184 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
PARK NEWS. 
Indiana may get a national park if the 
plans of the interstate conference held at 
Tremont in the sand dunes recently are 
successful. The conference marked the 
beginning of efforts to conserve a portion 
of the sand desert at the foot of Lake 
Michigan from the encroachment of indus- 
try and to hold it as a great playground 
for the middle west. It is intended to raise 
$30O,OCO by a dollar subscription plan for 
the purchase of at least 300 acres and to 
ask congressional assistance. About 3,000 
persons from three states attended the con- 
ference. Such bodies as the Audubon So- 
ciety of Illinois, the Chicago Prairie Club, 
the Chicago Geogtaphical Society, Horti- 
cultural Society and Outdoor Art League 
were represented. Botanists declare the 
dunes have the most varied vegetation in 
the country, the plant life including almost 
everything to be found from the Arctic 
circle to the mountains of the Rio Grande 
valley. A. F. Knotts, of Gar>, was chosen 
as temporary chairman and T. H. Cannon, 
of Gary, temporary secretary. Mr. Knotts 
was empowered to appoint an executive 
committee of fifteen, to be chosen from 
Indiana, Illinois and Michigan, to effect a 
permanent organization. 
Work was begun in the city park at At- 
lantic, la., recently for the putting in of 
the foundation of the Cass County soldiers’ 
monument. The monument will be erected 
in the center of the east triangle of the 
park. This piece of ground has been given 
over by the city of Atlantic to the county. 
Preparations for improvements are under 
way at three parks in Davenport, la., 
namely, Vander Veer, Fejervary and the 
river front park. The inner driveway on 
the north side of Vander Veer Park is be- 
ing repaired and the roads in Fejervary 
are being oiled. The roads in the river 
front park have been finished and are now 
in good shape. The regular routine work 
is being done at the other parks to keep 
them in good condition. The flowers are 
planted out in all the parks and prepara- 
tion is being made for the fall flower 
show. 
“The Scout,” the famous bronze statue 
by Cyrus E. Dallin of the Indian and his 
pony, now stands facing the west over- 
looking the Santa Fe trail in Penn Valley 
Park, Kansas City, Mo. Its location on 
the high rocky ledge, backed by shrubs and 
trees, is the ideal spot for the group, em- 
blematic as it is of the original watchful 
waiting of the young river trading post, 
preparing for the arrival of success, fame 
and development over the “trail.” Walter 
Root, of the Dallin Statue Committee, and 
the Park Board are co-operating in plac- 
ing the bronze where the public will see 
not only the beauty of the workmanship, 
but also find it in its most appropriate en- 
vironment. At present the group is sup- 
ported by a stout platform of wood, which 
will be finished in white stucco to resem- 
ble the rocks near it. The statue will be 
in place for at least six months. Mean- 
while the committee is carrying on its 
campaign for subscriptions to purchase 
the work. The price is $15,000, of which 
about $3,000 has already been pledged. 
The statue originally stood at the entrance 
of the Fine Arts building at the San Fran- 
cisco exposition. A number of local peo- 
ple have considered the work as especially 
significant of Kansas City’s growth and 
are urging the purchase of it for a gift to 
the local park system. 
A park is now assured at the union 
depot, Sheldon. la., a committee of the 
Commercial Club and City Council coming 
to an agreement upon the arrangements 
for the same, at the recent visit of the 
superintendents of the Milwaukee and 
Omaha roads in that city. 
Edward M. Swiggett, superintendent of 
parks, of Utica, N. Y., sends us the follow- 
ing interesting notes about recent improve- 
ments in the LTtica parks : “The Park 
Board at the present time has under way 
the following general plans : Public golf 
course (eighteen holes), for the laying out 
of which a golf course architect has already 
been engaged and the money is on hand to 
do the work. The improvement of Thomas R 
Proctor Park with new and improved old 
drives, two artificial lakes, and necessary 
conveniences for the public, as comfort 
station, water facilities, etc. The park con- 
tains 100.1 acres, has many large trees on 
it and a stream running through it, and 
$15,000 has been appropriated for it. The 
construction of an artificial lake in the 
west end of the city to be one-quarter mile 
long. A tentative plan has been made, but 
Hare & Hare, of Kansas City, Mo., 
write that they have been very busy so 
far this year. They are planning a ceme- 
tery at Mitchell, S. D. : platting new 
ground at Greenwood Cemetery, Knox- 
ville, Tenn. ; laying out Sunset Park, an 80- 
acre restricted residential district at Tulsa, 
' I 
no appropriation as yet. The Park Board * ] 
has this year added greatly to the interest ■ | 
of Roscoe Conkling Park — a great natural '] 
park occupying the hills to the south of I 
the city, from whose crest one can see I 
twelve miles — by securing five native deer | 
from Shelter Island, N. Y., two black bear j 
cubs from a hollow tree near the Adiron- | 
dacks and numerous small animals. The j 
board already had six fallow deer, and | I 
these, with three fauns born this year and I 
a wild deer secured by the superintendent ;• 
of parks, E. M. Swiggett, near Oneida, 
N. Y., make fifteen deer. The board has .■ 
a one-acre and also a two-acre deer run, 
a handsome, up-to-date, new bear cage, and 
other equipment.” The Utica park system 
was created by Hon. Thomas R. Proctor, | 
the generous donor of almost all of the i 
park acreage. It appears fitting in these 
days of far travel in autos to let the other 
park officials know something about the 
character of Roscoe Conkling Park, named 
after a former statesman from New York. 
This park contains 426 acres, including 
about 50 acres of trees known as the ! 
South Woods, which is not excelled any- 
where in the world for natural beauty of 
scenery ; another tract of about 25 acres 
of woods, called the Mid-Woods, being 
half way between the Utica Parkway and 
the South Woods, and numerous wooded 
ravines. There are seven and one-tenth 
miles of gravel macadam drives in Roscoe 
Conkling Park, which take the visitor by 
easy grades to the first crest of the park, 
about 500 feet above Utica proper, and 
from which the distant Adirondacks may 
be seen to the north and the northern 
horizon, and to the southeast may be seen 
the northern foothills of the Allegheny 
chain of mountains. Utica is a manufac- 
turing city of 84,(XX) and almost every kind 
of merchandise is made here. It has fine 
hotels, is on all the main highways east 
and west out of New York City, and Ros- 
coe Conkling Park receives many visitors 
from Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit and 
other cities. The Utica parkway or boule- 
vard is four miles long and connects with 
Rutger boulevard, enabling a complete cir- 
cuit of the city to be made in perfect com- 
fort by automobile. There are also many 
playgrounds and tennis courts in the parks. 
Okla. : platting about 400 acres to the 
Country Club district of Kansas City, and 
platting 28 acres of the Scarritt home site 
just above the Cliff Drive, Kansas City, 
Mo., besides having many new home 
grounds and larger estates in Kansas City, 
Tulsa and Omaha. 
