THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



29 



Woodland Park is the largest park in the city, one 

 lunulred and seventy-nine acres in area, and as it con- 

 tains a greater variety of features which appeal to the 

 masses, its patronage is the largest. The entire area 

 originally was wooded with hundreds of tall tir and 

 cedar trees, and these have been preserved except in 

 sections necessar}- for open landscape treatment. I he 

 park has a half mile of frontage on Green Lake, af- 

 fording boating and bathing facilities, extensive ath- 

 letic field areas for all form.s of sports, picnic and con- 

 cert groves, broad lawn areas, miles of walks and 

 (h-ives and a verv creditable zciological exhibit, housed 

 in modern buildings. 



,\lki Beach, the only municipal bathing beach on the 

 I'acific Coast, is the great recreation spot of the city 

 during the mid-sunnncr season. Located at West 

 Seattle at the exact spot where the pioneers of Seattle 

 first landed and settled, a half mile of salt water front- 

 age at the entrance to the harbor has been ac<|uired 

 and im|)roved as a marine \ic\v park and l)atliing 

 beach. 



A substantial bath house has been constructed, hav- 

 ing a capacity of 5,000 persons per day and during the 

 three months' bathing season of 1914 approximately 

 65.000 bathers were registered. 



in the matter of children's playgrounds, Seattle has 



BUFF.M.OES IX WooDI-Wn r.\RK. 



Ravenna Park is one of the nnjst unirpie natural 

 parks to be found within the limits of a cit\-, contain- 

 ing snl]5hur and iron s])rings, famous for their medici- 

 nal ]:)roperties : also a pronp of large fir trees, several 

 more than ten feet in diameter. 



Schmitz Park, a beautiful tract of virgin forest on 

 the \\'est Seattle jjeninsula, is a nature lovers' para- 

 dise and is regarded a^ the mo t valuable park prop- 

 erty of the system, as its natural features ])lace it in a 

 class by itself. 



Leschi, Madrona and Mount liaker Parks on the 

 shore of Lake Washington are ty|)ical lakeside parks, 

 always ]io|)ular with ])eople lient on outdoor recrea- 

 tion. 



Kinnear Park is distinctive by reason of its being a 

 commanding viewpoint, on Queen .\nne Hill, overlook- 

 ing the harbor, also becatise of its beautiful landscape 

 work and vegeta1:ion. it being the second oldest park 

 in the c'- 



IN THE WIIJi 



II 



II Ml rz P,\KK. 



made wonderful progress, statistics proving that there 

 are onl}' three cities in the United States, regardless 

 of size, that have superior playgrotmd facilities to 

 those of Seattle. 



In ;i<ldition to playground sections and equipment in 

 many of the parks, twenty-four distinct ])layground 

 sites have l)een acquired ranging in size from a city 

 block to fifteen acres, the whole aggregating one him- 

 dred and forty-four acres. Twenty of these play- 

 grounds are in use at this time, twelve of them l)eing 

 well improved with outdoor gymnasium apparatus 

 and equipment, wading ]iools, tennis cotirts, ball fields, 

 shelter btiildings, etc., with trained instructors super- 

 vising during the summer season, the remainder being 

 serviceable as open fields, with ball grotmds, tennis 

 courts and simple apparatus, such as teeters and 

 swings. 



For winter work, four ■.-nlistantial field houses or 



.\LKI BE.\cn P.WII.IOX. 



ORG.WIZEl) PI.W I.\ r.\RKS 



