Cook County’s First Natural Park Dedicated
Elaborate Program at Forest Preserve No. 1, Near Palatine
Forest Preserve No. 1, a tract of 1,000 acres near Palatine, was dedicated yesterday. It is the first of a series of tracts comprising a total of 5,000 acres to be set aside for forest preservation by Cook County.
Addresses were made by President Peter Reinberg of the county board, Charles H. Wacker of the Chicago Plan commission, Dwight H. Perkins of Palatine, Coroner Peter Hoffman, County Clerk Robert Sweitzer, County Treasurer Henry Stuckart, County Commissioner William Busse and Sheriff John Traeger.
500 Children Parade.
After the addresses 500 school children paraded to the “undiscovered lake,” a thirty acre body of water formed by the damming of a stream in the heart of the woods.
Fifty girls from the University of Chicago and members of the Dunes Pageant association presented dances at night in one of the glades of the preserve. The dances were interpretive of winds, waves, and nymphs, and were given under the direction of Mary Wood Hinman. Miss Dorothai Bock of River Forest gave a solo dance entitled “Still Waters.”
Among those who took part were Drucilla Scheolder, Madline Kile, and Margaret Kingsrey.
Schools Hold Festival
In the morning, in connection with the dedication, the fifth annual country life festival of the schools of Barrington, Arlington Heights, and Palatine was held. Five hundred school children took part, under the direction of County Superintendent of Schools Charles Tobin. Folk dances were given by 150 children, under the guidance of Mrs. Harold Knowles.
Forest Preserve No. 1 was formerly known as Deer Grove park. It was bought by the county for $100 an acre eight months ago, It is the purpose of the forest preserve commission to keep this tract of land and all the other forest preserve tracts in a natural state.