132 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
street viaduct to Jefferson Park; to Sloan 
and Cooper Lakes; then back to Federal 
boulevard and West Forty-ninth avenue to 
Inspiration Point; back to Berkeley Park; 
thence to Rocky Mountain Lake, where 
Seventh Day Adventists were holding their 
annual camp meeting; returning to Brown 
Palace Hotel. Local park men pointed out 
the interesting features of park work to the 
visitors and a most profitable and interest- 
ing afternoon of pleasure and field work 
was thoroughly enjoyed by every one pres- 
ent. 
In the evening the association was' the 
guest of the Denver Athletic Club. They 
were first invited for a plunge in the club’s 
handsome pool and then sat down to dinner 
at the club, during which an interesting 
address was made by J. S. Macbeth, presi- 
dent of the Denver Park Commission. 
After the sumptuous menu had been 
thoroughly enjoyed, the party was taken by 
automobiles to the City Park, where there 
was a band concert, moving pictures and a 
display by the electric fountain. 
At the next morning’s business session, 
Herman W. Merkel, Forester of the New 
York Zoological Park, made an illustrated 
address on “The New York Idea of a 
Zoological Park,” in which he described 
the great work with the animals that is be- 
ing done in New York. Mr. Merkel urged 
more extensive installation of animals as 
park features. “An opportunity almost 
without parallel,” he said, “confronts Den- 
ver in the new mountain parks which are 
about to be opened. Some of the most 
rare varieties of mountain animals might 
be sheltered there — a source of pleasure 
and education to thousands. In the New 
York zoo, whose animal population is 5,782, 
there are many mountain species. But in 
low altitudes they do not thrive as they 
would here in the hills among their native 
rocks.” 
Following Mr. Merkel’s talk, there came 
another from New York, one concerning 
the New York botanical gardens. It was 
given by George V. Nash, head gardener, 
and by words and lantern slides, described 
the great gardens of New York minutely. 
Secretary J. J. Levison of Brooklyn gave 
an illustrated lecture at this session on “The 
Care and Planting of Ornamental and 
Shade Trees,” and Ralph R. Benedict, En- 
gineer of the Kansas City Park System, 
presented an able paper on “Roadway 
Grades.” Mr. Benedict’s address is given 
in this issue and the other papers of the 
convention will follow in succeeding issues. 
In the afternoon there was another auto 
ride of inspection about the park system 
covering the following points of interest : 
To Washington Park by way of Speer 
boulevard and Marion street parkway ; 
thence to Logan boulevard and Platte 
Park ; back to Speer boulevard and Lincoln 
Park; thence to Public Bath House; to 
Curtis Playground ; to Elyria Playground ; 
to Globeville Playground; to North Side 
Playground. 
In the evening the party gathered at 
Elitch's Gardens to attend the performance 
of “Smith.” 
FIRE WORKS IN CITY PARK AT DEN- 
VER. 
Wednesday was the great Field Day of 
the convention for the inspection of Den- 
ver’s unique mountain parks and drives, 
and the occasion was made doubly memor- 
able by being the official opening of this 
wonderful system of mountain drives. 
The beautiful mountain pictures con- 
nected with broad, winding roads, although 
not yet completed, received dedication in 
words of praise from the members of the 
association. After a sixty-five mile auto- 
mobile trip, as guests of the Denver park 
board, many declared that the place would 
become the playground of America, and 
should be called America’s park system. 
Twenty-two automobiles filled with Den- 
ver’s guests, and Otto Thum, commissioner 
of property; Frederick Steinhauer, super- 
intendent of parks; Walter Salter, first as- 
sistant city engineer, and E. G. Letts, as- 
sistant secretary of the park board, left the 
Chamber of Commerce at 9 o’clock. Over 
a broad road blasted from the sheer sides 
of rock-ribbed hills up on Lookout Moun- 
tain, over a firm, wide road to Genesee 
Park, over to Bergen Park, down Bear 
Creek canon to Robin’s Nest (the summer 
home of E. W. Robinson), along the beau- 
tiful road that follows Bear Creek into 
Morrison and into Denver the guests were 
taken — and every mile was filled with words 
of commendation for the system and those 
who have worked to make it possible. 
Out Boulevard F and on the North 
Golden road to Lookout Mountain was the 
first lap of the trip run over roads that 
no automobile could find fault with. Just 
outside Golden the road built by the park 
board begins its ascent to Lookout Moun- 
tain. On a grade running from a mini- 
mum of 3 per cent to a maximum of 6 per 
cent the road has been blasted out of the 
rock twenty feet wide, and made solid with 
disintegrated granite. In many places con- 
crete walls have been built, holding in 
place sides that might crumble. 
The road winds around in a way that 
shows the genius of an engineer — in a way 
that gives the traveler as beautiful scenery 
as could be found anywhere. Stretching 
away on the right, far below, are the plains 
in green and browns, with Denver, its 
white streets showing plainly, the capitol 
dome gleaming, familiar buildings to be 
pointed out, as a background. To the left, 
green valleys dotted with ranch houses, 
here and there men working at basalt mines 
and through the valleys streams of silver 
racing along. And, always ascending, the 
automobilist views the mountains rising 
higher, seeming to climb upon one an- 
other, clad in a purple haze, before him. 
Men were working along the road, blast- 
ing here, making more solid the side there. 
At intervals were water tanks put up by 
the park board to refresh man and beast. 
Neat signs lined the road, giving the grade 
and the elevation. 
The road has been finished only to 
Windy Point, two miles from Lookout 
Mountain. From there on the old narrow 
mountain trail is used. The park board 
will finish this road, seeking an easier 
grade, on to Lookout Park as soon as pos- 
sible. 
At Lookout Park the guests were enter- 
tained by L. F. Kimball, president and 
general manager of the Lookout Mountain 
Park Development Company. They were 
given rides on the railway, treated to re- 
freshments, and shown over the park. 
Then they sat down in the great dining 
tent of the Ryan Construction Company’s 
camp for a fried trout dinner. The Ryan 
company has the contract for the road 
building. The park board bought 300 
pounds of mountain trout for their guests 
and a dinner of trout, baked potatoes and 
cantaloupe was served. After the dinner 
the guests roamed over the park, admiring 
the beauty spot, which is the first in the 
chain of the system. 
From Lookout Park the road is nearing 
completion to the foot of Genesee Moun- 
tain. The road has been widened and im- 
proved until it is as smooth as a floor. 
Entering Genesee Park the road winds 
through the pine trees through which the 
sun cannot beat down for three miles or 
more. From the foot of the mountain the 
path of the road’s continuation has been 
surveyed. 
From the road’s ending the guests 
walked to the top of the mountain, from 
