permission to make a California wild garden in this park. On the 

 proposal of Mr. H. W. O'Melveny a resolution was passed giving 

 me permission to plant such a garden and appointing Mr. Frank 

 Shearer, Park Superintendent, a committee of one to decide with me 

 upon a suitable location. 



Shortly after this the 1915 General Committee was appointed for 

 the purpose of preparing for the visitors expected during the Exposi- 

 tion year. I found myself upon this committee and also upon the 

 sub-committee known as the Floral Display Committee of which Mr. 

 Frank Wiggins was chairman. The duties of this sub-committee 

 were to provide for floral displays in the city during 1915. One of 

 the first undertakings to come before us was the beautification of 

 the Figueroa Street frontage of Exposition Park, which at that time 

 was totally unimproved. As there had been some talk of holding 

 a Horticultural Exposition in Los Angeles during the fair year, the 

 idea originating with the Los Angeles County Horticultural Society, 

 it seemed to us that this Figueroa frontage would be an ideal location 

 for such an exhimit. Mr. Wiggins sent out letters to a number of 

 horticulturalists and nurserymen asking them to attend a meeting 

 to formulate plans for carrying out this project; the response how- 

 ever, was so discouraging that we decided to go no further with the 

 matter. The committee then resolved to find some scheme for 

 beautifying the park along the Figueroa Street frontage. A number 

 of methods were suggested, my own being to make a California 

 native garden. A garden planted entirely with native trees, shrubs 

 and flowers, something that would be typical of California. Thus it 

 was, that I abandoned my own project of a small garden, and was 

 entrusted by the committee with the work of making plans and 

 specifications for a wild garden to cover the southeast corner of the 

 park; it being decided to improve the remainder of the Figueroa 

 Street frontage in a more formal way. 



The site selected for this garden was a stretch of ground covering 

 nearly five acres, commencing at the old fan palm on Figueroa Street 

 and running south along this street to the southern boundary of the 

 park, then west to the grand stand, then north to the race track and 

 from there following the circular fence of the latter back to the old 

 fan palm. It was rather an odd shaped piece of ground to develop, 

 and in many ways not an ideal setting for a gild garden, having 

 around it so many formal objects. However, there were some ad- 

 vantages in its location, also. The History and Art building, con- 

 taining the relics from the famous Brea beds, and the Exposition 

 building were near by. The accessibility of the location was also 

 an advantage, being only an 18 minute ride from the heart of the 

 city with a three minute car service. Thus many people could visit 

 it who would have been unable to do so had it been in some more 

 remote place. 



My plans provided for a thick planting of trees following the 



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