Omaha daily bee., February 23, 1913, EDITORIAL SOCIETY, Image 13

About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922

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Omaha Sunday
PART TWO
EDITORIAL
PAGES ONE TO TEN
PART TWO
SOCIETY
PAGES ONE TO TEN
The
Bee
VOL. XLH-NO. 36.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MOKNING, FJOBRUAltY 21), 191H.
. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
W
here Have the Vanished Streets and Parks Gone?
Early Map of Omaha Shows Thoroughfares and Breathing Spots No Longer Known to the Public. ".
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kMAHA has actually lost certain streets
and parks In the flight of years and,
though Identified by mark of historic
Import, they havo never been found.
Public sentiment, business Inter
ests, civic necessities and many other
reasons may bo used to answer tho
question, "Why are these streqts and parks not In
existence at tho present day?"
Should the blame be placed upon the early resi
dents of Omaha for tho disappearance of drives and
public parks which existed many years ago and aro
not on the present map of Omaha? Many of those
v.ho have studied the different surveys of tho city
eay "No," that it is as much the fault (If it is a
fault) of tho later residents as it is of tho early
settlers.
A study of tho first map of Omaha will be in
teresting to many, who enjoy going back to tho
early days of the frontior town or trading post as
it was then. The first map which is on record in
the city engineer's office Is dated 1854, and the
original now hangs In the city hall. Though tho
paper is yellow and the lines are faded It can bo
seen that tho present city plan is carried out to a
greater or leas extent from the original survey of
Ihe city which was made by Alfred D. Jones in
April, 1S54.
Tho only public squares or parks on this original
map are Jefforson Square, Washington Square,
which was the block between Fifteenth and SIx
toeath and Farnam and Douglas streets, and a tract
of land known as "the park," which had for its
90undarls the streets Davenport on the north,
Jackson on the south, ltlghth on the east and Ninth
on the wast.
Jefferson park is the only remaining one of tho
Here is a copy of the first map ever made of the City of Omaha. It was drawn for ths proprietors of the town
site, hnos Lowe and James A. Jackson and Thomas Bayliss & Co. and was used by them in their efforts to induce set
tlers to come to the new camp on the banks of the Missouri. A study of the map is of much interest, for it shows the
location of many things that are known not at all to the greater majority of the present residents of the city. The cut
ting away of the map on the southwest indicates that no effort was made by the surveyor to conquer the mighty bluffs
that towered their wooded heights far above the easier hills and bottoms that were included as the site of "Omaha City".
Jne park spaces marked show the liberality of the plotters in their prevision for future citizenship, but alas, all but one
of these parks has vanished, and now can be found only on the map. The creeks and avenues that here appear have
followed the parks, but it is still of interest to note what was once Omaha and compare it with what it is today.
tnree and tne other two have beon lost as public
parka.
Few of the old settlers are here to tell us why
and how this valuable property slipped from tho
possession of tho city. Kecords at tho court house
show that the first transfer of tho property upon
which now stands the old Union Pacific head
quarters wbb made by Mayor Jesse Lowo to George
h Miller, July 28, 1857. This property was then a
part of tho old park. However, a part of this tract
waB not sold until later years and this was known
ns the "grove" and many picnics were held here .by
the young sottlers of tho country at that time.
In a casual wuy, should you ask any early resi
dent If he or she recalled the park at this location
in 1857 you will be told generally that no such
place ever existed. But, you may find one person
who will recall tho happy days spent in the grovo
as did Mrs. D. D. Johnson, formerly Mies Jean
Allen. Mrs. Johnson was the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. J. T. Allen, who came to Omaha from Bellerue
In 1S58. In speaking of this park, or "grove" as
Mrs. Johnson called It, she said:
''Yes, I can remember when w children went,
up thoro to play and have our picnics. Tho swings
in it seemed as high then as tho present Union Pa
cific headquarters. Thoro woro large shade trees
In it and for this reason wo always called It tho
grovo. Where tho foot of Douglass street is now
located there was a steep inclino and wo amused
ourselves by rolling down thlB bank. Ono had a
splendid viow of tho rlvor horo and in fact from
every spot in tho grovo you could seo tho river."
Tho most valuable park which was ever in tho
possession cf the city waa this strip of land. Tho
present value of tho abandoned park is oqual to tho
valuation of the entire park system as it now is.
Washington squaro, which was then tho site- of
the county court bouse, was sold by the city at about
tho tlmo tho transfer of tho "grove" was made.
Kecords again show that Mayor Jesse Lowe Bold
this square for tho purpose of buying the present
sito where the now court houso has Just been built.
Tho present Btreet system hns not suffored any
material ahangos and now there nro only a fow of
tho old streets or roads lost to tho present gen
eration. In glancing over tho original map you will find
one road of Importance at that time and. according;
to Q. W. Craig, late city engineer of Omaha, ono of
tho gronteBt losses to tho city as a highway is
Market street. This street will be found on tho
map running from Seventeenth and Jackson streets
on tho Bouth to Twenty-third und Capitol. This
street was at the outskirts of tho city at that tlmo,
but as tho city grow block by block of tho old atrcot
has been closed and at tho present tlmo there Is not
a foot of It loft. In speaking of this street or high
way as it was. Mr. Craig says that Omaha has suf
fered a great loss In the closing of this street.
"We.ro this etroot in existence at tho present day
think what time could bo saved Jn travel by tho
merchants in the city," said Mr. Crnlg.
Jefferson street waB practically a continuation
of Market streot and at the present tlmo about
thirty feet of this street is to bo seen near Twenty
third and Davenport. This road as it then waa
lod across the town to tho old Military road, ono
of tho main roads leading from tho western country
into Omaha. Nothing Is loft of any these Btreots as
laid out In tho original city plan with tho excoptlou
of short paths across a fow vacant lots. No reason
can be found for tho abandonment of theso roads
.unjwajbo that tho later engineers of tho cltjr
thought It best to havo all the street intersection;
possible run at right angles. This plan has been,
carried out to a great extent in tho entire plan oC
tho city.
Tho streots running north and south were named!
In numerical order. Tho first stroot named In thla
way, First Btroot, was taken possession of by th
Missouri river soon after tho first survey and sinco
then tho city has never been ablo to regain possess
slon, Tho parks and streets which havo been found
in recent years aro almost as scarce as thoso whlcbj
havo boen lost.
It is noted that Omaha has no river drlvo,
although ono has beon planned and tho work of
oponlng up this drive for the public has been com
menced. Tho road commences at Fourth and Ban
croft streots near the entrance to tho IMverview
park and winds along the hills overlooking tho rlvor
for somo dlstanco and ends at Second and!
Spring streots. This willjbe tho only drive of ita
kind In Omaha. From any point on this road tha
rlvor can bo seen for miles up and down its winding
course and to thoso who aro fond of this turbulent
stream a drlvo along Ridge avenuo will be a treatf
which Omaha people have not had In tho past.
Tho park commissioners have been.so fortunate
in tho past in obtaining the ideal spots in the city)
for parks that it would bo hard to say that any fci
cation for a city park had been overlooked by thia
board. It 1b true that in many of both tho eastern
and westorn cities there are public squares in tho
resident districts and theso squares havo not been
found in Omaha. Thoro is talk of a river drlvo
which will lead from tho foot of Davenport street
to tho north and will connect with tho river road,
in Florence, which Jn tlmo may be known as ono oC
the beautiful drives in this part of the country