A recent post listed comparative figures for recreation facilities in the Minneapolis Parks between 1963 and 2005.
I happen to own a copy of the Thirtieth Annual Report of the Board of Park Commissioners for the year 1912. I thought it might be interesting for some to go back that far with the comparisons. No golf courses back then, but lots of tennis courts; and baseball wasn't particularly popular. I guess if you're working a 12 hour shift six days a week, you might not have the time or inclination for much "recreation." ----- Equipment and facilities for play either summer or winter in thirty park areas Gymnastic Apparatus 8 horses 8 bucks 8 parallel bars 16 gymnastic frames Athletic and Game Facilities 6 baseball backstops 4 tennis backstop frames 9 jumping pits 14 indoor baseball courts 6 outdoor baseball fields 3 outdoor football fields 15 basket ball courts 25 tennis courts 9 shot put rings Play Apparatus 17 giant strides 26 swings 21 teeters 20 sand boxes 12 merry-go-rounds 2 toboggan slides 9 hockey rinks 2 coasting courses 7 shelter houses (permanent) 4 shelter houses (temporary) 23 skating rinks For the point of interest, I wonder how many parks/playgrounds that existed in 1912 no longer exist? And what came later, probably at a lot more cost? Audubon Barnes Place Bryant Square Bryn Mawr Meadows Camden Chowen Triangle Clifton Triangle Columbia Cottage Crystal Lake Triangle Dean Blvd. Dell Place Douglas Triangle Dorilus Morrison East Minneapolis Pkwy Extension Elliot Elmwood Triangle Euclid Triangle Fairview Farwell Forest Heights Franklin Steele Square Glen Gale Glenwood Glenwood-Camden Parkway Groveland Triangle Hiawatha Triangle Highland Oval Hillside Triangle Humboldt Triangle Interlachen Irving Triangle Jackson Square Kenwood Kenwood Parkway King's Highway Lake Calhoun Lake Harriet Lake of the Isles Lake Nokomis Lakeside Oval Laurel Triangle Logan Longfellow Field Loring Lovell Square Lowry Triangle Lyndale Farmstead Lyndale Maple Hill Minnehaha Minnehaha Parkway Mississippi Park ..Minnehaha ..River Road, East ..River Road, West ..Riverside Monroe Place Mount Curve Triangle Murphy Square Newton Triangle Normanna Triangle North Commons Oak Lake Parks Oliver Triangle Powderhorn Lake Prospect Field Rauen Triangle Richard Chute Square River Road, East River Road, West Riverside Royalston Triangle Rustic Lodge Sheridan Field Small Triangle Smith Triangle Stevens Place Stevens Square Stewart Field Stinson Blvd Sumner Field Svea Triangle The Gateway The Mall The Parade Tower Hill Van Cleve Vinland Triangle Virginia Triangle Washington Fair Oaks West End Triangle Wilson Windom Ray Marshall Hiawatha ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2005 10:09:02 -0500 From: Chris Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Mpls] Fact or fiction, you decide. Chris Johnson wrote: > Our parks, then and now. > > 1963 > > 239 baseball/softball diamonds > 209 tennis courts > 67 skating rinks > 5 18-hole golf courses > 22 lakes > 32 miles landscaped lake shoreline > 63 miles of parkway > 105 miles of foot paths > > > 2005 > > 396 sports fields (baseball, softball, soccer, other?) > 183 tennis courts > 37 skating rinks > 6 18-hole golf courses, 1 par-3 golf course and 2 "golf learning centers" > ?? lakes > ?? miles of landscaped shoreline > 55 miles of parkway > 43.6 miles of foot paths > 1963 figures from an edition of the National Civic Review by the > National Municipal League.[*] > > 2005 figures from Park Board web site. ************************************ REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
