Bit of History -- March 11, 2026

An inspection of the City Park by the Park Board in 1937 resulted in a decision to plant between 40 and 50 new elm trees.  Many had died as a result of the dry conditions of the previous two years.  Most of the remaining trees in the park were not expected to live more than a few years “because of wide breaks in the cambium layer and these trees may be removed before the planting of new trees is done. “

The new trees were to be replaced by “Beefsteak” Goodwin when the weather was favorable.  Before he could replace them, he first had to find the saplings himself.  “Plenty of good sized elms can be obtained within a short distance of town and these will be transplanted at the park.”

The members of the park board in 1937 were T. MeHugh, John Adam,  Chris Bush, Max Fancher and Smith Clark.  (Ridgeway Journal, March 18, 1937). 

Bit of History - April 7, 2022

The year of 1914 was a big one for the city of Ridgeway.  That was the year that the city built a City Hall and jail and contracted to have a gasoline-powered electric plant build and the city wired for electricity. In the midst of all this, on June 23, 1914, J. H. Shirer and C. S. Stoner came to the board of alderman with a proposal:  if the board would contribute to the cost of building a new bandstand in the park, they would raise the rest of the money via donations.  Per the meeting minutes of the City of Ridgeway Board of Aldermen,  the board considered that proposal and agreed to give $150.  The board appointed three men to serve as the Park Board to oversee construction:  A. A. Guteridge (Chairmen), Ernest Snider and “Mr. Daniels”.  Meanwhile, donations were being collected.  Per an article in the July 2, 1914, issue of the Ridgeway Journal, the old stand had been torn down and the new one started.  One donation was a benefit by the Rex Theater where they donated their proceeds from showing an a one-reel comedy entitled “Those Persistent Old Maids” and a two-reel drama named “The Power of Prayer”.  The program also included orchestra selections, vocal solos, and a male quartette.  At the time of the screening, the town had collected $350 of the expected $450 cost of the stand (about $12,767 today.)  By the August 1 board meeting, the building had been completed to the point of adding the roof.  

Park Bandstand in September, 2022

Bit of History - October 6, 2021

Over the summer, while scanning copies of ordinances to put onto the city website, I found some letters regarding the city park that were very interesting.  The assumption has always been that the land for the park was donated by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad.  The park land was donated to the city with requirements that the city keep the park fenced and maintained.  In 1914, the city wanted to do some updates to the park such as trimming trees and building some buildings, so the city clerk, W. L. Perkins, wrote to the railroad to ask if this was acceptable.  The person who received his letter, W. Card, who then forwarded it to I. J. Moon, the train master at St. Joseph, to investigate as the railroad had no records of this donation.  Mr. Moon obtained the original deed and discovered that the railroad had not, in fact, donated the land to the city. 

The land was given to the city by Mr. Charles E. Perkins and his wife, Edith Perkins, in 1899.  Mr. Perkins was the vice president of the C B & Q railroad and had personally purchased the land where Ridgeway now sits and had the property platted for the new city.  Per tax records published in the Bethany paper, he owned most of those lots for several years until they were eventually all sold.  The deed for the park did require the park be kept up or the land would revert back to the original owners.  As the city still owns the park, the plans from 1914 were acceptable and hopefully the Perkins family would approve the latest round of improvements by the community betterment association.