USA > Missouri > Jackson County > Kansas City > Kansas City, Missouri : its history and its people 1808-1908 > Part 45
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57
574
HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY
own limits in charming and, not infrequently, beautiful spots, our city has not only so far failed to make use of these advantages, but, on the contrary, the desire on the part of the owners of land to quickly bring their lands into market has resulted in destroying much of the natural beauty of our city.
"There is not within the city a single reservation for public use. Lo- calities and land that possess natural beauty of a high order, and there are many such within the city, points that command rare and distant views into and beyond the great and fertile valley of the Missouri, are in the hands of private individuals; handsome cliffs and bluffs, interesting and charming ravines characteristic of the country about us, and which under the treat- ment of the skillful landscape architect would be susceptible of inexpensive conversion into most valuable publie reservations, because, by preserving in them features of great natural beauty, they would, in a measure, blend the artificial structure of the city with the natural beauty of its site, and at the same time would supply recreation grounds, are now themselves disfigured by shanties and worthless structures, and in turn exercise a depressing effect upon the value of adjoining lands, better suited than they for private uses. "There has been in our city thus far no publie concession to esthetic considerations. We are but just beginning to realize that by beautifying our city, making our city beautiful to the eye, and a delightful place of resi- dence, abounding in provisions that add to the enjoyment of life, we not only will do our duty to our citizens, but we shall create among our people warm attachments to the city, and promote civic pride, thereby supple- menting and emphasizing our business advantages and increasing their power to draw business and population. In the location of our city, with reference to one of the largest and most prosperous agricultural sections of this country, or, for that matter, of the world, in the large number of im- portant railways serving us, in our already large supply of important busi- ness houses, and in our banks we possess forces that ought to, and in all probability will, make this a great commercial manufacturing and financial place; but there are greater possibilities in store for our city. We have it in our power to make her the metropolis of that vast and fertile region, the great Southwest, which at no distant future is sure to become the home of a large and prosperous population; but to accomplish this result, we must offer more than business advantages.
"To become the metropolis, that is the center, of a large and prosperous territory that contains a large population, the city must supply to a degree materially exceeding other rival cities, all the results of modern progress and of modern civilization. The city must be the sum total of the thought and the activities of the people residing within the territory which the city
MAIN DRIVE-PENN VALLEY PARK.
PENN VALLEY PARK FROM 13TH STREET AND BROADWAY.
577
HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY
aspires to dominate. The city must be as well the social center, if she de- sires to become, without successful rival, the business center.
"The wholesale dry goods business has shown remarkable strength and growth within the last two years, and yet wholesale dry goods men assert that if we had one or two more wholesale hat and cap houses, one or two more clothing houses, and millinery houses, the dry goods business would thereby be much assisted. In other words, by providing additional business attraction, we would enhance the prosperity of business enterprises that we already possess.
"Our Commercial Club, whose earnest and loyal efforts in behalf of the city every good citizen appreciates, has brought to our city from time to time, people from towns and cities with which our merchants desire to trade, endeavoring, by cultivating pleasant social relations with towns and cities naturally tributary to us, to advance the business interests and to en- large the business territory of our city. If, in addition to showing our vis- itors business advantages and facilities, we could in the future show a beau- tiful city, show in our open squares, our boulevards and parks that we pay due attention to the comfort and happiness of our people and possess rare opportunities of enjoyment, who can doubt that we would not only largely increase the respect for the enterprise of our city, but that by possessing a city head and shoulders above all other cities for a great distance about us, in beauty, a city in which it would be pleasant and agreeable to live, we would add a powerful attraction that would never cease to draw our neigh- bors, and with them would bring their trade. Our city would then truly be the metropolis where everything is better than at home, and where many would come each year to spend some days in the enjoyment of its social and other pleasures.
"The conditions of modern life make it possible for many to give great importance to the advantages other than business advantages, in the choice of their permanent place of residence a man who has been successful in the building up of a business in a small town, and after he has thoroughly or- ganized his business, can often direct its affairs advantageously from a com- mercial center, not too far distant, and as, with the increase of wealth, his desire to enjoy life grows, he will be very apt to change his residence in favor of a beautiful city, where he can enjoy more pleasure and greater com- fort than at his old home. From such men is made up the capitalist class of cities, that class to whose experience, ability and means the building up of a city is always largely due. A capitalist in the broadest sense is a man, not only of money, but possessed at the same time of experience, sagacity and knowledge. Such men are necessarily the result of slow growth and the restricted territory of an embryo metropolis is too narrow to raise much
578
HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY
of a crop. These men must be drawn from without. They must be drawn from without. They must be furnished inducements to change their place of residence. Capital from without is hard to attract and goes always by preference into lands and buildings of a reasonable secure value. To local capital falls the task to inaugurate, promote and push new enterprises.
"However, it is not only the capitalist who is attracted by the beautiful city that assures a pleasant and broad life. The same attractions have their effect upon all classes, for there is probably no man or woman that does not prefer agreeable and pleasant surroundings to the reverse, and the more in- telligent and cultivated, and therefore the more productive and useful the man, the higher his demands of life. The city that confines itself to pro- viding business advantages only, cannot in the long run, in competition with other cities, maintain an eminent position, and certainly fails to make the fullest use of its opportunities.
"The material advantage of the city, although deserving of the greatest attention and consideration, does not supply the only justification for in- ternal improvement and beautifying. There stands out boldly the claim also of those who are not able to select their place of residence, and whose opportunity to temper the daily recurring struggle for existence with a rea- sonable modicum of rational enjoyment and recreation depends upon the wisdom, not less than upon the humanity, of those who influence and direct the policy of the government of a city, and those that govern it. The duty to provide playgrounds for the children, recreation-grounds and parks for the great working body of a large city, cannot fail, and does not fail, of being admitted, and is acted upon, in every wisely governed and civilized community. To make the most of life is the highest duty of the indi- vidual, and to permit and advance its fullest development and enjoyment is clearly the first and greatest duty of every municipal corporation towards its citizens. Life in cities is an unnatural life. It has a tendency to stunt physical and moral growth. The monotony of brick and stone, of dust and dirt, the absence of the colors with which nature paints, the lack of a breath of fresh air, write despair on many a face and engrave it on many a heart. How is the poor man's boy to grow into a cheerful, industrious and contented man, unless he can play where play alone is possible, that is, on the green turf and under waving trees, and can take with him into man- hood the recollections of an innocent, joyous boyhood, instead of the im- pressions of dirty, white-faced and vicious gamins, and their and his ac- quaintance with immorality and vice.
"We believe our city has reached that point where, for every reason, the undertaking of internal embellishment and the providing of play- grounds and local pleasure-grounds, or local parks, should no longer be
579
HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY
neglected. The considerations which have been briefly sketched lead us to strongly recommend that the supplying of play-grounds and of local recrea- tion and pleasure-grounds should receive the first and immediate attention. We also advise that there be no delay, in at least acquiring title to parcels of land now unoccupied, or occupied by temporary structures, lands that, in addition to serving the purpose of local recreation-grounds or parks would permit of retaining for all future time some of the characteristic features of our natural scenery, and would protect localities that possess especially fine views. There are many such opportunities in different localities of the city. The selection and improvement of such lands for public use, moreover, would make what are now drawbacks to adjacent territory, and injuriously affect the best use and therefore the value of adjoining prop- erty-in fact, what are now positive eyescores-elements of particular and characteristic beauty of our city. Such policy would not only make this a beautiful city, but would give the city a special character and beauty of its own."
The charter amendments of 1895 provided the necessary methods for raising money for park purposes and the actual work of construction began. Independence avenue was rebuilt to conform to boulevard specifications. In 1896 and 1897, Gladstone boulevard was completed from grading to pav- ing. In 1898 the work that has forever established the high character of the park system of Kansas City was inaugurated by the initial work upon the Paseo from Ninth street to Seventeenth street. The final work upon this beautiful parkway was done in the fall of 1899. Work upon the Cliff Drive in North Terrace park and Penn Valley park and Benton boulevard followed rapidly, and at the close of the fiscal year 1904 there had been constructed 16.44 miles of boulevards and park drives, and seventy-three acres of park lands had been brought under lawn conditions.
The four years following, 1905-06-07 and 1908, have been an unusu- ally active term in construction work. With $300,000 of the bond issue voted in 1904, and liberal appropriations from the General Fund and in- ereasing revenue from the maintenance tax, development of roadways, and park acreage has been pushed with great vigor and the general equipment has been largely and judiciously expanded. The mileage of roadways dur- ing the above period has increased to 41.09 miles. The increase during this four years amounts to one and one-half as much as all former construction. Still greater progress has been made in the development of acreage into lawn conditions during this period. In 1904 there were seventy-three acres under control and at this time the amount is approximately 290 aeres, making about a four fold increase. The annual maintenance charge of 1904 was $92,253.11, and notwithstanding the great increase of mileage and acreage,
580
HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY
the maintenance of 1907 was only $92,537.02 and the estimated amount for 1908 $104,000. This improved condition in cost is attributable to a higher standard in the district supervision, more economical methods and a greater personal and active interest in the actual work of the department by the Board of Commissioners.
The system today is connected, completed and comprehensive for the territory covered, but must be yearly extended to meet changing conditions. The map herewith shown indicates how continuous and connected has been the work of tying to each other the various sections of the city. The two or three small parks that appear to be isolated will shortly, under plans now being formulated, become a part of the continuous and connected system.
Two years ago the city of Philadelphia, desirous of securing a consider- able extension of her park and boulevard system, prepared a report for gen- eral distribution to aid in molding public sentiment favorably to the neces- sary expenditures. A joint committee from forty-eight city organizations prepared the report and illustrated the systems for twenty-two cities of the United States. To Kansas City was awarded second place for her compre- hensive, connected and completed system. This report was very extensively circulated and has within the past year been published with the maps illus- trating the same, in a most voluminous report prepared by the Metropoli- tan park commission of Providence, Rhode Island, upon the possibilities of similar work in their capital city and those adjacent thereto.
These are but illustrations of the numberless occasions of voluntary advertising that come to this western city through her activity and faith in park making. It is especially gratifying that such high rank should be accorded this city after only twelve years of work in this direction. The park and boulevard system now comprises :
2,100 acres of parks.
41.09 miles of boulevards and park drives.
12.86 miles of boulevards and park drives in course of con- struction.
53.95, total mileage.
Park Acreage
Budd Park 25.95
Gillham Road Parkway 119.45
The Grove 12.21
Holmes Square 2.79
Independent Plaza
1.74
North Terrace Park
235.97
-
CANYON IN NORTH TERRACE PARK.
THE PERGOLA ON THE PASEO.
HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY 583
Observation Park 2.10
The Parade 20.99
The Paseo 54.24
Penn Valley Park 134.30
West Terrace Park
28.62
Swope Park
1,354.00
The cost of park and boulevard system to April 20, 1908, was as fol- lows:
Acquisition of lands by continuation $4,783,403.20
Improvements
Construction work of all kinds.
roads, buildings, etc. 1,541,482.82
Maintenance
652,349.35
Special Tax bills
Improvements on streets abutting park
properties and not under control of park commission, also sewer construc- tion. 908,457.44
Miscellaneous Expense
Salaries of officials, surveyors, police etc. 449,237.35
Total, $8,344,930.16
The Board of Park commissioners, appointed under Article X of the City Charter, adopted February 27, 1892, were as follows: 1892-1894.
August R. Meyer, President.
Wm. C. Glass,
S. B. Armour,
Adriance Van Brunt,
Louis Hammerslough. 1895-1896.
August R. Meyer, President.
S. B. Armour,
Adriance Van Brunt,
Charles Campbell,
Robert Gillham. 1897-1898.
August R. Meyer, President.
Adriance Van Brunt,
S. B. Armour (Deceased) James K. Burnham, William Barton. 1899-1900.
August R. Meyer, President.
Adriance Van Brunt,
William Barton, James K. Burnham,
Robert Gillham (Deceased)
J. V. C. Karnes. 1901-1904.
J. J. Swofford, President.
J. F. Richards,
Robert Gillham,
Charles Campbell (Resigned)
-
584
HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY
Patrick Moore, Charles J. Schmelzer,
F. P. Neal. 1905-1907 and
1907-1909.
Franklin Hudson, President.
A. J. Dean, Fred S. Doggett, Geo. W. Fuller,
Robert L. Gregory ( Resigned) Geo. T. Hall.
The officials appointed by the Board of Park commissioners, were:
Secretary.
Adriance Van Brunt 1892-1894
George E. Kessler 1895-1902
John R. Ranson 1903
Alex. S. Rankin 1904
F. P. Gossard 1905-1907
Counsel.
D. J. Haff 1895-1900
R. E. Ball 1901-1902
E. E. Yates 1903-1904
John H. Thatcher 1905
Wm. A. Knotts 1906-1907
Landscape Architect.
George E. Kessler 1892-1907
Superintendent.
W. H. Dunn 1904-1907
Dense populations are the forerunners of generous provisions for play- grounds and places for physical exercise. This fact is becoming a national and intensely interesting question. As never before the pleasure, inspiration, moral uplift and health giving quality of exercise in the open air is being realized by the city builders.
Rapid transportation has taken away the question of moderate distances in the cities and the men, women and children confined to industrial and commercial pursuits by longer or shorter hours find enjoyment and health in generous open spaces and especially the younger people where provision is made for physical exercise. Training the mind has so long been a public charge that all demands for extensions and improvements of school facilities are cheerfully acceded to. A healthy body makes a better mind and the charge for public care of physical development must be as much an accepted general. expense as that of mental training. Every child from the slum dis- tricts who becomes interested in mental development, through that of physi- cal in the playground, closes a door in the cells of the workhouse or jail and adds one more to the list of self respecting citizenship.
585
HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY
The completion of the Paseo in 1899 opened the parade as Kansas City's first playground. It has always held first place, in this respect, because of its size and central location. Admirably adapted for summer sports, it also becomes a fine open air skating rink during the short cold winter term. More than one-half its area is devoted to ball games, the remainder to swings, tennis court and general gymnastic apparatus.
Budd Park, a natural park, with little or no artificial development, cov- ered by magnificent forest trees, has been from the time it was taken over by the city, a popular resort for mothers and children as a picnic and play- ground. Located quite a distance from any other park properties, without boulevard connection to the general system, it has been a very great boon to the extreme northeastern portion of the city. Plans are now being formu- lated with a view to making it a connected portion of the general park scheme.
Holmes Square, located in a densely settled community comprised of both white and colored citizens, has always been a popular neighborhood center, and until the summer of 1907 was treated as purely an open breathing space with green lawns, shrubbery and trees. At the above date, owing to the growing popularity of the playground idea, swings and other appliances were installed and probably more than two or three times the children are today seen in the square than heretofore. A contract has been let for an ad- dition to the shelter building in this square to cost about $12,000.00, which will provide a public comfort station and shower baths for both sexes as well as an auditorium and playground 40x60 that will be open as a children's play resort in winter time. The auditorium will also be utilized for free evening entertainments of various kinds, provided by the voluntary civic associations devoted to educational work, and the associations will find here a fine field in which to operate.
Penn Valley and North Terrace Park have been provided with play- ground apparatus and Spring Valley Park with a fine field for ball games. In these parks the full measure of development has not been met owing to a lack of funds to provide a custodian who might care for and direct the exercises of the children in an intelligent and entertaining manner. How to play is a subject for the director just the same as the teacher for mental training. It is undoubtedly a subject that will receive more general treatment in the future.
The national Playground association, which holds its second annual convention in the city of Pittsburg, Pa., during the coming month of November, 1908, is developing a remarkable sentiment for the more intelli- gent direction and establisment of the playground idea and there is little
586
HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY
doubt but that the influence of this association will be strongly felt in this community.
The state of California has been the leader in oiling her roads and for years has enjoyed their economy and pleasure. Fayette county, Ken- tucky, some eight years ago inaugurated the system of oiling on her eight miles of rock roads, and has continued it without interruption and with great profit to the tax payers in reduced maintenance charges.
The advantages of this treatment of roads, however, seem to have made but little headway and no effort was made to spread the information to other localities. In the latter part of the summer of 1906, a large por- tion of the boulevards and park drives in this city were oiled with mate- rial not satisfactory, but which proved to our citizens the great value such treatment would prove if only to allay the dust nuisance. The oil on the road during the winter of 1906-07 proved its further value as a protection against washing and the cutting of the roadways by heavy rains. So satisfactory was this experimental work that during the summer of 1907 a more satisfactory oil was obtained and a systematic and contin- uous application was made to all roadways under the control of the park commissioners. That other communities might profit by its now well established value in this city, bulletins were issued setting forth the full particulars of this work, and mailed to all park and city officials through- out the United States. The following extract from a report to the Board of Park commissioners by Mr. W. H. Dunn, superintendent, presents this subject in a thoroughly practical manner and is worthy of publicity in the permanent form of this work:
Our roads today are in excellent condition, have gone through the winter with less breaking up from freezing and thawing than usual, and without a particle of dust after having been once oiled, and without at- tention beyond the ordinary sweeping.
"Aside from its value as a dust preventive, the oiled road shows this interesting item of reduction in maintenance expense :
"Sprinkling driveways with water for the fiscal year ending April 15th, 1907, cost $14,011.32, or an average of 2.4 cents per square yard. The area of pavement to have been sprinkled in 1907 (had not oil been ap- plied) would have cost $16,207.32.
"The total cost of oiling for the year was $10,671.44, a direct saving in the one item of sprinkling of $5,535.88, or 34 per cent.
"I believe with an occasional light application of oil through this season, we will still improve the wearing surface of our roads, and event- ually obtain an ideal dustless pleasure drive.
KERSEY COATES TERRACE AFTER SECOND YEAR OF PARK WORK.
-
VALENTINE ROAD.
589
HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY
"The damage to wearing surface comes largely from attrition of the grit or dust on the roadway. Oil compacts this grit or dust, and immedi- ately checks deterioration from this source, preventing any damaging ef- fect from automobile travel.
"The road oil available for Kansas City is a paraffine base oil and be- comes somewhat slippery when applied on steep grades, but is not notice- able on moderate grades. To overcome this objection, a mixture of com- mercial asphalt with residuum oil has been tried on The Pasco from Howard to Twenty-fourth streets, with excellent results, and further experiments will be made this year with this material and with an asphaltic oil from the Kentucky field; with this character of oil on grades exceeding 4 per cent, I feel sure we will have largely solved the dust problem in a manner satisfactory to all concerned.
"I submit the following statement, somewhat in detail, covering the oiling operations for the past season with a plan of the unloading tanks and method of application.
"Two steel receiving tanks of 8,000 gallons capacity each were erected near our spur track on the Belt railway, as shown on plan. The railroad tracks at this point are at sufficient elevation to permit unloading tank cars by gravity. A four-inch pipe line connects the receiving tanks to a short upright pipe in the center of switch track, which is connected to the out- let in bottom of tank car by a short piece of adjustable six-inch hose, fastened with iron clamps around outside of pipes.
"A portable four-horse power boiler is erected, as shown, with three- fourth inch steam pipe running to each tank, which provides ample steam to heat the oil so it will run freely and remain warm until delivered on the street.
"This plant for unloading has worked very efficiently and cost, erected and all connected up, approximately $750.00.
"It was to be not essential to heat the oil handled in hot weather, after the middle of June, and until the middle of September the oil ran freely, and no particular object was gained by heating.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.