PARK AND C EM ET ERY. 
402 
thirty-five mile ride that gave the visi- 
tors an insight into the remarkable rich- 
ness and diversity of natural beauty and 
the magnificent opportunities for park 
building that make the Minneapolis sys- 
tem one of the most remarkable in the 
country. Sixteen touring cars, and one 
large sight-seeing machine comfortably 
accommodated the party, which was 
“personally conducted,'’ to everybody's 
comfort and .satisfaction, by Mr. Asa 
Paine, president of the ^Minneapolis 
Automobile Club, who led off in the first 
car with Messrs. Wirth, Cowell, North- 
rup, and a bugler, whose guiding blasts 
kept everybody in line and allowed no 
one to loaf or get lost. 
Loring Park was the first stop and the 
party gathered about a formal bed on 
on the edge of the lake, where “Wel- 
come A. P. S.” was planted in the lawn 
to listen to Secretary J. A. Ridgway tell 
something about this tract. Loring Park 
was one of the city's first acquisitions. 
It includes 40 acres and was once a cow 
pasture. The lawns and planting were 
in beautiful condition, and the border 
planting was especially admired. The 
new pavilion recently illustrated in Park 
AXD Ceaietery, presented to the park 
by Mr. Loring was seen across the lake. 
From here the drive led out past the 
Parade and along Kenwood Parkway 
to the boulevard that circles the Lake of 
the Isles. Some real park building was 
in progress here, and another stop was 
made to see the dredges and other ma- 
chinery making lawns out of swamps 
and a sound gravel beach out of mud 
bottoms. The sand is pumped up from 
a depth of 35 feet and distributed along 
the beach in pipes. On the other side 
of the lake the original marsh could be 
seen and the remarkable transformation 
that was awaiting it lay beneath the feet 
of the visitors. The Lake of the Isles 
Park includes 155.6 acres. 
Lake Calhoun, the next in the chain of 
beautiful lakes that makes the system 
unique, is separated from Lake of the 
Isles by a narrow strip of land which 
has been acquired by the board, and 
the two lakes are to be connected by a 
canal. Along Calhoun Terrace the drive 
that is to be extended clear-around the 
lake, a fine view of this largest of the 
four lakes was given. It covers nineteen 
acres of water surface. Through Inter- 
lachen Park, a natural tract of 20 acres, 
situated as its name would indicate, a 
complete circle was made around Lake 
Harriet, passing the lookout and the 
pavilion, over a rarely picturesque drive 
that winds along the high wooded banks. 
Harriet is very nearly circular and about 
one mile across, making a sheet of 
water admirably suited to all kinds of 
water and ice sports. 
Lyndale Farmstead, the site of the 
park service buildings, including store- 
houses, stables and machine shop was 
the next station for the tourists. Here 
the}' saw the new brick and concrete 
building in process of erection to take 
the place of the one destroyed by fire 
last winter. This one is to be thor- 
oughly fireproof, and is fitted up as a 
boat storage house, the boats being run 
in on trolleys and placed on iron rails 
projecting from the walls. The build- 
served here in iMinnehaha pavilion by 
the park commissioners to 102 mem- 
bers and guests. President Northrup, 
Dr. \\ . \V. Fohvell, former president of 
the board, and Mr. Asa Paine, president 
of the Minneapolis Automobile Club, 
made after-dinner speeches appropriate 
to the occasion and the surroundings. 
After luncheon the party was photo- 
graphed in front of the building, then 
descended into the glen, had another 
picture taken with the falls for a l)ack- 
r4. . 
THE MINNEAPOLIS PARK BAND. 
ing is to cost $20,000. Mr. Wirth’s port' 
able band stand, illustrated in our report 
of last year's convention, and familiarly 
known as the band wagon, was an ob- 
ject of careful examination. 
Going back along Lake Harriet Drive 
to where it meets Minnehaha Parkway, 
this six-mile drive was reached, and 
the ride resumed along Minnehaha 
creek to the park and falls of the same 
name. The falls of Minnehaha have 
been celebrated since Longfellow sung 
of the deeds of Hiawatha. They are 
the great natural wonder of the North- 
west, and are second to Niagara in size 
alone. The creek is the outlet of Lake 
Minnetonka, from which it winds a sinu- 
ous course of 25 miles, and plunges 
over this fifty-foot' fall just before it en- 
ters the Mississippi. Below the falls the 
stream follows a beautiful, glen, whicli 
is included in Minnehaha Park. The 
park embraces about 140 acres and the 
grounds of the Soldiers’ Home adjoin- 
ing practically add 40 acres more. This 
park contains a zoological collection and 
a pony track, and is a favorite resort of 
picnic parties. 
A bounteous banquct-luuchcon was 
■ground, tlien down through the glen and 
up to the soldiers’ home grounds where 
the picture of the automobiles shown 
here was taken, and the drive renewed. 
Fort Snelling, the largest army gar- 
rison in the northwest, occupying a site 
of 2,000 acres overlooking the gorge of 
the Mississippi midway between Minne- 
apolis and St. Paul, was the ne.xt point 
visited and a magnificent' view of the 
great river enjoyed from the Fort Suell- 
ing bridge. Returning by the river road 
west, along the banks glimpses of some 
further grandeurs of the Father of 
Waters were seen at intervals and then 
a halt made at Riverside Park, where 
a typical playground was inspected. It 
was a busy day here ; games of pl.'iy- 
ground ball and girls’ basket ball were 
in progress and the ;ippar;itus of the 
outdoor gymmasium in active serxice. 
C. T. Booth, the supervisor of pl.ay- 
grounds was on liand to e.\|)lain things 
and tlie members were much interested. 
'I'he return trip led tdong the rivet- 
road east, through tlie grounds of the 
University of Minnesota, the Town .'’ml 
Country Club, through the milling i-.- 
trict :md .'icross the bridge near Si. An- 
