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Veterans Memorial Park
Anyone who has ever taken a slow walk through a tree-lined park during a warm spring afternoon, or arrived early and watched light shine through the trees when morning breaks, deeply understands how important a park can be to a town's well-being.
In a literal sense, whether in a conscious one or not, parks are generally designed and built to add civility to an often uncivilized setting, to approximate nature at its best, while eliminating those aspects - dead trees, weeds, and fallen branches - that the human eye deems unsightly. As essentially agrarians, we are strangely drawn to the bright colorful flowers that are planted there and we silently revel in their existence. It is at that very moment that we are at our very best.
Veterans Memorial Park, which has owned several different names, was not always the idyllic setting that we see today. This area of five and one-half acres was originally owned by the Cañon City Water Company. The city acquired this parcel of land in 1881 and named it West River Street Park. West River Street once ran through a quiet residential neighborhood. The street was widened in the 1960s and renamed Royal Gorge Boulevard. Many of the homes on the street were removed, but the park area remained.
In its early day as a park, the city constructed a bandstand that served as a beautiful setting for performances by local community musical groups. It was especially utilized for Fruit Day and Labor Day celebrations. As can be seen by the accompanying photographs in the image gallery, the park had a pristine appearance that rivaled the immaculate parks of Denver.
By the 1930s, the West River Street Park's name had been shortened to the more easily remembered and generic "City Park." The bandstand had deteriorated and was removed. Although never referred as "Hooverville," the park did acquire the name of "Tent City," as it served as a central location for the large number of individuals and families who were hard hit by the county's economic depression.
In the ensuing years, and until 1956, City Park earned the unflattering nickname of "Hollywood Flats." It was the setting for many circuses, carnivals and other traveling shows of every kind. In addition, the city also used the area as a site for mixing road paving materials and to store heavy equipment.
By the early 1950s, City Park was an eyesore and an embarrassment to the entire community. Under the astute leadership of U. Michael Welch, a Citizen's Advisory Committee was formed to study ways to improve the park's appearance.
Since the city did not have funds available for the upkeep of the park, the Citizen's Committee devised an ambitious plan that centered around a volunteer day known as "C Day." The goal was to construct a brand new park in a single day.
On April 21, 1956, more than two hundred men, women, and children, with pickup trucks, dump trucks, shovels and front-end loaders, eagerly started work on the park by removing oil-soaked soil and replacing it with ten-thousand yards of fresh dirt from South Cañon. Numerous businesses donated food and beverages for these volunteers, and other groups prepared these meals.
By the day's end, City Park had been completely transformed. The ground had been seeded and trees planted. In years to follow, picnic tables, restrooms, an amphitheatre, a fountain and a playground were added - and, again, the name of the park was changed. It was now being called Veterans Memorial Park, as it remains today. It is, once again, the pride of the community.
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