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The forest preserve system — stretching for miles along 

 the border of the city and already embracing more than 

 17,000 acres — offers a truly wonderful possibility for an 

 outer system of bridle paths. This encircling system of 

 forest parks — when taken in conjunction with the exist- 

 ing interior boulevards and the proposed lake front devel- 

 opment — makes a circuit of about one hundred miles. 



Since the first forest preserve was purchased in Palos 

 Park, August 3rd, 1916, over 17,000 acres have been 

 acquired out of a possible 35,000. Already these preserves 

 are being very extensively used. Today there can be seen 

 in the various preserves primitive virgin timber, a pro- 

 fusion of wild flowers, rivers, creeks, natural and artificial 

 lakes, which are used for swimming and bathing, ravines, 

 athletic fields, golf grounds, picnic parties, family out- 

 ings, Campfire Girls and Boy Scout camps — in fact, camp- 

 ers of all kinds. 



The 148 acres of forest land presented to the Forest 

 Preserve District by Mrs. Harold F. McCormick, to be 

 used for a zoological garden will be patterned after one 

 of the finest in the world. Lovers of birds find almost 

 every kind of bird known in the Northwest, including 

 quail and pheasant. The rivers and creeks are being 

 stocked by the Illinois Fish and Game Commission and 

 will soon become a great source of pleasure to the fisher- 

 man. Arborists, florists and horticulturists revel in end- 

 less variety of trees, flowers and shrubs — some of them 

 very rare. Wonderful scenic beauties are now preserved 

 and many more will be. All of this for the education, 

 pleasure and recreation of the public. 



The humanitarian, educational and recreational value 

 of these country playgrounds cannot be computed in dol- 

 lars and cents. 



The Chicago Plan from its inception has recognized the 

 vital importance of creating and maintaining health-giv- 

 ing recreational mediums, and the following quotation 

 from the book, "Plan of Chicago," prepared under the 

 direction of The Commercial Club by Daniel Hudson 

 Burnham and Edward H. Bennett in 1909, should be of 

 interest to all equestrians: 



"No city conditions, however ideal in themselves, supply 

 the craving for real out-of-door life, for forests and wild 

 flowers and streams. Human nature demands such simple 

 and wholesome pleasures as come from roaming the woods, 

 from riding and driving through them, from rowing and 

 canoeing and from sports and games that require large 

 areas. 



"The increasing number of holidays, the growing use 

 of Sunday as a day of rest and refreshment for body and 

 mind, tired by the exacting tasks of the week, together 

 with a constant improvement in the scale of living, all 

 make imperative such means of enjoyment as these large 

 country parks wiD provide. 



"Moreover, the development of especially beautiful sec- 

 tions will give marked individuality to our outlying park 

 and forest preserve system, for it is by seizing on the 

 salient features of a landscape and emphasizing them that 

 the charm and the dignity of a city are enhanced." 



Great credit is due the Board of County Commissioners 

 of Cook County, Mr. Peter Reinberg, its president, and 

 to the Forest Preserve Commissioners of the Forest Pre- 

 serve District, for the manner in which the forest preserves 

 have been acquired. It is an outstanding feature of pub- 

 lic service weU performed. 



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