258 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



cost of the Calhoun Baths, including the construction of 

 the beach, was $82,000. 



The other lake bath houses, though less pretentious 

 and well equipped, offer excellent bathing facilities and 

 are patronized to their capacity. 



About fifteen thousand bathers can be accommodated 

 on one dav at all the bath houses. The total bath atten- 

 dance for'l913 was 291,161, and for 1914, 320,726. 



The picnic grounds at Lake Harriet and Minnehaha 

 Falls provide picnic accommodations. These grounds 

 are also equipped with play apparatus for small children. 



During the \yinter season twenty-six electric lighted 

 skating rinks are provided on the lakes and in the neigh- 

 borhood parks throughout the citv. 



\\'arniing houses, some of a temporary nature, furnish 

 comfort and checking privileges for the skaters. 



A double toboggan slide, constructed of two wooden 

 chutes on a trestle, extending from a high bank out over 

 the surface of Lake Harriet, was built a year ago. Elec- 

 tric lights make the slide a popular evening attraction. 



A long slide for bob-sleds is kept iced in Powderhorn 

 Park.as well as a steep incline, suitable for toboggans, in 

 Columbia Park. 



Skiing is a favorite pastime for many of Scandinavian 

 descent. The hills of Glenwood Park offer excellent in- 

 ducements for this vigorous sport. 



Ice hockey is a favorite winter game, especially for 

 boys and young men. Nine hockey rinks are constructed 

 and maintained throughout the skating season. Some of 

 these rinks are lighted so that evening play is possible. 



The Department of Playgrounds conducts an amateur 

 hockey league of eight teams. The games are played in 

 the evening by artificial light. 



Tr.\ditional Games. 



Baseball is the leading summer game. The parks now 

 contain twelve fully equipped baseball diamonds which 

 amateur teams may play on at any time by securing a 

 permit and conducting themselves in . accordance with 

 the regulations governing conduct and play. 



During the autumn season these same fields are made 

 suitable for football by erecting goal posts and marking 

 with lime. Permits are issued as for baseball, and the 

 games are controlled by park police supervision. 



Soccer football is played by all the grade school teams 

 and by an amateur league made up for the most part of 

 players who learned the game on the "other side." 



The university has also taken up the game. Soccer 

 can hardly be said to have become generally popular 

 here as yet, although each year sees increased interest. 



Tentative plans have been made for a public golf 

 course in Glenwood Park, but as yet nothing definite 

 has been done. 



In natural advantages this park offers an excellent tract 

 for golf, and is only two miles distant from the central 

 business district. 



Tennis courts are provided to the number of thirtv- 

 three. More than half of these are clay courts, with 

 backstops, and are open to the public at all times, subject 

 to certain regulations. 



Tennis has taken its place as a most popular form of 

 recreation for the business man. Women and girls are 

 also ardent devotees. Requests for additional courts are 

 constantly being presented to the board. I believe that in 

 the near future it will be necessary to light the courts 

 and make play after dark practical. 



Track and Field Athletics. 



Interest in this branch of sport cannot be said to be 

 very great. Some emphasis is laid on competition in 

 athletics during the summer season, under the direction 



of playground instructors. Inter-park track and field 

 meets are held in which large numbers of boys and girls 

 compete, but the interest is not sustained enough to re- 

 sult in regular practice. Equipment in the form of jump- 

 ing pits and rings for discus throwing and shot putting 

 has been placed in most of the larger playgrounds. At 

 present, however, there are no large athletic fields con- 

 taining a quarter-mile running track and standard equip- 

 ment for track and field athletics. 



A plan for a large stadium of such a character has 

 been prepared by Superintendent Wirth, but owing to a 

 lack of funds, nothing further has been accomplished. 



Neighborhood Playgrounds. 



During the past season the most efficient development 

 in supervised play and organized activities thus far was 

 reached. 



Nine playgrounds, containing a more or less complete 

 equipment of gymnastic and play apparatus, sand boxes, 

 swings, see-saws, merry-go-rounds, slides, basket ball, 

 volley ball and modified baseball, were supervised by a 

 corps of nineteen playground instructors during a period 

 of two and one-half months. 



On si.x of these grounds the hours of supervision were 

 from 1.30 to 5.00 p. m. and from 6.30 to 9.00 p. m. 



The other three grounds had additional supervision. 



The work consisted of instruction in athletics, gym- 

 nastics, group games, basket ball, volley ball, baseball, 

 aquatics, tennis, soccer, singing games, folk dances, 

 sewing and story telling. 



For purposes of competition the boys were divided 

 according to height into three grades. Each playground 

 was represented by a team in baseball, basket ball, volley 

 ball, track athletics and gymnastics in each of the three 

 grades and competed with the teams of the other play- 

 grounds for the championship. The girls competed in 

 the same way in basket ball and volley ball. 



Meets were held in athletics, gymnastics and swimming 

 in which teams from all the playgrounds entered. 



.\ league of eight church teams was organized in con- 

 junction with the work at the North Commons Play- 

 ground. .\ similar league made up of teams from the 

 railroad shops was formed at the Longfellow Field Play- 

 ground. These leagues brought a large number of in- 

 dividuals into an active form of recreation. 



A final Park Playground Festival was held August 

 14 in the National Guard Armory in which about six 

 hundred children took part in an exhibition of all the 

 phases of playground activities. 



The policy of the supervisor has been to carry on the 

 activities in such a manner that large numbers of boys 

 and girls may become interested and take part in some 

 form of out-door recreation. \\'ith this end in view 

 competition is devised which emphasises the team or 

 large group as a unit and not the individual. 



At present Logan Park is the only park having a 

 field house containing an assembly hall, committee rooms, 

 shower baths and dressing quarters. This building is 

 made good use of by the neighborho(.)d for meetings and 

 entertainments of a varied character. Dancing is allowed 

 on two evenings of each week. 



Exclusive of tennis courts, baseball and football fields, 

 the park system now provides seventeen playgrounds, 

 nine of which are well equipped for standard supervised 

 play activities. Several new unimproved sites have re- 

 cently been secured in thickly populated districts where 

 playgrounds are especially needed. The improvement 

 of these sites and the acquisition and development of 

 more grounds will soon serve to bring the advantages 

 for recreation into closer touch with a large proportiork 

 of the population. 



