Reprinted from the History of Snohomish County (page 430)

Pioneer Historical Publishing Company, 1926

Continued from Volume 22, Issue 3                Everett City Parks                 CENTRAL PARK, embracing a complete city block, 264 by 400 feet in area, flanked on the east by Lombard and on the west by Oakes Avenue, was Everett’s original city park, the only area of the kind so designated prior to 1900.  Central Park consequently received constructive attention long before any other pleasure ground.  The fine large trees were left there in their natural surroundings and usual growth, but much clearing was done and the park made accessible and pleasing.  In recent years a fine tennis court has been built and other recreation features make it a favorite outdoor resort, while since the close of the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, one of its conspicuous western exhibits, a Snohomish County monarch stump that had been converted into a dwelling house, has occupied a place in Central Park, where it shares interest with the ornate fountain and pool, the fine collections of flowering plants and shrubs, and in season even the commodious band stand.                In 1903 the Everett Improvement Company immortalized its incorporation by giving the city outright an entire park area, along the bay side of Grand Avenue, and which has since become one of the most beautiful thoroughfare decorations to delight the wayfarer anywhere in the Puget Sound country, although embracing only 3.428 acres in area.  It was originally called Grand Avenue Plaza, but in later years it became as it is now, GRAND AVENUE PARK, and makes that sightly thoroughfare as popular for motorists as the incomparable Rucker Hill drive.                 In 1900 William G. SWALWELL offered as a gift to the city a forty-acre tract at the summit of Mukilteo Hill, on condition that the city improve it for park purposes to the extent of $500 a year for five years and maintain it permanently as a free public park.  A few years later the city purchased in the same locality eighty acres for park purposes, naming it FOREST PARK, paying the owner, W. G. SWALWELL, $250 per acre for the property, a total of $20,000.  In 1919 Edward STRONG was discouraged by the inactivity of demand for his Bay View addition in that district, and the tract of twenty acres was absorbed for delinquent taxes and then became a city property and was included in Forest Park, increasing its area to 110.84 acres, its present size—more than two-thirds the combined area of all the city parks.                 No improvements were attempted upon this fine, elevated woodland property, however, until the fall and winter of 1914, when the European war brought scores of Canadian refugees to Everett, most of them without funds sufficient to maintain themselves, and local industry was not able to provide them with employment.  Thomas J. KELLY, who was commissioner of public safety and chief of police from February 9, 1914, until 1920, is credited with suggesting a plan by which the commission by public funds and popular contributions raised a fund of $2,500 to put these strangers to work clearing away masses of fallen timber from the present improved [page 431] portion of the park.  Each of the Canadian unfortunates was allowed two days’ work a week at $2.50 a day, and the men cleared away, piled and burned a lot of the down timber.                 Chief KELLY then sacrificed much of his popularity in some circles by organizing a “chain gang” composed of certain prisoners in the city jail, and proceeded vigorously to finish up the work so well started by the Canadian refugees, and thus prepared all the present enclosed area.                 In 1910 Mr. KELLY went to Yellowstone Park for the county for a number of the starving Wyoming elk; he started home with forty-one, but eleven were killed in a train crash in Montana; the thirty remaining were liberated at Gold Bar and later injured farm crops.  Robert MILLER had a pet elk heifer calf, which he presented to the city, and it became the first animal of the present Forest Park zoo, a young bull elk from Seattle soon after being added.  Doctor TOZIER’s two brown bears from Wenatchee and two black bears from McMurray followed, and later owls, eagles, foxes, coyotes, etc.                 SILVER LAKE PARK, 33.80 acres, was purchased by the city for $15,000, but has not as yet been improved, being a natural sylvan gem.                  RIVERVIEW PARK, ten acres on the south bank of the Snohomish at Summit Avenue, purchased from the Everett Improvement Company in 1917 for $10,000, named by the school children of Riverside, has become the city’s official tourist park.  Much of its development for this purpose is due to the effective interest and activity of the Riverside people themselves, headed by the Riverside Commercial Club.                The first city park commissioners under the present form of government were Alex Le GROS, now dean of the board, Dr. Ida McINTIRE, Mrs. F. J. WALSH, H. W. NORTH and W. H. CLEAVER.  The board in 1926 is composed of President Dean S. ASHTON, Finance Commissioner N. D. MARTIN, A. Le GROS, Sr., Fred C. SCHOCH, Jacob ANTHES and S. HALLSWORTH.  Park Supt. Oden HALL has direct charge of park development and maintenance. Continued next issue… Clark Park, formerly called Central Park, is located at 2400 Lombard.  This is the stump house mentioned in the book, as it appeared ca. 1900.  Photo by the Pettersen Family, from the Everett Public Library Digital Images Collection.

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