arrangement at
NekOosa. If the G. NJ. & St. P. R. R.
tracks could be pushed over parallel
to the Wisconsin Central and c. &
n. W. railroads, Grand avenue could
be carried over the three tracks at a
Union station site by a viaduct of
reasonable length and grade, leaving
the large holding OF the c. NJ. &
st. P. R. R. south OF Grand avenue,
with triangles at either side added
to it, for a local freight yard. An
arrangement should be feasible for
spur tracks to be jointly used by
all roads at one place, probably with
the existing tracks at Cleveland
street by which access could be
gained to all riverside industries
and thus cut out the spur tracks be-
tween Hooker and Grant streets and
through Sumner and Second avenues
It is desirable that the unoccupied
right of way of the G. & n. w. thru
West Eleventh avenue be exchanged
for one parallel to the proposed
change in the main line to permit
it to pass under the suggested Grand
avenue Viaduct, for this right of way
would alone involve thirteen grade
crossings if the road now on the city
plan were to go over it.
I have also indicated a distribut-
ing yard at the point where all the
railroads intersect before swinging
away from each other north of the
town. Such yard is being estab-
Iished at many junction points for
the subdivision of mixed trains and
the reassembIing of solid trains for
different lines and branches.
I have also on Seventeenth avenue,
which is on the easterIy boundary of
sections 12 and 10, indicated a parked
thoroughfare to give large terri
tory to the northwest and west of
the town that is rapidly filling with
houses, direct passage to the riverside
drives and the city shore and island
parks that are now and are to be ac-
quired, which will be important
places of recreation in a few years.
l have indicated a widening of Grand
avenue to the forks of the out coun-
try roads to include and keep open
the water course in a reservation on
the northerly side.
Street terminals and river shore
outlook points like the one indicated
at the easterIy end of High street
on the plan where a portion of the
street is made reservation and path
are important features of the city.
An examination of the plan and the
grounds will show opposite both the
short and the long streets where they
come together at the angle, many
lots on which structures could be
placed that would be fine street ter
There are some features in this
west side plan that will require more
study, for special attention must be
given to establishing conditions that
will be fair to the public as well as
the corporations and industries.
The Fairgrounds as indicated are
so disposed as to give all the PEG,
pie a place of public recreation with
in easy walking distance of their
homes, as is provided in the develop
ment of the modern town plan. 1t is
likely that there are other localities
near the ones indicated that will be
quite as suitable, or that more numer
Gus smaller plots may be preferable.
Accommodation for the East Side.
On the easterIy side of the river
the principal reservation and road
system takes advantage of mostly
tree covered bluffs and spring fed
brookvaIleys. These bluffs begin at
the city's present civic center, run
northeasterly to Robinson Park and
Forest Hill Cemetery, and southeast
erIy away from the river, thence re-
turning in a southwesterly course to
near the river at the city pumping
Below these bluffs is land
near river bank level that is occupied
by business blocks and residences,
while above the bluffs nearly all build
ings are residences. From the base
of these bluffs flow springs at fire.
quent intervals, and it is such springs
that supply the driven wells of the
city's water system.
These bluffs are too steep for build
ings or cultivation. In many places
they are covered with trees that form
fine banks of foliage and sky lines
as seen from many home lots and city
streets. 1t is this bluff with springs
and streams at it's base that is in
cluded between new streets above and
below the slope to form continuous
reservation from Bulls Eye at the
south to Robinson Park. From this
park a double roadway might well
be continued along the brook sides in
20 the country eastward. A broaden
ng that includes city land and other
broken land is also made
On each side of the North Western
railroad right of way.
The bluff top and bottom reserva-
ton roads almost their whole length
give access to unimproved low priced
much of this property be-
ng low priced because it is wet. An
feature of the project is
10 provide for the drainage of such
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