PARK AND CEMETERY. 
232 
VIEW IN ANTOINE CAMPAU PARK, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 
and Mrs. F. Immen, in memory of their 
son. 
The first forty acres of John Ball 
park became the property of the city 
upon the death of the donor in 1884 . 
At the time of Mr. Ball’s death many 
of the aldermen doubted the wisdom of 
accepting the gift, as small value was 
at that time placed upon park areas, 
and this forty acres was then outside- of 
the city limits and seemed to many too 
far from the center of population to 
be of any real value. 
It is doubtful if the gift would have 
been accepted had not Hon, T. D. Gil- 
bert, a life long friend of Mr. Ball, at 
that time been a member of the com- 
mon council. Being both far sighted- 
and public spirited, he took great in- 
terest in the matter and through his 
efforts the gift was accepted and the 
first funds appropriated for its improve- 
ment. 
It was but a few years, however, be- 
fore the natural beauties of the “Ball 
40 ” with its steep wooded hill sides 
and charming ravines began to attract 
general attention. Because of it the 
common council was able to secure an 
extension of the street car system to 
the park itself, and the improvement 
of neighboring streets, and in 1890 it 
was officially named John Ball Park, 
and an appropriation of $ 3,000 made 
for its improvement. The next year 
seventeen acres were purchased on the 
south. In 1895 the city purchased the 
forty acres north of the original forty 
for $ 21 , 500 . In 1897 an additional ten 
acres was purchased for $ 5 , 000 , and 
last year seven acres east of the north 
forty, near the park entrance, were 
deeded to the city, consideration being 
the construction of a sewer and a 
street along the east frontage. 
This makes the total area of the 
park 114 acres. Its natural beauty of 
hill and dale is its chief attraction. 
The latest improvement, and one of 
which the park board is especially 
proud, is the serpentine drive through 
the north forty, known as the Glen- 
wood drive. Following bacjc and forth 
along the sides, of the beautiful ravines 
on- this drive one goes without travers- 
ing a single heavy grade from the low 
ground near the entrance of the park 
to the top of the highest bluffs, 160 feet 
above the river, where beautiful views 
up and down the river, and of the city 
can be obtained. The total length of 
the drives in the connection by the 
Boulevard with West Bridge street on 
the north to Butterworth avenue on the 
south is about eight miles. 
The next largest tract is Comstock 
Park, which was in 1891 deeded to the 
Western Michigan Agricultural and In- 
dustrial Society in trust for a park by 
Hon. C. C. Comstock. It is a beau- 
tiful tract of land containing something 
over ninety acres, fronting on the west 
side of Grand river, just a little outside 
of the present city limits. The deed 
specified that it might be used for fairs 
and exposition grounds and for the 
holding of exhibitions, shows, religious 
and political meetings, for a race track 
for the speeding of horses and for 
other purposes of a like nature. 
The ground is outside of the city 
and until the adoption of the new char- 
ter, providing for a board of park and 
cemetery commissioners, giving them 
full power to go outside of the city 
limits in providing and improving parks 
the city authorities were not in po- 
sition to co-operate with the trustee in 
opening the grounds to the use speci- 
fied by Mr. Comstock. 
Possibly the trustee may deem it 
wise a little later to transfer the legal 
title in trust to the city of Grand Rap- 
ids where the grounds can be kept 
under permanent and wise control for 
all the uses and purposes mentioned. 
Highland Park is a beautiful piece of 
rolling ground with Coldbrook winding 
its way through it, presented to the 
city in 1873 , the consideration being an 
agreement to expend not less than $500 
in improving it. The original deed 
covered but three and one-half acres 
of land. Later another one and one- 
half acres were added at a cost of 
$1,200. This park is located along the 
north side of the Grand Trunk rail- 
way between Union and Grand ave- 
nue. It is covered with a beautiful 
natural growth of oaks and is a very 
attractive piece of ground, unspoiled by 
any artifice of man. It is a favorite 
place for picnic gatherings and a de- 
light to the children because of the 
liberty allowed for play. 
Crescent Park was another gift to 
the city. It is a small, semi-circular 
plot of ground on Crescent avenue at 
Bostwick street. The street divides at 
the bottom of the park and sweeps 
around on either side of Bostwick 
street. The steep hillside is terraced 
and at the top is a level stretch of turf 
with a fountain in the center. Here 
A WOODLAND DRIVE, JOHN BALL PARK, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 
