Julia Davis park
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| Julia Davis Park | |
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| Type | Municipal |
| Location | Boise, Idaho |
| Size | 87 acres (.35 km²) |
| Opened | 1907 |
| Operated by | City of Boise |
| Status | Open all year |
Julia Davis Park is the first park in the "string of pearls", the public park system found running through the middle of Boise, Idaho. It is centrally located within the city of Boise and is bordered by Broadway Avenue to the east, Capital Boulevard to the west, the Boise River to the south, and Myrtle Street to the north. Found on its grounds are a number of prominent sites that are important to both the history of Boise and to present culture. The Park includes three nationally accredited museums: the Boise Art Museum, the Idaho Black History Museum, and the Idaho State Historical Museum. Also located in the park are the Idaho Rose Society, Zoo Boise, the Gene Harris Band Shell, and a lush Rose Garden. The park itself exhibits several works of art such as a 2002 statue by Jerry Snodgrass memorializing the pioneers who passed through the area including Julia Davis. Additionally, the Park has access to the Boise River, recreational sites such as a playground and tennis court, the Greenbelt, a pond, and a pedestrian bridge over the river connecting the park with Boise State University. The park was founded in 1907 by Thomas Jefferson Davis and named after his wife.
[edit] History
Julia Davis Park has its roots in the 1862 journey of two orphans, Thomas and Frank Davis, from the city of Cincinnati, Ohio with hopes of joining in the widely publicized gold rush in the Idaho territory. The brothers came west and settled in the Boise Basin where they staked a claim and mined for a year. In 1863, they built a cabin along Cottonwood Creek near the site of the present Julia Davis Park. On July 4, 1863, Fort Boise was established and shortly after, the Davis brothers along with seven friends met in the Davis' cabin and planned the formation of the City of Boise. According to one of the friends, William Lowery Ritchie, "in the summer of 1863 the soldiers came and established the garrison; that was some time early in July. It was about that time we met in our cabin and formed a town co." [1] Thus, Thomas came to play a pivotal role in the development of Boise as a city and thus sought to help attract visitors and pioneers to the valley. With his mining claim being less than profitable, Davis turned to the promotion of agriculture by planting 7000 apple trees on his land along the Boise River. Additionally, he started buying up land in the valley from the United States land office, receiving Cash Certificate No. 1 for 160 acres in 1868 when the first land office opened up. [2] Within several years, Davis went on to purchase 1150 additional acres from the federal government along the foothills and where the town of Garden City was developed. Along with the land, Davis purchased the first water rights in the valley as well.
Thomas' future wife Julia McCrumb, for whom the park is named, arrived in Boise in 1869 from Ontario, Canada to visit her family. In 1871 she and Thomas were married. Upon her death, presumably from Typhoid, in the Autumn of 1907, Tom deeded the property now known as Julia Davis Park in memory of his wife (at an original size of 43 acres). He required that the land be utilized for public purposes and the park would be forever known as Julia Davis Park. Interestingly, Tom also included in the deed a stipulation that the land would return to the Davis heirs if the property were ever used for any other purpose.
[edit] Rose Gardens
The addition of a rose garden to the park originated with H.C. Schuppel in 1935, a chairman of a rose garden club called the "Cut Worms." Work on the project began in earnest in 1939 with a total of 2800 roses planted (some from Villa Nurseries in Portland, Oregon). It was also in this year that the Rose Garden was officially dedicated. A key development came later in 1979 with the establishment of the Memorial Rose Fund. This fund was intended to help create memorials in the garden for friends and family members. National recognition was given to the Rose Garden in 1992 when it receive its' Public Rose Garden accreditation. As a result of this, 10 bushes of All American winners are given to the Garden yearly. The Garden is also often the site of wedding ceremonies.
