A Park And A Lake

Aun Arbor bas an opportnnity presented to her of making one of the most beautiful parks to be found in the country at a trifling expense. If the city is to keep on growing along the lines on which it bas grown for tne past decade, there is uo inoney that can be inore wisely spent thau that necessary for this pnrpose. At an expenditure of inoney not exceeding that squandered on Detroit st. . Ann Arbor nan be put in the way of becoining a beautiful sanamer resort. It is now a city of homes and beautiful homes at that. Let the other surroundings be made to correspoud. Detroit has spent millions on Belle Isle park and the money has not been begrndged. Ann Arbor. viitb slight expense can have a park far exceeding in natural beauty Detroit's great park, although, of course, not so extensive, but we do not need so large a territory as our city is much smaller. Ann Arbor can have, if she will, a lake at her very doors, accessible by the street cars, and within easy walking distance, in fact within the present city limits. She can have her boating cluba, safe skating ground in winter, etc. Nothing wonld cause the suramer school to grow to larger numbers so quiokly. In the summer, people want to go where there is water. We can have our own lake and keep many of our own people at home besides filling the town with strangers. Other towns give large bouuses to ïaanufactories. These are experimental, Soine bonuses draw paying businesses, others do not. Ann Arbor is not a manufacturiug town. It is a residence and an educational oity. It therefore needs to strike out in a eut direotion. It needs to add to its attractions fcr people who want homes. People go to the Chatanqua sumrner school in thonsands because of the beantifnl grounds and lakes. Let us leem from chis. The above reruarks lead ns to a description of a plan iu the course of deve.lopinent which if carried out will give Ann Arbor what she needs to fnrthet her material growth, a beautiful park and a beautiful lake. It it, a plan that has been hatching ever since beautiful Cedar Bend avenue was built, a plan which may be opposed by sorne as bitterly as Cedar Bend ave. was opposed before it was built, bat over the fulfill ment of which all will rejoice as they did when that drive was fiuisbed. The proposed park is to be made by the purebase of the land between Cedar Bend ave. and the river including the island in the river which has recently cuine into popularity as a resort. Et ia to be teached from Wall at. or Erom Cedar Bend ave. and rustió bririgts are to be thrown across to the island and to the mainland. Already figures have been obtained on the land neoessary for tbe park. Spencer D. Lennon offers 15 acres of gronnd sonth of Cedar Bend and extending to the river for 1,000. This land is beanti'ully wooded. East or sonth of this are 8 or 10 acres belonging to Mr. Gardner which 0 in be had for $000. This takes ;he park to the crooked road by which :he ascent to the heights is made from ?nller st. On tbe other side George Rhodes offers the island and a four rod strip of ground running frorn Wall st. along the river to bevond the island in the river and also the island, hK acres for 500. George W. Weeks very generously offers, in case the other strips are purcbased by the city, to dnnate free oL expense to the city, his laúd vvbich lies between the Lennon tract and the Rhodes tract so as to connect the two pieces. We have then over 30 acres of ground running for some distauce along the river aud specially fitted by nature for park purposes, ia fact a natural park, whieh can be puiohased for the oity for 3,100. Anyone who does not believe in the possibilities of the most beautiful park in Michigan, has not gone carefully over theee grounds and should do so at once. Tbe street car ooropany have stated that if these grounds are purchased for park pnrposes they will at onoe extend their liues so as to oarry tbe people where they will naturally wish to flock. It is proposed to build a road from Wall st. to Cedar Bend ave. and as these hills are naturally gravel beds, the materials for road building are all there. Cedar Bend ave. in spite of the large proportion spent for engineering was tbe cheapest bit of road building ever attempted in this city. Now for the lake soheme. John F. Lawrence owns 22 acres of land on the south and west side of the river and Dr. Sudworth owns the remaining land between the river and Fnller st. These I are beantifnl iiieadow laDds aud Mr. Lawrence has told the corumittee wbo waited upon him tbat he would take $200 per aore and Dr. Sudworth has said that be would sell for less per aore than Mr. Lawrence. Now the Lawrence property possesses a water rigbt whicb the city could ntilize by building a dam to flood all the level laúd between the river aud Fuller st, raaking a beautiful poud nf thirty acres or more which would ruake as safe and delightfnl boating as could be fouud anywhere, and so easily accessible to any of our citizeus. How mnch more material wonld be the benefit resnlting from this thau can be derived by the hazardous offer of bonuses to manufacturing enterprlses. From the iucreased attendance on the snmmer school alone, Ann Arbor wonld soon get back her money. It wonld add another and powerfnl attraction to the university for beauty and eepecially the beauty of nature which is an edncational influence in itself. It wonld draw rnany residents and wonld be entirely in keeping with the spirit of the city. The people of the city will in all probability be called upon to vote tbis upon this matter and the opportuuity is one whioh should be taken advantage of, while it is possible. The oity admiuistration which brings this project into effect will hav a mouument tor all time, wbich will oall foith the gratitude of their constitueuts and their constitueuts' descandants.