In the early days of the park, the spring-fed lake extended
to the edge of Grand Boulevard. The main
body of water was at the present site, with a canal extending to the east. This canal would almost dry up in the late
summer, leaving an unsightly, mosquito-infested swamp. At the west end of the lake, the water would
seep into the nearby lots. In 1912, in
order to contain the water, a concrete wall, founded in bedrock, was built
along the north and west sides of the lake.
Water from nearby springs was also diverted to the lake to keep the
water level up. Because of its proximity
to the town, the lake had always been a popular place for children to swim,
fish or canoe in the summer, and ice skate in the winter. The changes enhanced the lake for those
recreational activities. Eventually the
channel was filled in, and in 1974 a concrete retaining wall and deck were
built along the northeast end. By this
time, the lake had long since become a duck pond.
Many changes in the vegetation have taken place around the
pond over the years, but as can be seen from early photographs, it has always
been a place of beauty, a dazzling jewel in the heart of the Manito
neighborhood. Sadly, in November of
1996, a severe ice storm devastated thousands of Spokane’s trees. The storm took its toll at Manito – about 70
of the park’s trees were lost and more were damaged. Neighbors reacted when the spring clean-up
included removing numerous trees along the water’s edge. Not all the trees had sustained ice-storm
damage; some were already failing and further stressed by the storm. The Park Department made the difficult decision
to remove them all at once. The
once-serene beauty, with the weeping willows hanging over the water, had been
severely altered. But, as the old trees
were removed, over 90 young replacements were planted, which will eventually
restore a picturesque setting. The
ubiquitous screeching and quacking from a growing sea gull and duck population
made quiet contemplation at the pond a near impossibility, but the enjoyment of
feeding them continues to attract people from dawn to dusk. [Ed
note: Consult the Spokane Parks &
Recreation Department before feeding any of the gulls or ducks in Manito
Park. Recent developments have made
feeding them dangerous to the birds as well as to the surroundings.]
John Duncan initiated other changes at Manito Park during
his tenure. As previously stated, during
this stage of the park’s development, he gradually incorporated some of the
recommendations from the 1907 Olmsted Brothers’ report. When Duncan retired in 1942, he was
designated Superintendent Emeritus of the Park System, and Harold T. Abbott was
hired to replace him. The Park Board
minutes credited Duncan with “creating one of the finest series of gardens in
the country out of barren rocks, lakes and bogs.” Following his death on January 21, 1948, at
age 83, the minutes again reflected on Duncan’s contribution, as follows, “(he)
always had an eye to the practical as well as the beautiful.”
The remaining articles will wrap up our reporting of the
park’s founding, creation and changes throughout the years. All of the information reported in this
series of articles came from a book by Tony Bamonte and Suzanne Schaeffer
Bamonte entitled, “Manito Park: A Reflection of Spokane’s Past”. The book is now out of print, but a few
used copies are still available on Amazon.com and we’re certain they are in
Spokane’s libraries if you are interested.
Thank you all for
reading. The next series of articles
will be about all the various venues in Manito Park and will act as the
conclusion to this series. We will then
restart the series, so if you missed some of the chapters, please click over to
www.ManitoPark.Org or www.ManitoParkOrg.blogspot.com
to catch up on the missing chapters.
Thank you all for
reading and for your comments and “likes” left on our Facebook account.
The staff
at ManitoPark.org.
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