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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 26, 1899)
Their Public Parks Are the Pride of the People of Council Bluffs "It Ifl commonly only nflor American cities have matured and become populous that the Importance of public parks Is rcall/ed , when It Is often Impossible nnd nlwa > ex pensive to secure adequate and conveniently located grounds for park purposes. Such Is not the case In this city , which hnu al- rrady acquired no less than CI7 acres of park land within or Immediately adjacent to the city limits. The people of Council muffs nro only hcRlnnlnR to appreciate the Kreat nnd j-rowltiK value of the magnificent heritage which has been secured to them by the efforts of far-sighted pioneers , who dosrno the \\nrrnpflt prtilno rather than the criticism they have too often received. It Is our duty to preserve this heritage to future generations. I'nrkfl arc the prldo and ornament of our city , nnd not only afford plact-H for public recreation , but en hance the value of property and Indicate In a mpafltire the culture nnd refinement of our people. " So spoke Mayor Jennings In his message to the c-lty council at the commencement of the flHcal year last April , and as his words suggest Council muffs Is more so probably than any other western city of Its sbo par ticularly favored In possessing beautiful parks nnd pleasure resorts within Its midst or Immediately adjacent to Us municipal limits. Whllo to Dnmo Nature the cltl7cni of Council Hluffs owe much , yet to her nlono Is not nil the credit due. Hnd It not boon for the generosity and foresight of some of the pioneers of this city , residences and business blocks would In all probability now encumber the two beautiful parks lo cated In the very heart of the city , which In summer tlmo are the dally resort of hun dreds of men , women and children. To the latter , particularly , are these two parks nn Inwitlmalilo boon. i\lcn < of 1'iirlc SyNli'in. As before stated Council Bluffs owns In the neighborhood of CI7 acres of park land divided as follows : Kali-mount park , nearly 100 acres ; bake View park , 120 acrca ; Bay lies paik , a llttlo short of four acres ; Cochran - ran park , thrco acres ; Island park , 100 acres. Of the five parks Falrmount ranks first and has a reputation nil over the west for the picturesque beauty of Its hills nnd glens. It Is the Ideal resort for pleasure seekers , nnd whllo the hand of man has been Instrumental In artificially beautifying portions of It and making every nook and corner accessible to the visitor , yet the artistic handiwork of nature has not boon desecrated and the park stands today as one of the most beautiful natural pleasure re sorts In the country. Few places present a fairer aspect than does Falrmount pnrK wnen the hills and glens nro covered with the deep verdure of the luxuriant gross nnd the trees which cover the sides and tops of the bluffs and line the avenues nnd pathways nro heavy with their rich follago. The park , situated ns It Is at the head of Graham nvonuo , can bo reached from the heart of the city In ton minutes by the motor cars , which enter through ft deep ravine , overhanging which nro two bridges. At the end of the ravlno stands n pavilion , round which the car tracks circle. The pavilion Is In the center of n neatly-kept lawn which forms a resting place- for visitors whllo waiting for the cars. White Iron rollings enclose the grounds around the pavilion , whllo stone stops load down to the park proper. Hero In Immediate vicinity of thopavlllon Is what might bo termed the children's paradise. Hera ere the venerable caretaker Fred Lamb's pots , which are the delight of the small folk. In a largo wire enclosure struts the stately peacock , with a small colony of plegons ns his companions. Here n , number of squirrels have their homo nnd food from the peanuts which the llttlo folk delight to give them. In adjoining cages may bo scon the monkeys , whoso antics afford end less amusciment for both young nnd old. Further up the hill are cages containing foxes nnd coyotes and last , but not least , Old Bruin himself. All along the elclo of the hill from the animal cages to the entrance to what Is known ns the "horseshoe" swing * are scattered everywhere and form ono of the chief attractions for the joungor folk , nnd on a flno day In summer hundreds of children may bo seen enjoying themselves while their parents nnd older sisters and brothers enjoy the shade on the many seats ! placed at every convenient and available point. The NtMV IliiiiilNdiml , f Half way between the pavilion nnd the en trance to the "horseshoe" Is tbo handsome now bandstand erected nt a cost of ? 1DOO. , A band concert In Fnlrmount park never fnlls to attract thousands of visitors to that popular resort nnd last summer much re gret was felt that the park commissioners were unable to sco their way to provide music on Sunday afternoon. Entering the "horseshoe" a beautiful scene spreads Itself before the view of the visitor. Hero Is the cultivated part of the pork. On elt'ior ' sldo and at the north end are the green covered nnd troo-topped bluffa , with thofr winding pathways nnd carriage drives. Hero the Inudncapo gardener has hod full Bway nnd the result Is picturesque. Boi- dorlng the well-kept swnrd are the grovelled driveways with concrete coping. Clustoro of trees , many of them stately kings of the forest , afford ample shade , nnd bonaath their spreading branches nro to bo found comfort- nblo seats and tables In sufficient quantity for the numerous plcnlo parties which are to bo found scattered all over the park nl- niost any day In the week during the sum mer and onrly autumn. In the mlddlo of the "horsoshoo" Is a ENTRANCE TO FAIRMOUNT PARK , COUNCIL BLUFFS. FAIUMOUNT PARK PLAY GROUNDS. pretty llttlo Inko with a fountain In the center. Concrete steps lead to the many winding paths on elthor sldo which bring the visitor to the summit of the bluffs. The view from tbo summit of the bluffs ou a flno day Is one that once seen Is not easily forgotten. From hero a matchless view of the surrounding country can be ob tained. Directly In front lies the city with Its church spires nnd the roofs of Its many handsome homes rising above the tops of the trees. Beyond may bo seen the Missouri river and the city of Omaha. To the south the visitor may view Lake Manawa , Its placid \vatera reflecting the deep blue of the elcy nnd the soft green of the surrounding farm lands. To the northwest gleaming In the sunlight may bo seen with remarkable clearness the buildings of that beautiful White City the Greater America Exposi tion which Is now but a recollection of the past. At night when lighted with the thou sands of Incandescent lamps , the exposition as seen from the top of the bluffs of Fair- mount park resembled one largo fairy place. Nightly the bluffa were the resort of countless - loss numbers of visitors who made the ascent for the solo purpose of viewing th'a beautiful picture. Visitors from I'nr mid Nonr. Fnlrmount park draws Its patrons and visitors not only from this city , but during the summer thousands come from Omaha to epend the day or afternoon In it. Sunday nfternoon Is a specially favorite tlmo for the people of Omnlm to visit It nnd the largo motors are run direct from the city across the Ulg Muddy to the park. Fnlrmount park Is an Ideal resort of the picnicker and Its many ncoks nnd glens afford that privacy which & so essential to the enjoyment of nn alfresco meal , whether luncheon or eup- por. Hero families spend the entire day , being Joined In the evening after business hours by the father and husband , who finds rest and recreation In the cooling freshness of the green-covered sward after the toll and dust of the city. This beautiful pleasure report was secured for the city through purchase at n remark ably low flgUro. Lengthy litigation , how ever , ensued , which ndded ovqr J20.000 to the ccst before the tltlo became perfected In the city. Ba > Ilas park , located In the very heart of the city , takes Its name from the late Sam uel Bayllss , who generously donated It to the city. Studded as It Is with magnificent trees It affords ono of the most delightfully shady lounging places Imaginable. It Is In tersected with cement walks , which con- verga at the center , where n handsome foun tain stands. Flower stands , bright with vnrl-colored posies , are to bo seen on all sides. Bordering tbo walks and scattered under the trees are se-its which , when the weather Is favorable , nro rarely without their occupants. Summer evenings BajlUs park Is a most popular resort. One of the features of this pretty llttlo park Is the number of squirrels who make their homo among the trees. They are a source of great Interest to the visitors to the city , who take great pleasure In feeding the city's pets with nuts. They are cared for and regularly fed by the park caretaker. Samuel Bayllss , the generous donor of the pretty little park which bears his name , died in straitened cir cumstances , whllo today the property which ho so freely deeded to the people of Council Bluffs Is worth many thousands of dollars. homo Smaller I'tirKn. Cochran pane , situated in the southwest part of the city , was donated by the late Colonel Cochran and.adjoins the grounds of the Twenty-second street school. This park has sprung up , It mabo said , with the growth of the city westward with the now homos and the now schools. Its trees and shrubbery are still In their Infancy , but each year adds beauty to the place , which Is much appreciated by the people residing In that section of the city. Hero special at tention Is paid to flowers and thousands of beautiful plants fill the beds every summer. Lake View park , which Is situated at the northern boundary of the city , Is as yet un improved. Big lake , whoso waters form part of the reserve , affords at times capital fish ing , and on that account Is a favorite resort of some. The Fort Dodge & Omaha rail way's right of way cuts through Lake View park and Its long trcstlo spans the lake. The land comprising Lake View was granted to the city by the government. Island park consists of 100 acres located outside the city limits. Not so many yearn ago It was little more than a more swamp covered with a thick growth oflllows. . To day the greater part of It Is drained and covered with gross. The park Is lot out for grazing purposes , ns It Is too far at present from the city to bo of any practical benefit as n pleasure resort. The management of the city parks Is In the hands of a board of park commissioners , con sisting of three members elected by the peo. plo. The present members are Martin P. Schmidt , chairman ; William Arnd and A. C. Harding. N. C. Phillips , city clerk , Is sec retary to the board. Formerly the com missioners served without pny.i but under the code of 1897 their remuneration wns fixed nt $1"0 per annum. The parks are maintained by a 1-mlll levy In the city. * * ME w MAKING MONEY , " " * $300.00 $750,00 $1,500.00 , $3,000.00 $ , $5,000.00 , Annual Income , We irt an Incorporated Company , under the lawiof the Sttta of IlllnoU , with > Capital Slock ol $100 000 , and lef ally reciilered in the Republic of Moilco.t own H 000 acre * of the flne l lende In Mellco , on It" Pinned Rltcr , and ! > ul Inlrl ; mlnutci rlJelrora the Urftit trt in Ihf Republic Tao Mtllctn Central H. R patm along our loperlr tor a dl lins ol oil rollee We > ara deleloplnl 6,000 acrea torour StiHkholJm , and lao remainder for onr Inteotora Ten acrea hen ( nil ; do.loiJ. planted lo Vtnanat orangcl , lemont , irtapc ( mil , etc , III net lae otner $1,500 per annum. Onr prlca lor thii Inn v r ) > retnotell luie lm. li , oill t jou $12 BO cath ind $1180 p r month lor J monlae % ou will U let out trrj thorUr , tl the Company Ul Kll onlj J 000 aim UOtUU WAHT AftV HAHTOF TIIIST | | M rite ul ted we w.ll mall jou our | rotueclui ted other reading matter TEHUAN'TEl'EC MUTUAL PLANTERS COMPANY , Guile [ oo , JOURNAL BU1LDINO , CHICAGO , ILL. GLIMPSE OF BAYLISS PARK , COUNCIL BLUFFS. FOUNTAIN IN FAIRMOUNT PARK. , . Telephone 1531 . . THE AMUSEMENT HOME OF THE LADIES AND CHILDREN Omaha's Society Vaudeville Theater IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE GREAT ORPHEUM CIRCUIT. AViUtcr Oriilicum Co. , ( Incorporated ) Proprietors. 5l7 MEYERFELD , Jr. , President. JACOIJ IIOSENTHAI , , Resident M r. Performance Every Night Matinees Wednesday , Saturday and Sunday. Crowded with the Mont KiiHlilonnhle AiiiIlenoeN Nothing hut the llent nnd IIlKhext Priced Vaudeville ArtlntM lire I'HICCS NEVEIl CHANGING. Evenings Reserved Seats , 25c and EOc. Gallery , lOc. Matinees Any Part of the House , 25c ; Children , lOc ; Gallery , lOc. \ VIEW OF PORTION OF ONE OF THE FOUR FLOORS OF SIUVERICK FURNITURE CO. , 14TH AND FARNAM STREETS. \ THE new Furniture received by this house the past two weeks certainly surpasses anything of the kind ever oiTeied. in this city. The many variety and the very latest designs gives opportunity to find just what ono wants and at prices which compel them to buy. This store would be a credit and be appreciated by any city twice the size of Omaha. Shiverick Furniture Co. 14th and Furaain Sts. , Omaha , Neb.