We're Almost Done With Our Adventure

As we mentioned last time, our story, according to the book “Manito Park: A Reflection Of Spokane’s Past”  by Tony and Suzanne Bamonte of Tornado Creek Publications, Inc. is coming to a close.  Today’s article is almost the last and will begin the Bamonte’s account of the many different areas and features of our beloved Manito Park.

We will begin the whole series again here in a few weeks and post them to both www.ManitoPark.org as well as www.ManitoParkOrg.blogspot.com.  Tune back in and catch up on some of the earlier chapters you may have missed. 

Here’s the beginning of our wrap-up:

A TOUR OF MANITO PARK TODAY – Parts 1 through 3:

1.       DUNCAN GARDENS:  The formal European Renaissance style gardens, directly south of the Gaiser Conservatory, were originally called the Sunken Gardens,  In February of 1941, they were officially renamed in honor of Park Superintendent John W. Duncan, who designed and began developing them in 1912.  During his tenure, the gardens contained many diversified plant species, including rose and perennial gardens.  A grapevine-covered arbor was located near the rose garden at the southern end (the gardens have since been extended farther south).  Over the years, the gardens have undergone a number of revisions.  In 1996, under the direction of Jim Flott, Horticultural Manager for Manito, and Debbie Clem-Olsen, landscape architect, the most recent renovation was completed.  At a cost of about $35,000, funded primarily through Friends of Manito and Associated Garden Clubs of Spokane, the ratio of floral gardens to lawn was increased.  A vibrant array of colorful annuals make Duncan Gardens a popular site for summer chamber music concerts and weddings, and provides a scenic backdrop for photographers.  The focal point of the garden is a large granite fountain, donated in 1956 in memory of Louis M. Davenport by his wife Verus and son Lewis M. Davenport.  Davenport was a longtime park supporter and park board member.

 

2.       GAISER CONSERVATORY:  Construction of the present greenhouses at Manito Park were completed in April of 1974, replacing those built on the same site in 1912.  The first greenhouses (moved from Liberty Park in 1904) were near the 20^th Street entrance to the park.  In 1988 the central dome was enlarged and dedicated to the memory of Dr. David Gaiser , longtime park patron and former park board member appointed by Mayor Neal Fosseen.  This popular attraction, which contains tropical, subtropical and temperate plant specimens from around the world, is open to the public, free of charge, year around.

 

3.       JOEL E. FERRIS PERENNIAL GARDEN:  This garden, established by John Duncan around 1940, is located directly north of the office building.  It was named in honor of a former park board member and popular civic leader following his death in 1960.  With over 300 plant species – all identified by markers – it is an ever-changing array of colors and textures during the growing season.  It is an informal counterpart to the Duncan Garden’s formal style.  A memorial bird bath fountain, located at the southeast corner of the garden, was donated to the park by Mr. and Mrs.  Alfred Hengen in memory of their daughter, Helen Hengen, a young Spangle aviatrix who lost her life in 1945 on her final flight for her pilot’s license.  The bird bath is in the center of the Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden.

Where did the Duck Pond come from?

The lake at Manito Park, called Mirror Lake during the Montrose Park era, underwent the first of many alterations.  The overall effect of these alterations was a reduction in its size to what is now the duck pond.

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.

What happened after E.C. Balzer left?

Last week, we read a report issued by the Park Improvement Board stating all the reasons that Mr. E.C. Balzer was not a fit Park Superintendent.  This week we find out what happened after the release of that report.

Following the presentation of this report, a motion was made and immediately passed by the board to accept the recommendations and notify Balzer of their findings.  Throughout the previous year, correspondence from the board to Balzer had been of a terse and somewhat demanding nature.  Four months after the improvement committee submitted their report, the board called for Balzer’s resignation.  He submitted it to them on December 23, 1909, as follows:  “Gentlemen:  I hereby tender my resignation to go into effect on the first of the year or as soon as possible thereafter as Superintendent. “  Although early news accounts relay a story of a congenial departure from his position, park board correspondence suggests otherwise.

During this same time frame, Aubrey White met the assistant park superintendent for the Boston parks system, John W. Duncan, at a park convention in Seattle, and they struck up a friendship.  On January 3, 1910, White received a telegram from John Duncan stating, “Will accept offer as per letter of the 24^th.”  As prearranged by White, following Duncan’s acceptance of the offer to be superintendent of the Spokane park system, he was to report to work “not later than March 1^st, 1910.”

John Duncan became one of Manito Park’s best known figures.  He served as Spokane’s park superintendent for 32 years, retiring in 1942 at the age of 77.  Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, he moved to Boston with his family when he was a boy.  He learned the nursery trade from his father.  Although White and the Park Board Commission gave the appearances of seeking someone with a technical education to replace Balzer, there is no record in the available archives indicating Duncan had ever received a formal education.

After taking over as superintendent, Duncan spent the first couple of years primarily doing maintenance and cultivating a nursery at Manito Park.   The nursery bordered the present Duncan Gardens to the East.  By 1912, it had 212,000 plants, which would be planted in the various city parks.  Over the years, the nursery contained assortments of flowering and ornamental trees, shrubs, and various experimental trees and plants.

During Duncan’s tenure as superintendent, he made a number of trips to the eastern states to gather ideas from established parks in larger cities.  His first was in 1912, a year in which a new wave of changes happened in the park.  Old greenhouses and superintendent’s house were torn down and a new greenhouses built; the upper level at the southern end of the park was graded to create a level ball field, tennis courts, bowling green, and playground (to which a wading pool was added in 1920); and, of greatest interest to Duncan, work began on the formal European-style gardens.  He transformed the sunken dirt pit into a masterpiece, which received national acclaim.  In 1941, the year before Duncan retired, the park board honored his years of fine service as superintendent by renaming the Sunken Gardens to the Duncan Gardens.  This garden has undergone numerous transformations over the years, the most recent being in 1996.

More about the demise of E.C. Balzer, Park Superintendent

With the sudden passing of the zoo, the only tangible reminder of the Balzer era was the bandstand (torn down in 1946).  However, Charles Balzer had left a legacy – he secured Manito’s place in the hearts of the Spokane residents.  His contribution could be summarized by a sentence in a 1907 brochure on Manito, prepared by the Spokane-Washington Improvement Co. as part of their intensive marketing campaign.  It read:  “The district now occupied by the city’s largest park was but a few years ago a succession of barren ledges, and to the genius of the landscape gardener has fallen the task of bringing beauty from the rough.”  During Balzer’s tenure as park superintendent, his main focus was on Manito Park.  Much of what he did was at his own expense and beyond the expected duties.  Park records reveal his dedication to Manito; the early photographs attest to his accomplishments.  However, the park board wanted more.

 

In 1908 Aubrey White, president of the park board, addressed the board with the following letter:

I think we all realize that very excellent work has been done under trying conditions, and yet I think we can all see many mistakes in judgment have occurred and are occurring which will justify at this time certain necessary changes.

Mr. Balzer, our present Park Superintendent, was advanced to that position from City Florist, because he was the only local man available at the time, and his Commission lacked the means to look for a properly qualified man….

Mr. Balzer has good recommendations and certificates as a gardener, and his success with plants and flowers has been very satisfactory, therefore as City Florist having charge of the Greenhouse and flower gardens, his service would be valuable to the park department, but he is not an engineer and cannot take the necessary levels nor run his lines when required, neither can he work out his own plans to scale, as such work has been outside of his experience.

I can therefore see at this time the necessity of employing a man as superintendent of parks who is qualified by experience and technical education to do the planning and laying out of our new development work….

Following White’s advice, the board ordered the Park Improvement Committee to investigate Balzer’s work as superintendent and make a recommendation.  On August 6, 1909, the committee reported the following:

The Park Superintendent, Mr. E.C. Balzer, has failed to comply promptly with the orders of this Board and has shown a disposition to evade the spirit of his instructions.  We recommend the Secretary be instructed to write Mr. Balzer that the Board insist on prompt and complete compliance with its orders….

Mr. Balzer having undertaken park improvements on his own initiative without consulting your Improvement Committee, we advise him that park improvements outside of maintenance, are under the direction of the Improvement Committee, and orders for such improvements must issue from the Chairman of Improvements direct, through the Secretary of this Board.

In order to enforce discipline without delay, your Improvement Committee requests complete authority to discharge the Park Superintendent, with the wages necessary to obtain a man equal to the responsibility and dignity of the position – one who will have the personality requisite to assist the Board in promoting the work of impressing the urgent need of funds for park areas upon our community. 

Next week we will hear more about what happens after this report is released.  I’ll bet you can already guess….

Manito Park Zoo Becomes a Blessing And a Curse....

During the zoo’s 28 year history, there were a few incidents of injuries caused by the caged animals.  The most serious sent a chill through the community.  On July 10, 1923, nine-year-old Elizabeth Harris was feeding bread to the polar bears.  One of the bears pulled her right arm into the enclosure and the other, smelling blood, attacked and severed it.  Throughout this entire trauma, Elizabeth was remarkably brave.  She insisted she was at fault and that no harm be done to the bears.  Her wishes were honored.  Elizabeth overcame any suggestion of a handicap and lived a normal life.

The zoo had been in existence for almost three years when the Olmstead Brothers made their recommendations to the park board in 1907.  Had this report been presented prior to the zoo’s inception, it is doubtful Manito Park would have ever had a zoo.  The following are excerpts from this report:

For a few years it may continue to be advisable to have the zoological show in Manito Park, but all arrangements in connection with it there should be made with the idea of eventually removing the show to a larger park… In parks, the zoological collection should always be regarded merely as an incidental attraction, and it should not be allowed to absorb an undue share of the park appropriation.  A complete zoological show is a very expensive affair, particularly in maintenance.

Contrary to the recommendations of this report, the zoo remained a focal point of the park through 1932.  Like the rest of the country, the Parks Department was suffering the effects of the Depression.  The annual cost to feed the animals had risen to $3,000, which the park budget was straining to cover.  In addition, there was a constant concern about the park’s potential liability, as well as the neighbors’ complaints about the stench and nightly screeching or howling from the zoo.  The zoo’s days were numbered, but the park board did not make the decision lightly; some members even argued to close the greenhouses instead of the zoo.  When the issue was finally put to a vote, the zoo lost by a 6-5 vote.

On October 13, 1932, a terse letter from the secretary of the park board was delivered to John Duncan, then park superintendent:  “Dear Sir, At the adjourned regular meeting of the Park Board held this date, the Park Superintendent was instructed to dispose of the animals now at the Manito Park Zoo, to the best advantage without cost to the city, prior to January 1, 1933.”  As 1933 dawned, the zoo fell quiet.  Many of the animals were sold or given to other zoos, and some were turned loose in the wild.  But some Spokane residents still remember the trauma of hearing gunshots ring out from the zoo, sealing the fate of those animals for which no homes had been found.  Many of the animals were stuffed and, for years, stored or displayed at the Cheney Cowles Museum.  At one point, Zero, the polar bear who tore Elizabeth Harris’ arm from her body, was among the collection.  She had met her demise when her mate jumped on her back, breaking her neck.

Next week, we will learn something about the aftermath of the zoo’s closing.

A Verbal Image of The Zoo At Manito Park

The park’s center of activity was at the present intersection of Tekoa, Loop Drive and Manito Place.   Standing in that intersection facing north, around 1910, in front and to the left would be a little fenced pond (one of three naturally occurring spring-fed ponds in the park).  In the pond was an island on which the “swan house” provided shelter for numerous species of waterfowl.  Beyond that, the bear cages nestled up against the rock formations behind the present Park Bench Café.  (In 1923, the duck pond was filled in to build the café.)  Looking directly left, the monkey cages were in the foreground, and in the distance (on what is now Rose Hill), the elk and deer barn.  Atop the hill directly behind our position in the intersection was the aviary – the Owl Castle.  The Brotherhood of Owls donated the first owl.  Straight ahead in the distance, the United States flag blows in the wind up on flag hill.  To the right, the hill above the pond was an array of beautiful gardens, with a floral sculpture of the Masonic Lodge emblem as its centerpiece.  On the next hill north, the bandstand was at a perfect location to broadcast the music over the activity below. 

The present Rose Hill west to the Japanese Garden was the elk and deer enclosure.  Parts of the rock wall enclosure still remain in this area.  The enclosure extended north to the point Loop Drive skirts the crest of the hill, encompassing another small pond.  Cages for the skunks, coyotes, bobcats and other smaller animals lined the area of the present rock garden bordering the rose garden.  Ostrich, emu and kangaroo lived in the area of the present Japanese Garden, and buffalo roamed the current lilac garden.

Be sure to come back next week for more interesting information about Spokane’s own zoo in Manito Park.

Remember The Sunken Gardens We Learned About?

Sections of Manito have always been left in a natural “undeveloped” state, which appeals to the adventurer in all young children.  During Balzer’s early years as superintendent, his young son, Norb and his friends found the present-day Duncan Gardens an exciting place to play their games.  The area was covered with fir and pine trees and the boys needed a good hideout.  They proceeded to dig a seven-foot deep cave, which they covered with boards.  One day Mr. Balzer followed his son to the hideout and, to the senior Balzer’s delight, discovered the boys had dug into rich, dark soil – perfect topsoil.  With much of Spokane’s soil being very poor and rocky, Balzer recognized its value and began using this soil for the Manito gardens.  Neighbors would also come to take rich earth home for their own gardens.  According to Norb Balzer, in an April 18, 1968 article in the Spokane Daily Chronicle, “Eventually he had hauled out 42,000 loads of loam to parks all over the city.”  As a result, the present level of Duncan Gardens is now much lower than it had originally been, given it its first name – the Sunken Gardens.

In 1905 Charles Balzer began acquiring animals for a fledgling zoo in the park.  The first residents were beaver and muskrats, located at the present Manito duck pond.  Within a short time, the zoo grew into as major attraction.  At times it contained as many as 165 various animals.  Among the animals at the zoo were deer, elk, deer, monkeys, buffalo, mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, badgers, bob cats, skunks, goats, kangaroos, beavers, muskrats and numerous species of birds.  The zoo covered nearly a third of the park.

Next week we’ll discover more about this interesting zoo right in the heart of Manito Park.