Roosevelt High School - Bwana Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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Wsfilwf HISTORY OF FOREST PARK ACK in the days when Spain owned all the territory surrounding St. Louis, the Spanish government at New Orleans gave a grant of beautiful land to Charles Gratiot. A similar grant adjacent to Gratiot's was given to Jules Papin. Part of our magnificent Forest Park lay in each of these two grants. The region which is now Forest Park was vastly different from what it is today. It was a beautiful wilderness, abounding in game and drained by the lazy little stream, the River des Peres. Zealous hunters, seeking adventure and sport, were the only ones who took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy this region. ln l872, progressive citizens conceived a plan to provide a center of recreation and diversion for the whole community by converting this wilderness into a huge public park. Although Lafayette Park was serving the needs of St. Louis very well, a few far-seeing men visualized the city of St. Louis spread- ing farther and farther west, even past the region that they wished to acquire. They realized that the time would come when it would be needed as a play- ground for rich and poor alike. As the land lay in the county, state sanction for its purchase was necessary. Therefore, through the efforts of certain men, the State Legislature, on March 25, l872, decided to purchase one thousand or more acres on the grants of Papin and Gratiot, to establish a public park. Some of the owners of the land were Robert Forsythe, Thomas Skinker, lsabelle de Mun, Pierre Chouteau, W. D. Griswald, Levi H. Baker, Maria Halliday, Samuel Halliday, Hercules McCord and Jacob Schnepp. We can recognize some of these names as names of present-day streets. Pierre Chouteau and other property owners protested, declaring that their rights were being violated. As a result, the act was declared unconstitutional. Colonel Nicholas Bell and his friends fought untiringly until a new bill omitting the unconstitutional features of the first was finally passed in January, l874. Although this act was also assailed, it was upheld by the Supreme Court of Missouri, before whom it had been brought. This new act provided for the purchase of I372 acres fronting one mile on the King's Highway, and lying four miles west of the Court House. Eight hundred thousand dollars was paid for the land. A Board of Commissioners consisting of nine members was appointed and formally obtained the land on April 27, l875. In its first report, the commission stated that it had found two tumble-down dwellings, several poor huts, three neglected farms, and two abandoned fields in the region the state had acquired. The commission also reported that the rugged natural beauty of the land was very picturesque, and it predicted that it would develop into a park unsurpassed all over the world. Eighteen

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Z Qi 5 L E 5 In PARK EST R FO LAKEIN

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Wsfkjfwff The citizens, displeased with the purchase, declared that it was too far away from the city to be of any use, and was therefore a waste of money. Nevertheless, a huge crowd of forty thousand people, including the Governor of Missouri and the Mayor of St. Louis, attended its formal opening, june 25, l876. The newspaper accounts said that much of its scenic beauty was due to the romantic little River des Peres, which ran through the park from the northwest to southwest. After the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in l892, people began to look around for another World's Fair subject. Many persons in the West expressed a desire to have an exposition commemorating the purchase of the Louisiana territory from France. A convention was held in St. Louis in I899 to discuss the various possibilities of a suitable location. The convention chose St. Louis, the largest and wealthiest city in the territory. The Fair itself was held in Forest Park. ' After the Fair, the job of restoring the park to its former condition was undertaken. Many of the trees in the western part had been cut down. A Division of Restoration was named to plant new trees and shrubs as the exposition buildings were wrecked. The Division also built drives and bridges, and formed lakes and present landscapes. The eastern portion of the park remained undisturbed and contains sharply curved roads which were built for horse-drawn vehicles. ln the latter part of the nineteenth century, the park became a meeting place for the socially elite and a place for horse and carriage shows held on the wide concourse around the old bandstand. People journeyed to the new playground in carriages, horse trams, and on steam railroads. ln the northeastern corner of the park was a bicycle track where cyclists gathered and rode on their wheels, strange wheels with a huge front wheel and a small back one. Since l909 the greatest development has been witnessed in the park. This is probably due to the fact that it has become more accessible each year. Many new buildings have attracted great numbers of people to the park. The Art Museum was erected for the exposition, and was later made larger. It is now one of the greatest in the United States. The jefferson Memorial was built from funds left over from the restoration money, and in 1913 it became the seat of the Missouri Historical Society and Lindbergh Exhibit. The Municipal Theatre and the Zoo are other attractions. As soon as the people 'began to swarm into the park, more definite forms of recreation were needed. Tennis courts, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, handball courts, golf links, bridle paths, and cricket fields were laid out. ln I924, l6,000 golf permits were issued, and l65,000 games were played fexclusive of Triple AD. ln the same year, 240,000 games of tennis were played, and 1600 baseball games were played. In cold weather, many skaters Nineteen