At the time Manito Park was donated to the city, the parks
were governed by politics and park donors.
A special charter in 1891 had placed Spokane’s public parks under a
joint supervision of the mayor, the city engineer and the city council
president, subject to the authority of the city council. In 1955, the Eastern Washington State
Historical Society taped an interview of Laurence R. Hamblen and Joel E.
Ferris, two civic-minded citizens with long-term service to the park
commission, discussing the Spokane park system history, Mr. Hamblen,
then-president of the Spokane Park Board and board member since 1912, explained
Spokane’s early governing body as follows, “At that time, Spokane was governed
by a council of ten members, two from each ward in the city. The city, of course, was divided into five
wards. This meant that the full system
was largely political because each ward wanted to acquire for its constituents
more than the other wards. The result
was a political issue all of the time.”
As previously noted, many Spokane parks were donated by
owners of nearby property who clearly understood the potential benefit of having the city improve the park
land. A front page article in August 4, 1907
Spokesman Review stated, “Park
Improvements Add Fifteen Times Their Cost to Adjacent Property - Property adjacent to a developed boulevard is
100 percent more valuable than it would have been in the same district without
the park or boulevard improvements having been made. This is the unanimous opinion of real estate
men, who are in one accord in boosting for a better park and boulevard system
for Spokane.”
In an
attempt to remove the parks from the political arena and protect against
exploitation by park donors, a 1907 charter amendment created a separate
nonpartisan park board commission of ten unpaid members, with the mayor serving
as an ex officio member. Another
amendment in 1910 eliminated the mayor’s position and provided for a city
council representative to act as a liaison between the city and the park board.
Correspondence
and park board minutes filed in the Eastern Regional State Archives housed at
Eastern Washington University and the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department
archives provide insight into the formation of the Spokane Park
Department. The founding of the park
board was largely through the efforts and assistance of Aubrey Lee White and
the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, of which White was director. Although Spokane was surrounded by open
country and had little need to preserve land for parks, with the city’s rapid
growth and expansion, White had the foresight to push for preservation of open
space while it was still available and affordable. He organized and served as President of the
City Beautiful Club, whose purpose was to promote the establishment of a city
park and playground system that would put or recreation area within walking
distance of every neighborhood. When the
initial park board was formed, it was comprised of businessmen, who were also
friends, with common interests. Aubrey
White was chosen to be the first president of the board, serving from 1907 to
1922. His determination to secure a visible park system for Spokane
took tangible form soon after the park board was formed. Grading, seeding and planting of Manito
Boulevard began, and within three years, a $1,000,000 park bond was passed to
expand and improve the park system. Because
park funds were limited, White persuaded private citizens to plant many of the
leafy deciduous trees that beautify Spokane’s streets today. White’s foresight and tireless campaign to
secure public park lands earned him the reputation as “Father of Spokane’s Park
System.”
Next
week, we will learn more about this interesting character Aubrey White and how
his vision and foresight helped shape Spokane’s landscape.
