We are closing our series of articles about Manito Park and
have been listing the various venues of the beautiful park according to the
book “Manito Park: A Reflection Of
Spokane’s Past” by Tony and Suzanne
Bamonte of Tornado Creek Publications, Inc.
4.
LILAC
GARDEN: The lilac garden was
conceived in the fall of 1941 when the Spokane Garden Clubs presented 60 lilac
bushes to the city. The garden, situated
slightly southwest of the duck pond contains many varieties of lilacs,
Spokane’s official flower. Buffalo
roamed this area when the zoo was in existence.
5.
PICNIC
SHELTER and PLAYGROUND: In 1961 the Spokane Rotary Clubs donated a
large picnic shelter near the 18th and Grand entrance. It contained fire pits, charcoal grills and
picnic tables. In the early 1900s, a
channel of water from the present pond extended through this area to Grand. At that time, there were entrances to the
park from Grand at 19th and 20th, and a baseball field
north of 19th. The popular
sledding hill is east of the shelter, adjacent to Grand. In 1998 an attractive and functional
playground designed by Debbie Clem-Olsen, landscape architect for the parks,
was constructed west of the shelter.
6.
DUCK
POND: The pond began as a larger
body of water called Mirror Lake. The
spring-fed lake was always a popular site for year-around activities. A basalt rock fireplace, built near the west
end of the pond in 1955, is a memorial to Lt. Lawrence Rist, an Air Force
officer killed in action during the Korean War.
7.
PARK
BENCH CAFÉ: Built in 1923, the
“peanut shack” sold snacks for park visitors and peanuts for the monkeys. It is located at the intersections of Manito
Place, Tekoa and Loop Drive, once the site of a natural pond. A private vendor sells refreshments during
summer months.
8.
LOOP
DRIVE AND BRIDGE: A scenic route
through Manito Park is open during the summer months. The arched stone bridge, built in the 1930s,
reflects the architectural design of the early park buildings.
No comments:
Post a Comment