8 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
GREAT PARK W|ORK IN DENVER 
PARKS AND PROPOSED EXTENSIONS 
WAT THROUGH HEART OP DENVER. 
One year ago Denver had fourteen 
parks, containing 603 acres. During 
the year 1906 seven new parks were 
purchased containing 429 acres, at a 
cost of $221,300; not a protest against 
their purchase was lodged with the 
park department. Between $300,000 
and $400,000 will be spent this year in 
acquiring new park areas. It will be 
the greatest year in the history of the 
park system. 
The boulevard system will unfold 
and run from park to park in the be- 
ginning of a boulevard girdle, to cost 
$500,000. The $60,000 a year that comes 
from the Tramway company for its 
franchise, will be applied for the next 
twenty years on construction of boule- 
vards. Thirty-five thousand dollars is 
in the treasury of this fund now. The 
boulevards will be built by the board 
of public works and improved and 
maintained by the park board. 
Last year the purchase of the North 
Denver, or Highland Park, District 
was completed. One hundred and sev- 
enty-five thousand dollars was spent in 
the acquisition of Berkeley and Rocky 
Mountain lakes with surrounding 
ground, a park south of Sloan’s and 
Cooper lakes, with water rights, two 
blocks in Barnum, five acres in Argo, 
one block in Harkness Heights, and a 
playground on West Thirty-eighth, be- 
tween Osage and Navajo streets. The 
work of improving the North Denver 
District has already begun. 
Highland Park was formerly a nur- 
sery, and all the trees in it, except those 
needed for the grounds, are being re- 
moved to Columbia Park. A water 
system will be installed, grading and 
planting done, walks laid out, and 
benches and drinking fountains placed 
at convenient points, making the park 
one of the most attractive summer 
spots in Denver.' Columbia Park will 
also undergo extensive improvement. 
Rocky Mountain and Berkeley lakes are 
to have beautiful driveways of a mile 
in length around the lakes. West of 
Berkeley lake is a knoll which pro- 
vides one of the most superb views in 
the state. Negotiations are now in 
progress between the city -and the East- 
ern owner for the purchase of this 
ground. It is the purpose of the city 
to extend around it a driveway to con- 
nect with that proposed around Ber- 
keley lake. It is the plan of the park 
board to connect Berkeley, Rocky 
Mountain, Sloan and Cooper lakes 
with a boulevard. The scenery which 
this driveway would follow is most in- 
spiring and gives a fine view of the 
surrounding mountains. In order to 
expedite the work on the North Den- 
ver parks, F. Shearer has been appoint- 
ed superintendent of that district. 
This year the South Denver and East 
Denver park districts will be complet- 
ed. In South Denver $85,000 will be 
expended in acquiring Smith’s lake and 
70 acres of ground, making Washing- 
ton park 190 acres in extent, and sec- 
ond to City park in size; purchasing a 
square block in Archer’s subdivision on 
Ellsworth, II acres near the Neighbor- 
hood house, three and a half acres at 
the junction of Archer lake outlet and 
the Platte and smaller parks. 
The state land board has given the 
city a strip of land 570 by 200 feet for 
an esplanade entrance to City Park and 
the 160 acres of state land lying north 
of the City Park will, no doubt, be 
purchased, thus making a park in one 
body of 480 acres. 
The special commission appointed by 
Mayor Speer to formulate plans for 
civic beauty in the city’s future growth 
has recommended the purchase of the 
Bates triangle in front of the public 
