195 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
DEVELOPING NATURAL FEATURES OF PARK SITES 
Read before the Minnesota Horticultural Society by Charles 
H. Ramsdell, Landscape Architect, of Minneapolis, Minn. 
Natural resources for park use cover 
as broad a field as the open question 
of what makes a good house. A piece 
of land of good natural park resource 
is one containing something typical and 
attractive, with a definite advantage 
over the usual, or one which is always 
remembered in its connection. It may 
be of historic character — as a battlefield 
or an Indian camping ground ; it may 
be a natural feature, a fine stream and 
view, or a gentle valley, with its grace- 
ful curving lines; it may be an artificial 
condition due to man’s presence, acces- 
sibility, the crowded neighborhood, or 
even to stop further commercial ad- 
vancement. Any of these may be desir- 
able resources for park work. 
The most successful park designer is 
one who ’recognizes these advantages, 
though slight at first, and then adds to 
them to enhance their value. If the 
mountain view is fine, it may be made 
finer by cutting some intervening trees. 
The meadow may be a beautiful green- 
sward, but perhaps a bordering lagoon 
would give us some attractive water 
reflections. Some historic old oaks per- 
haps would be benefited by the removal 
of the vigorous undergrowth. These 
are all features of park value. I re- 
member a certain professional man de- 
veloping the attractions of his ancestral 
homestead. In the course of his work 
he secured title to a fine group of large 
pines, even though on another farm, 
and more than a mile distant. But the 
value of these old forest monarchs, as a 
natural resource, in the view from his 
own doorstep, was well worth the cord- 
wood value which the farmer asked as 
payment therefor. 
The typical natural feature is usually 
the most valuable park resource. If we 
are near the shore of Lake Superior, 
the view of 60 miles before us, do we 
want to be distracted by a little pond 
50 by 100? The little shrub bed is lost 
in the shade of the old oak grove, and 
let us hope it will fade away altogether, 
leaving the picturesque gnarly old trees 
the feature of that spot. I know of a 
certain Kansas prairie village of pioneer 
days where the ending of most of the 
pleasure drives of that section was a 
grove of six-inch trees. Now most of 
us would not go far to a grove of 
crooked small box elders. However, 
the people went naturally to the place 
where the prairie monontony was bro- 
ken, and there you have a small park 
possibility, with one interesting resource 
to attract. 
There are few places where no such 
attractions can be found. The little 
river affords good boating and skating, , 
with shady nooks for reading. Why 
should we go up to the level town site, 
pick out a block in the dark, perhaps, 
and spend good money trying to make 
a distinctive park? What is more, the 
little river is being abused — dumping is 
there convenient, and the barnyards ex- 
tend thereto, because of the ease of 
watering cattle. Which is the natural 
resource, the little river or the block 
where the trees are planted with the 
surveyor as the adviser? Not that the 
city squares and block parks are wholly 
undesirable, for they are valuable rest- 
ing spots and breathing places for the 
city population, but it would be hard 
to imagine them the most valuable nat- 
ural resource of any town site. 
Now if the little river is kept clean, 
the shores attractively planted, paths 
running along its banks, landings at ac- 
cessible points, there you have a little 
park site, natural and attractive. Two 
chances to one, you will already find the 
river trail, for boys and hunters can 
often tell of more beauty spots than all 
the park board of the town together. 
Perhaps the hillside above the depot is 
losing its trees for firewood for the 
boys. On picnic days we have to go 
far to find a spot. On the other hand, 
a good road to the grove, a well, pos- 
sibly a picnic kitchen, and a few swings, 
then your park will be crowded, many 
going on foot who could not ride long 
distances to the country side. Another 
city may have a swamp in its midst, 
full of mosquitoes, tall grass for fires, 
and a fine lot of tin cans. Try a few 
lines of tile drains, some steps thereto, 
a few fences, and a general cleaning 
up. The small boy will be there for 
play before you are through, and you 
will wonder where the players all came 
from, and where they played without 
your park. 
Another reason, and perhaps a 
greater. These vacant places are gen- 
erally the plague spots of the city. The 
dump wagons go' as naturally to the 
lake shore, the river bank and the creek 
bottom as ducks to water. Thus they 
become public nuisances, values depre- 
ciate in case of sale, and the spot, in- 
stead of being a natural resource to the 
town, becomes a reproach to all con- 
cerned. A certain boulevard in Kansas 
City is located in a former creek valley, 
once surrounded with the poorer houses, 
and fast becoming a menace to the 
health of better neighborhoods. The 
Park Board bought it, built a fine bou- 
levard through it. Then the poor 
houses had to go because of assess- 
ments, and now the homes on this park- 
way are of better character than those 
of surrounding localities. The real es- 
tate man may be very shrewd in selling 
such poor land for park use. However, 
he is thus benefiting surrounding prop- 
erty by placing the most abused spot of 
the neighborhood in the hands of those 
least likely to misuse it. 
An increase of population brings 
larger funds for park use; then the lit- 
tle parks will be combined into a sys- 
tem of reservations, narrow strips along 
the water fronts, hill tops, etc. If defi- 
nite plans are followed, then large hold- 
ers of abutting property may be induced 
to donate for park use. It has been 
proven that such owners can well af- 
ford to donate a tenth of their prop- 
erty for park use, when the gift will 
add more than this amount to the re- 
mainder. And what more lasting me- 
morial to a friend or family than park 
lands can be made, always increasing 
in value, while the memorial building 
requires constant care, with the natural 
deterioration as well. The family of 
Swope will be the pride of Kansas City 
as long as its 800 acre Swope Park is 
used by the public. 
An increasing number of wealthy 
men are coming to realize that a 
park gift is the most lasting and 
helpful memorial they can leave be- 
hind them. 
How infinitely superior to a monu- 
ment of bronze or stone is the great 
Palmer estate that has been donated 
to the city of Colorado Springs or 
the magnificent Muir Woods given 
to the nation by William Kent. 
Look to the commonplace for your 
beautiful spots. You may have skated 
over the old mill pond - when young, 
you may have helped to clear out the 
brush in the pine grove at the fair 
grounds, but don’t let the boys and 
others as thoughtless abuse them, while 
you buy a tract six blocks square, flat 
and true to line, and then go to New 
York and Chicago for ideas of attrac- 
tiveness for your public. 
