The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-08-03


derful old oak trees dotting its smiling
hills and valleys is to become the per
petual playground of the children Of
Kenosha.. Within another year all OF
the vacant land on the island will be
made into the city's most beautiful
park and playground and Kenosha, like
other cities, will have its wonder
land" on the most beautiful piece Of
lake shore property to be found any
where along the shores of Lake Mich
gan.
The people of the city will nave this
beautiful piece of property as a mem
orial to a man who did much for then
in life, for the playground and park
which is to succeed the sand dunes anc
the unkempt woodland is to be named
Simmons Play Ground" and it is tt
be a memorial to the late q. G. Sim
mons, Kenosha 3 Grand Old Man
who full of years and good works pass
ed on only few years ago.
The securing Of this property for the
people of future Kenosha was made
possible through a proposition present
ed to the Common Council on Monday
night by Mrs. Arthur F.. Towne OF
Evanston, Mrs. A. r. Lance, Mrs
Harry M. Vale and z. G. Simmons, OF
Kerosha, heirs to the estate of Mr.
Simmons. The proposition provides
that in return for the vacation Of Ger.
tain stub ends of streets running into
the plant of Simmons Company that the
heirs will turn over to the city all OF
the property owned by the estate on
Washington Island and with it the sum
of 100000 in cash for the improve.
ment of the property that it may be
made beautiful and useful for the
amusement of the people of the city.
The members of the council by q
unanimous vote Of the sixteen present
accepted the proposition and the terms
OF it will be carried out at once. It il
expected that the city will come into
possession of the property before the
end of the present summer and that the
Park Board will make immediate plans
for the Improvement Of the property
SO that it will be as great benefit as
possible to the people for park ano
playground purposes.
For more than fifty years people OF
Kenosha have been dreaming of the
possible purchase of the island for park
and playground purposes and the hot
weather of the recent weeks has EN-
phaslzed the value of this property tc
the city. Under the proposition Keno
sha may have one of the most beauti
full municipal beaches to be found in
the world and with it it can have al
the beauties of parks and Fairgrounds
The proposition was brought to the
council without any suggestion before.
hand. The council had been busy deal.
ing with questions relating to the i'm.
provement of the fire department. and
when it had completed its work, 2. g.
Simmons representing the heirs of his
father, appeared before the aldermen
and made his proposition. He asked
that the matter be considered nv the
council and as the aldermen were moi
legally able to take official and final
action at their own initiative. If was
decided to take a straw vote in order
to determine the will of the council IN
regard to the proposition. On a motion
that the proposition of Mr.. Simmons
and the other heirs be accepted the vote
was as follows:
Ayes-Aldermen Sullivan. Roberts
Shearer, Barr, Thomey, Bounsal,
Schroeder, Rockwell, Stein, Boylan
Donahue, Fischer, Joachim. Wacbs
Goodman and Hoppe. Aldermen Wade
and Smith were not present at the
meeting.
The formal proposition which was
presented by Mr.. Simmons and which
presents the entire matter in definite
form was as follows:
Kenosha, Wis, July 81, 1916.
The Honorable Mayor and Common
Council of the City of Kenosha.
Gentlemen
The growth Of the Kenosha plant Of
the Simmons Company has been 50 ran.
id and its Importance to the city, as
well as to its stockholders, SO well
established that anything that will
insure its continued growth and protec-
ton is worthy of attention.
There are certain stub ends of public
streets running through and around
the plant which are no longer of value
to the public for business purposes. and
which have become menace to the
plant itself. We believe that yaca-
tion of these stub streets would be n
the public interest as well as in the in.
terest Of the company itself, in giving
greater ability to the company to prop.
erly protect the plant against confagra-
ton or other casualties. With the