154 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
PARK DEVELOPMENT IN RACINE, WIS 
ground apparatus installed. Here 
free concerts were conducted and 
children gathered to play. The first 
official Board of Park Commissioners 
for the City of Racine was appointed 
by Mayor Nelson, January 25, 1905. 
It was composed of five members. 
The first step taken by the Park 
Board, toward acquiring park prop- 
erty, was to petition the Common 
Council to set aside for park pur- 
poses, a strip of land off the eastern- 
ly and southernly sides of Mound 
Cemetery. 
In June, 1905, the board petitioned 
the common council for an appropria- 
tion of $1,000.00 on condition that 
the board raise a like sum by sub- 
scription. This the council agreed to 
do. During the first year the board 
raised approximately $4,000.00 by sub- 
scription, which with the $1,000.00 ap- 
propriated by the city gave the first 
working fund of $5,000. 
With a small working fund, the ac- 
quisition of Riverside property and an 
option on Horlick Park, the impor- 
tance of a general plan that could be 
followed by later boards to com- 
pletion was felt. After careful inves- 
tigation Jens Jensen, of Chicago, was 
engaged to outline the general plan 
along the lines best adapted to the 
topography of park lands. 
The services of a man with a good 
deal of experience were needed to 
carry out the plans as adopted by the 
board. H. Thomsen came highly 
recommended, and to him and his as- 
sistant, Anton Hansen, of Racine, 
much credit is due for the manner in 
which the initial park work was per- 
formed. 
One of the most conspicuous efforts 
thus far in the line of construction 
work was the building of the two re- 
inforced concrete bridges in Horlick 
Park at a cost of $8,900.00. These 
bridges were needed very badly as 
the park formed an island in the river, 
being connected with the mainland by 
foot-bridges only. With these two 
bridges installed the drive was made 
complete from Liberty Street to 
Twelfth Street, which added very ma- 
terially to the usefulness of the parks. 
It was the original scheme to make 
Horlick Park a combination park and 
playground. A running track was 
constructed at the north end and a 
number of pieces of playground ap- 
paratus were installed. A great deal 
of service was thus rendered to the 
boys and girls of all ages, and some 
very notable athletic meets were held 
there. To a great extent, the natural 
Racine, Wis., has just published one 
of the handsomest and most compre- 
hensive park books issued by a city 
of its size. The volume includes the 
seventh annual report of the park 
board, a complete history of the de- 
velopment of park work in Racine, 
maps, tabulated statistics and many 
fine illustrations. 
The beginnings of park work in Ra- 
cine were made when Peter B. Nel- 
son as mayor of the city, called the 
attention of the council to the need 
of public parks, in his message of 
1905. At that time the best that could 
be done was to lease a piece of land 
for park purposes. Here a band stand 
was erected, and some pieces of play- 
RIVERSIDE DRIVE, RACINE, WIS. 
ALONG THE ROAT RIVER, RACINE. WIS. 
