28 Public Parks. 



step was to form Lincoln Park, first called West-End Park, contain- 

 ing seven acres, with its large, handsome lake, and beautiful green 

 island, and which was a great improvement to the West End. 

 Hopkins, containing one and a half acres, and the City Park, one 

 and a fourth acres, are within the built-up parts of the city- 

 It was not until the water supply question was agitated, and the 

 necessity for a new resei^voir of fair capacity became imperative, 

 that the idea of combining a large park and resen^oir became 

 popular, four years ago, A portion of the high grounds boldly over- 

 looking the Ohio river, in the eastern part of the city, was selected, 

 known as Longworth's Garden of Eden, as the proper location for 

 the resei-voir, to give sufficient head to the water suppl3^ Combined 

 with this advantage was another — that nature had so formed the 

 ground as to leave it susceptible of easy landscape improvement. It 

 contains 156 acres, 14 of which will be covered by water. There are 

 at this time over three miles of avenues laid out, two of which are 

 nearly graded, so that early in the spring the broken stone and 

 gi'avel can be put on, forming one of the most delightful drives in 

 the vicinit)'^ of the city. The grades of all the avenues are very easy, 

 most of them being scarcely perceptible. Nearly the whole ground 

 will be laid oft' in landscape, and the reservoir adding to the beauties 

 of the scenery, will form a very conspicuous feature. There is no 

 stiff outline or geometrical form to the boundaries of the reservoir, 

 the water forming its own outline by the natural slopes of the 

 hills. There is no point at which a view of the entire lake can be 

 seen, some portions of its surface being lost in the meanderings of its 

 course. 



The ground has been leased by the city, and whenever the City 

 should wish to purchase, it can do so, for the sum of $3,000 per 

 acre, but until then it is to pay an annual rent on the above amount 

 at the rate of six per cent, per annum. Work was commenced in 

 May 1867, and up to this time $245,000 have been expended. 

 The improvement is expected to cost $1,400,000,* 



ST, LOUIS, 



In St, Louis, the subject of public parks has occupied much 

 attention for the past few yeai's, the same diversity of opinion and 

 interest existing as in our city. The city was the owner, in 1866, of 

 287 acres of land, distributed in various parks, places, and squares 

 throughout the city. In the same year the Mayor recommended the 



*Dr. Wm. Clendenin, Health Officer, Cincinnati. 



