Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-07-26
REMARKABLE WORK
DONE BY WILL CLARK
In Oklahoma City's Parks and
Grand Boulevard.
Former Lancaster Boys Achievement
the Wonder and Admiration of
All Who Know About 1t.

of the park work done at Oklahoma
City Okla, by Will Fl. Clark, son of
Col. John G. Clark of this city The
park and boulevard system Of that
city is recognized everywhere as being
one of the most remarkable pieces Of
work of the kind in the coun Try,
if not in the world.
Few of our citizens know of the
manner in which Mr.. Clark made
this wonderful system possible. The
Motor Age" Chicago magazine de-
voted to the interests of motoring,
published the following interesting
article in its last number:
Nearing completion, a spee6 ay
% miles in length encircles Oklahcmesl
Cry, runs through the woods where
Indians anbushed in the early days
and traverses the prairie where the
buffalo roamed end the coyote dug his
hole Unscared.
city % years of age, during the
first 10 Of which the matter of boulve-
wards and parks was all but neglect
ed. now boasts of a boulevard the
right Of way Of which is valued at
more than a million dollars. It con-
meets and passes through q chain Of
parks that are worth another million
dollars the acquisition of which
bUrders on the picturesque.
Until 1903 no great public i'm
oil
undertaken. Captain Daniel F.
Stiles, ]. B. Wheeler and other
citizens had made donations of small
tracts of land, enough to whet the
appetite of the people for out door
life and, what is more important, had
made it imperative to provide place
where motorists could get out on
straightway course and move some
In history a crises usually develops
man of the hour. History did not
90 wrong at this time, so far as local
matters were concerned. There APP
peared upon the scene a character
unique, original and peculiarly the
man for the hour, the man for the
place, the man with ideas so big that
his fellow citizens were amazed. This
man was Bill Clark.
William H. Clark had been a
citizen of Oklahoma City for many
years, being a pioneer, Quietly. he
had prospered. Of retiring DISPOSE
tion, he kept out Of public life. But
the people had elected new mayor
and this new mayor was familiar with
the fact that the quiet Clark knew
more about the trees, the grass the
flowers, the shrubbery and the lay
ing out of great avenues than most of
the rest of tie population put together
So the mayor appointed Will Clark
to be park commissioner, and the ap
pointment was forgotten in about "a
hours, for Oklahoma City had few
bouvevards and its people were more
intereted IN making money than they
were in building avenues and speed
ways.
About the first thing that Park
Commissioner Clark did was to look
over the field and feel of the situation.
Former park commissioners had not
taken their offices very seriously,
although, to their credit it must be
said that they wisely spent all the
funds that the people would permit.
But conditions were not yet ripe to
spend great blocks of money for
bOulevards.
Clark had plenty of time to con
ST Ter the matter carefully. 1t being
unnecessary for him TO worry about
an income, as he owned several bust
ness blocks. he spent his time
planning He was after big game
and he wanted to work out his plans
before he should sta1tle the people
with boulevard system plan.
For weeks this park commissioner
tramped over the ground that sur
rounds Oklahoma City, walking over
rough ground where he had hunted
wild game before the suburbs of the
fast growing city had commenced to
stretch out into the country. How
many miles Clark walked in that
preliminary eye-survey is unknown,
but within months from the time
he had been appointed park commits
sioner Will Il. Clark walked into the
council chamber and astonished the
aldermen by asking that an election
be called to vote on the proposition
to issue $4O0 600 worth Of bonds to
build a boulevard around Oklahoma |
City, and to be % miles long.
The members of the city council |
were dazed. Citizens of Oklahoma
City threw up their hands in horror,