Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-08-07
CIT HAS
No DEED
Mayor H. A. Wagner Says City
Has No Deed nor Contratfer
South Side Parks.
FAvORs PARK BOARD
Says i is Aboat Time for tke City
10 Ascertain Where Ii Stands y
on the Park Proposition.

|
Mayor II. IA. wagner aad family
returned home last week after spend
ing pleasant month at Lake Min.
netonka, Minnesota. When asked BY
q reporter for the Saturday News
how he felt after his vacation, he said:
Z feel like a new man and am
now ready to get into the harness
again. It did me lots Of good to get
away from home for a month and see
how other cities are conducted.
travelled a good deal In my car and
took in all the cities near Lake Mime
tonka. Speaking OF Lake Minneton-
ka makes me think OF Lake Kampes.
ka. OF course, | was naturally inter
ested in Lake Minnetonka and asked
a good many questions from old set
tiers who have lived there for the
|, last thirty-fye years. AS near as sI
I can find out Lake Minnetofika was not
near as good as our Lake Pelican
at that time. But wealthy people
soon discovered Its advantages as 4,
summer resort and millions Of dollars
Ehaye been expended on that lake in
the past quarter of d century In im-
proving it. It did not have the fine
gravel beach that Lake Kampeska
has and thousands OF dollars were
EexPended in dredging 1t. One old man
who owns a piece OF land on the
lshore of the lake told me that lots
icould have been bought there a few
years ago for a song; now they are
| worth thousands Of dollars. never
realized until went to Lake Mime
tonka what a grand thing Lake Kan.
peska is for Watertown There will
come a time and 1t is not very far
distant either that building sites on
Lake Kampeska will be worth more
than any residence lot in the city Of
Watertown. The only trouble with
1 us all is that we don't appreciate what
we have at our very door one of
the most beautiful lakes in the whole
northwest.
| Yes visited all the cities OF any
Importance in Minnesota and picked
up many valuable pointers MOTTO.
ed in most Of those cities that they
maintained beautiful city parks. i
learned how they succeed in maintain
ing these parks. The city has park
board, which is composed Of proini-
nent and wealthy men Of the cify
and these men take special pride
in park improvements. The board
generally consists Of FIVE good live
ones and they plan and work out the
park improvements and believe mo
they have some beautiful parks in
some OF these cities. What would
pc the result In Watertown If We haa
q good, live park board? Why yo,,
would see those old weedy and M.
kempt parks Of ours bloom like rosa
lhere would be cement walks =, i; Z :
through them. beautiful flower beds
ana fountains playing all the tima
ana birds singing in the trees ana
9 SQUIRRELS gu chattering in the brancbas
= the Trees. a good park board
would make regular little parad;sas
out OF our neglected parks in wafer.
EoWn IN few years 1t would not
cost much to do this---we a,raaa,,
nave good start on trees. Oh yas
speaking OF those city parks In wal
ertoWn makes me think. Ii has IL
Yays oeen supposed that the Chica 81
northwestern Railway com NAM 4
'ave tne two blocks in the south partI
! the city for park purposes MA {
laed that the city use them Tor na 5 !
urposes exclusively. Strange as VI
nnay seem there Is not deed On rac
s. e contract Of any kind from tba { {
IorthWestern road to the city Of va. !. 1
'rtown showing that Watarto ow, /, J. Y
yer mad any authority to use tboss g : :
arks for any purpose whatever Hare s s
: city has spent hundreds of dol. !, i
= planting trees on those two soMptb. mn III II
g PARKS and has not the scratch d.
2 pen TO show that it has any MN, y y
eYen srespass On the private pron. 8
W OF the Chicago e. Nn,t ], q. y. s 3