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Drainag Canal Project Marks. Beginning of Park District- (Continued from Page 3) Maney, H. G. Drury, P. J. Cunneen; and Louis K. Gilison. Firat Meeting ii, 19« This board held its first meeting February 17, 1908, and elected Mr. Gilison as its' president for, the ensu- ing1 year. H. W. Ho'pp was elected as sccretary and F. J. Schicidenhelin as treasurer. Altbougb the Park district became an entirely distinct and independent municipal body, its boundaries were almost identical. with those of the Village of Wilmette. There w-as originally included, but later released, a small corner of Evanston lying east of Sheridan road. The section now known as "No Man's Land" was and stili is included in the district.. Tbe'following is a complete list of the gentlemen, in addition to those above named, -who bave Iserved as- commissioners down to the present time: J. B. Frink, William D. Mat- thews, F. L. Bateman, H.. J. Haack, Cbarle> N. Roberts, Henry Fowler, Frank J. Seng,, Charles S. McCoy, P. B. D. Idler and Miles B. Geringer. The last five constitute the present board. mnany other ways.. The. present sec- retary of the board is L. V. Solem. Legal title to the "'made land" came to tbe district by special, act of the State Legislature, instead of under the general law. Face Trreinendous Tank. It was quickly realized that the conversion 111h) a park of the clay hank which had been taken over was to be a long and tedious process and it was decided to at once create a small park extending nortb froni L.ake avenue to a line 70 feet north of Forest. avenue. The Village granted the rigbt to use indefinitely for park purposes the 200 feet owne-j b>' it adjacent to Lake avenue (now unfortunately occupied by the water works). The north 100 feet of the block and the 70 feet north. of Forest avenue were given to the Park dis- trict by Northwestern university in February, 1910. The remainder of the block was purchased., This little strip of lake frontage wvas officially designated as Ouilmette Park. With the early developnment of this little park and with faith tlîat ulti- rnately the made land south of Wash- ington avenue would be subdued, the board etermiipa that ;t wouild as Pretidegg 26 Years soon as possible acquire the interven- Mr. Gilîson served as president of ing property lying between Lake thie board from its organization until avenue and Washington avenue, that bis resignation, presented in . Decem - thus we migbt have a continuous lake ler, 1933, wvas accepted, June 11, 1934. frontage froin tbe north end of Ouil- Mr. Fowler was then elected as presi- mnette park to the basin of the drain- dent. age canal. Six of the nine lots of The district bas been fortunate ini this bloèk have been purchased. The that it bas neyer bad a slothful or dis- remainder will, according to present interested mnIeber on its Board of plans, be acquired as soon as practi- Commissioners. Without exception cable. the. commissioners bave responded Village Defeats Plan promptly to every caîl of duty. WVben it wvas proposed l)y the Vil- There bas ne er -been a doiniating lage, authorities to locate the water personalitv but the. claire board bias works on the 200 feet next .north Of worked as a unit. It may be truth- Lake aven ue the Pak1 ord 1tn f~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~Pr blysihwvr httegnrlo h ugsino oardisaineg policy of the board, adopted in the, Charles N. Roberts, after securiný- early years cof its, existence, and still1 the consent of the Northwester ui-, follbwed was due ini large degr.ee to Versity so to do, I)roposed'to,.the.NVil- suggestions from Mr. Cunneeni. Mr. lage authorities to, excbange 200 feet Bateman also set the stamp? of bis at the nortb end of Oullînette jparlk peI)rsonality upon-thîs policy. for the 200 feet at the south end iii George W. 'Hess served as attorney order that there would be nîo break< for the board f rom October, 1908, un'- in the proposed lake frontage. This tiI bhis death and was sùcceeded !i rpsto wsfrtdclndo h thatoffie b A. . Wnban m-groun - d that the Park board could followed by. the present incumbenit, flot convey good title to the liiece of Henry J. Brandt. ground it pioposed lo0 change. Laud* Veteran Treasurer Altbough the Village authorities were Mr. Scbeidenhelm bias beld the: at once informed that such autbority office of treasurer througbout the en-' from the donor bad been obtained no tire history of the organization and further notice was taken of the offer has rèndered invàluable service in to make the exchange and the water looking after its finances, and« ii works bas been built, leaving the lit- tie piece of, park to the nortb isolâted from, Washington avenue to the from the remainder. just why it was drainage, canal atid the triangle at the so vitally important to locate tbe wa-; juncture of Michigan avenue and ter works at the foot of [ake avenue Sheridan road stili belong to the rather than to the north has neyer Sanitary district and are used for been explained but is left to conjec- park purposes by its courtesy. ture. In December, 1911, Messrs. C. C. S Planting under'Difficultieà Carnahan.and A. W. Hawkes sold to The de velopment of the made land the Park board for the very reason- proved to. be indeed a very tedious able price of $5,000 the piece of prop- process. The board found itself pos- erty which now constitutes the prin- sessed of twenty-two acres of rav c ipal part of the little park on the gumbo- day on which nothing would west side lying between Lake and grow. This dlay was worked over Park avenues and Fifteenth street. with ploughs and harrows repeatedly The offer was gladly accepted espe- during several years, sand and man- cially as it enabled theboard to cre- ure being worked into it. Finally ate a very attractive littie park on the there appeared one spring a fine west side and preserve for the ,benefit growth. of sweet clover, the seeds'of of the public a considerable number which were introduced probably with of the very fine elm trees of the na- soute of the filling material. The tive grove. that existed in that section. iiext season a crop of cow peas wa> Named> for Civic Leader successfully raised and ploughed un- After the death of good old Father der. An> effort was made tn repeat Vattman the board gave his namne to this crop the following year but this littie park, wvhich was flot onl) failed because of a cold and wet very dear to his heart in bis later sprinig, resulting in the rotting of the years but is located quite near to bis, seed which bad been planted. Grass residence. seed wvas next tried and with su ffi- The only other property owvned by cient success to justify the continua- the Park district i§ the littie triangle tion of the effort to develop a green- bounded by Wilmette and Lake ave- s ward. nues and Eleventh street, and a Plant Many Trees house and lot at 1848 Forest avenue 0f course, there was not a tree oit which provides >a residence for the- this made land. Planting was coin- superintendent and bis family and q menced as soon as seemed practicable place for the gardener to propagate and by the liberal use of ricb soil in his plants. setting the trees quite satisfactory re- In 1917 at tbe solicitation of many> sults were secured. Thougb the tree.; of the residents of Wilmette the plantedl are. developing rather more batbing beach ivas opened to the pub- slowly than they would in a richer lic. During the first year it was con- soil the percentage of survivais bas1 ducted by a v'olunteer beach associa-, l)een peiehaps as great as is, usually tion. This arrangement did flot prove secured. Many trees have been pur- to be workable, and since then the chased,' and a considerable number Park b)oard has taken charge of the have heen donated by citizens wvbo beach and endeavored. to so conduct have found it necessary to dispense it as to best promote the safety, comn- with trees ont their property and fort and pleasure of the mass of the further plantings are looked forward bathers. There have of course been to with confidence. numerous complaints from a number One of the problemns iii xnaintaining Of people who insist on standing a park along the lake front is control j 'upon their rights" regardless of the of the sand in windy weather. This ri ghts of other people. problem, however, is not insoluble.1 No Beach Fatalities The general plan of the 'made The board' bas flot regarded the land" park originally proposed 1byYChatbing beach as such a part of the Ben Gage bas been adhered to, aI- park as to justify the levying of taxes While "Only God Cai Make a Trce," iiîan cau> desigil attractive /'ark. though somne of the details have been abandoned. Praise for Workers Mucb of the success in developing the several parks up to their present condition bas been due to the -faitb fuI work of the superintendent, Paul iErickson, and tbe gardener, Charles Strube. The Michigan avenue frontage for its support and has co nsequently made a small charge for its use. A competent beach master, an adeqitate corps of life guards and of care tak.- ers wbo have kept -the beach free f rom broken glass and the like, have been înaintained, and during the sev- enteen years of the operation of the beach there bave been no fatalities or serious accidents. August'23, 1934 ýW-ILME T-TE LIFE W here -ivipidinq toi . il in beautifill U'ilshiliellipil