The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-03-05
public parks.

Landscape architecture is coming
Into increased prominence in the Unit
ed States annually For FIVE or six
decades. it has been the art employed
lby municipal authorities. in various
parts of the country, in the laying out
and maintenance of city parks, but
until recently the results have not
been especially significant Now,
however, these public works have be-
come notable part.of the art achieve
ment of the country. City parks in
the United States now comprise near
lily hundred thousand acres. The cost
for maintenance per annum is esti-
mated at near four million dollars.
Some of the cities In which import
ant park developments have taken
place during the year are the follow
ling: MINI, apolis (chain of lakes) :;
Indianapolis; Salt Lake City; Grand
Rapids, Mich; Detroit: Brooklyn
improvements In existing PARKS;
Fort Worth, Texas; Denver (system
lof mountain parks) Sacramento Tim
lprovement of Del Paso Park, tract
of 500 acres); Los Angeles Ca park
system including Griffith Park, nat
Iural tract of over 5000 acres, said-to
Ibe the largest municipal park in the
world): Scranton System Of parks
including nearby mountain); Lock
Haven, Penn; Boston NOTABLY the
new geological garden in Franklin
Park, the Aquarium in Marine Park,
and the beautiful bandstand in Boston
common, all purchased with the in
come from the special parkman fund /.
Chattanooga Ca general park system
including the new Warner Park as a
recreation center): San Jost (Alum
Rock Park; Kansas City Qarge river
park; Tacoma Port Defiance Park !;
Boston Metropolitan Parks ($1 100000
Missing Link" appropriation. (For
details of park progress during the
year see Park and Cemetery, Chicago
land Landscape Architecture, New
York;
The second conference on national
parks, called by Walter L.. Fisher
secretary of the interior, was held in
the Yosemite in October. John Muir
one of those in attendance, urged the
necessity for bureau of national
parks, particularly in order that more
attention might be given to the lay
ing out Of roads and paths in the
parks, the erection of buildings, etc.
under the advice and competent land
scape architects. The American Civic
Association has issued a bulletin with
addresses on the subject OF President
Taft, the secretary of the interior and
J. Horace Mcfarland, president of the
American Civic Association. In q
special message to congress, President
Taft said:
Il earnestly recommend the estab
lishment of bureau of national
parks. Such legislation is essential
to the proper management of those
wondrous manifestations of nature. sc
startling and so beautiful that every
one recognizes the obligations of the
government to preserve them for the
edification and recreation of the peo
pie"
Important acquisitions of land fol
state parks have been made by Mass
achusetts, New York, wisconsin
Michigan and California, and more re
Gently by Maine and New Hampshire
some of these have been developed in
accordance with the plans of land
scape architects.
City Planning.
Some of the more important city
: planning events of the years are as
: follows: Preparation of general plans
y ,by landscape architects and archi