PARK AND CEMETERY. 
178 
TOWN BUILT A PARK SYSTEM 
HOW A SMALL 
When I first began my park work in 
Wymore, the town had no ideals, no 
plans for the future, and seemingly no 
great object to be attained in the future. 
The town had politics and pool rooms, 
saloons and churches, race tracks and 
banks, but nothing that would make a 
man want to come back in a hundred 
years and see how it was getting along. 
And it had no money with which to 
buy land for parks. But the sentiment 
in favor of parks crystallized and cen- 
tered, became contagious and infectious, 
and it began to be argued that every 
dollar that could be pulled out of the 
treasury and put into parks was just 
that much money saved. It was to the 
taxpayers of the city just what salvage 
is to an insurance company. The little 
parks began to be a savings bank for 
the money of the taxpayer. 
And these arguments gathered 
-Strength as the improvements went on, 
and as the sentiment in favor of parks 
and civic improvement gathered momen- 
tum, and the results became apparent, 
the six saloons went out of existence 
' and six parks were receiving the loving 
support and tender care of a city full 
of people awakened to clearer, cleaner 
and better views of life. 
In Nebraska nearly every little city 
has its nursery wherein are growing mil- 
lions of shade and ornamental trees and 
shrubs, of proper size arid age for trans- 
planting, and of infinite variety, home 
grown, and at a cost so trifling that it 
would hardly be considered in an esti- 
mate of the expense of improving a park 
in Nebraska. 
Another advantage we enjoy is, that 
the laws of our state already make am- 
ple provision for the taking and owning 
■of parks, by towns and villages, and the 
levying and collection of taxes for their 
purchase, improvement and maintenance. 
Full authority is also given to cities 
and villages to issue bonds for the pur- 
pose of acquiring parks ; and the law 
also provides that streets may be parked 
and the cost thereof assessed to adjoin- 
ing property. So that having the power 
and authority to embark in this great 
work it only remains to show the people 
■of the towns and villages the need for 
these things and the advantages of mak- 
ing the start now, while the land is 
cheap. 
The statute also authorizes towns and 
villages to accept gifts of land for park 
purposes, and this is another important 
By A. D. McCandless in Bulletin of 
■ Nebraska State Horticultural Society. 
reason, that a start should be made 
along these lines that will attract the 
attention of property holders, and very 
probably result in a gift to the town of 
land for the purpose of a park or parks. 
As an instance of the importance of this, 
about three years ago, the Woman’s Club 
of Beatrice began to agitate the ques- 
tion of parks for the city; they pro- 
cured a lecture to be given on the sub- 
ject, the newspapers talked favorably of 
the work, and a healthy sentiment in 
favor of parks was being worked up. 
And while the subject was being dis- 
cussed an old man who owned a fine 
farm of 179 acres close to the city who 
had already made his will, had it 
changed and left this fine property to 
the city of Beatrice for park purposes. 
He has since passed away, his will 
has been probated, the farm sold and the 
city is now in possession of the money 
and engaged in acquiring the land for 
the purpose of a park. 
And in growing towns, property own- 
ers can readily make money, or improve 
and enhance the value of their property, 
by setting aside small portions of it for 
a park. To show how this works, let me 
tell you how surrounding property was 
affected in Wymore by the taking and 
improving of a couple of blocks for a 
park. In the spring of 1902 the Mayor 
and Council were induced to take two 
blocks in the west part of town for a 
park. The street between the two blocks 
was vacated and added to the park; the 
park was then fenced and planted in 
trees. It had been ' a weed patch, and 
the property all around it was a weed 
patch; and lots could be bought adjoin- 
ing it at from $ 50.00 to $ 100.00 per lot. 
Today building lots around this park 
will bring from $ 400.00 to $ 1 , 000.00 a 
lot, and improved property is selling 
readily for an advance over its cost of 
from twenty-five to forty per cent. So 
yon see the property holder can make 
money by helping the town beautify it- 
self. He can do something for his town, 
and make money for himself. Today 
this weed patch that surrounded the two 
blocks taken is considered the most de- 
sirable residence portion of the city, far 
outstripping other and older improved 
parts of the town. In fact the estab- 
lishing of this park changed the direction 
in which building was going, and made 
its neighborhood the most desirable in 
the city. 
This brings me to the point of sug- 
gesting how the start should be made, 
and how the work can be carried on. 
The little experience I have had in the 
matter leads me to state as the first step, 
and I think all will agree with me, that 
we must get the people of the particular 
town or village interested. The impor- 
tant thing is to first reach the people 
and get their attention to the subject. 
Then show them the benefits, and their 
needs, and their rights, and their power, 
and to assist in organizing them into, 
working civic, societies. In some towns 
a leader will spring up, and take hold of 
the work and push it, and that town is 
fortunate indeed. In others time will 
be required to get the start made. If 
there was a common center in the state 
from which literature could be sent out, 
this would help, and the local newspapers 
will almost always be found right, and 
ready to help; and the proposed start 
should always be made in a small way, 
and left to grow. In fact small parks 
should be the rule, and well scattered 
where a number are undertaken, and in 
the smaller towns where but one is 
started it should be centrally located. 
Large parks attract the attention of driv- 
ing associations, which will want to put 
race tracks in them, and outlying parks 
along the streams attract the attention 
of those who would like to open a beer 
garden. And the more I study this sub- 
ject, the more I am impressed with the 
idea that parks should be small, centrally 
located, of easy access to all. But this 
branch of the subject might well be left 
to the individual town, as the location 
and environment of each town would 
naturally change the plan to an extent. 
Having attracted the attention of the 
people of the towns to the subject, they 
should then be advised as to the pro- 
visions of the law authorizing the levy 
of taxes, etc., and in many cases the 
governing board could be induced to at 
least levy a mill, or even a half mill tax 
for park purposes, and thus begin to 
create a fund for future use. This of 
itself would attract attention and inter- 
est, and where you found one taxpayer 
trying to get rid of the tax you would 
find a dozen asking to have it increased. 
That at least was our experience in 
Wymore. Our parks are all paid for, 
and much more money is appropriated 
each year for their care than we ask 
for, or use, and it would be the same 
in all towns when the interest is once 
aroused. 
