io6 
PARK AND CEMETERY, 
In the matter of erecting a monumental memorial to the 
late H. B. Plant in Jacksonville, Fla., it has been wisely sug- 
gested to create a beautiful park in his memory. 
* ^ * 
A resolution has been carried by the board of Aldermen of 
Pontiac, Mich., calling for a special election on the question of 
bonding the city for $15,000 for parks. 
* * * 
The contract for the construction of an archway under the 
Lake Shore Railway at the entrance to Edgewater Park, Cleve- 
land, O., has been awarded to C. N. Griffin, the lowest bidder 
for $65,397. 
The council of Gibson City, 111 ., recently voted to allow |i 
for every fa subscribed by private citizens, up to a limit of $300 
for park improvement. The subscriptions rapidly accumulated 
and the committee hopes to have on hand soon fi,oco. 
* * * 
Weed Park, the gift of Dr. Weed and wife to Muscatine 
la., was dedicated on July 4. It contains 63 acres, picturesque 
in detail and situated on the Father of Waters, affording mag 
nificent opportunities for park effects. 
* * * 
The Singer Company has presented to the city of Elizibcih, 
N. J., the handsome fountain which ornamented the company’s 
park for many years, and which must be removed for the factory 
extension. The fountain will be placed in the centre of Jack- 
son Park. 
* * If 
Indignant citizens of Minneapolis are attacking the Park 
board for granting permits to hoasemovers, whereby in the 
course of their housemoving they injure the trees en route. 
Where the elms arch over, great injury has been done to their 
large branches. 
* * H: 
The project for a national military park about the battle- 
field of Petersburg, Va., is being favorably considered by the 
War Department. A bill for the purpose was introduced into 
the last congress but was not acted upon, and it will again be in- 
troduced next winter. 
« * * 
Labor has had a great success on the eight hour day ques- 
tion in Peoria, 111 . All the laborers at Glen Oak Park, in that 
city, have been granted by the park commissioners the same 
wages for the day of eight hours as they had been receiving for a 
ten hour day previously. This gives the men 18J.4 cents per 
hour, instead of 15 cents as heretofore. 
* «• * 
In accordance with the will of the late Daniel Striker, of 
Hastings, Mich. , there was unveiled on Decoration Day a me- 
morial fountain in the courthouse square of that city. 'Phis is 
a feature of urban decoration which is at once both appropriate 
and useful, and the example of such donors should be more 
widely followed. 
Mr. James Lawrence of Groton, Conn., has recently given 
to that town a handsome watering trough. k is constructed of 
Milford, N. H., granite, and is as ornamental to the village, as 
it is useful to the cit zens. It stands about eight feet in height, 
and has conveniences for man and beast. The trough in front, 
for horses and cattle, is seven feet long. A bronze tablet bears 
the following inscription: ‘‘Given to the town of Groton in 
memory of James Lawrence and his wife Elizabeth Prescott, by 
their son, James Lawrence, May 189(4'’ 
* 
The deed for the Campau property on South Division 
street. Grand Rapids, Mich., has been delivered to the 
officials of that city, the gift of Martin Ryerson of Chicago, for 
a public park in memory of his grandfather, Antoine Campau. 
There were two deeds passed in the transaction, one from Mrs. 
Ryerson to her son, and one from him to the city of Grand 
Rapids The value of the property is stated to be $25,000. The 
deed reserves the piece of ground marking the site of the old 
homestead, upon which Mr. Ryerson is to erect a monument to 
Antoine Campau. This little plat will remain the property of 
Mr. Ryerson so that he can arrange it around the monument to 
suit himself. Mr. Ryerson carried outhis very estimable inten- 
tion of giving the property to the city without any cost whatever, 
and not a cent was paid by the city in any of the legal transac- 
tions involved. 
* * * 
According to the fourth annual report of the superinten- 
dent of parks, Indianapolis, Ind., for 1S9S, Indianapolis, now 
possesses a park area of 1,204 acres, brought about by purchases 
of some 1,100 acres in 1898. This has improved the rate of park 
are.a per capita from 1.508 per acre to 160, placing the city in 
the leading rank. There are 13 park areas now under caie. the 
principal of which are: Riverside Park, 953 acres; Brookside 
Park, 82 acres: Garfield Park, 99 acres, Greenlawn Park, 27 
acres and Military Park, 17 acres. Of the remaining areas none 
exceeds 8 acres. The park system of Indianapolis is of so com- 
paratively recent inception, that only a beginning in the way 
of improvement can be said to have been made, but it would ap- 
pear that the most advanced ideas are being brought to bear as 
opportunity and finances perrnit. For the year 1898 there was ap- 
propriated for park purposes $395 924. 33 of which $300,000 was 
for the purchase of lands. There was expended $352,760 49 for 
all purposes, leaving an unexpended balance of $43,163.84. Mr. 
J. Clyde Power's report i ontains some edifying remarks on the 
trees suitable to his locality for park and street planting. 
* * * 
A national park and forestry reserve association is 
about to be formed in Chicago with the object to start with of 
inducing the government to reserve some 7,000,000 acres of land 
in northern Minnesota. The area includes all the lands sur- 
rounding the head waters of the Mississippi river, which, with its 
histone associations and wondrous wealth of natural resources 
of forest, lake and stream, will form one of the most attractive 
of national parks, and within moderately easy reach of a large 
number of people. I c is proposed to gather a party of promi- 
nent men of the country, who are known to be strong advocates 
of government forest preservation, to visit the region, and after- 
wards plan a campaign to secure government action. The re- 
gion comprises parts of the counties of Ciow Wing, Aitkin, 
Wadena, Hubbard, Beltrami and Itasca. It is the continental 
divide for the waters of Hudson Bay, the Mississippi and the 
St. LawTcnce, and has an elevation ranging from 1.300 to 1,500 
feet above sea level. The area includes some 1,000 lakes, full 
of hffi, and the game is in a sense unlimited. The size 
of tract is practically 140 miles. The population of the 
area is given as 3,714 white and 3330 Indian, and it is pro- 
posed to leave the Indians where they are, as they are peaceable, 
tractable, tine sportsmen and guides. 'I'he state of Minnesota 
has b.en steadily at work for years try ing to create state reserva- 
tions but tlie cotninercialism of the lumber and mining inter- 
ests have opposed all efforts. The present movement hopes to 
secure the amiable support of these hitherto refractory parties 
and to enlist them as active supporters. 
