%1 http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/ en Willow Creek Park http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/willow-creek-park <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Willow Creek Park</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-08-25T13:58:46-06:00" title="Friday, August 25, 2017 - 13:58" class="datetime">Fri, 08/25/2017 - 13:58</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/willow-creek-park" data-a2a-title="Willow Creek Park"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fwillow-creek-park&amp;title=Willow%20Creek%20Park"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Willow Creek Park in southeast <strong>Lamar</strong> was built primarily by the Civil Works Administration and the <strong>Works Progress Administration</strong> from 1933 to 1938. Using local labor and materials, the <a href="/article/new-deal-colorado"><strong>New Deal</strong></a> agencies built a series of dams for flood mitigation and constructed several rustic stone structures for recreation, most notably Pike’s Tower at a spot where <a href="/article/zebulon-montgomery-pike"><strong>Zebulon Pike</strong></a> supposedly camped in 1806. The park’s dams and other water features were destroyed by a <strong>1965 flood</strong>, but the rest of the park’s structures and several recent enhancements continue to provide Lamar residents with opportunities for recreation and relaxation.</p> <h2>Civil Works Administration</h2> <p>Planning for Willow Creek Park started around 1920, when the Lamar Rotary Club formed a committee to explore potential sites for a park. Headed by amateur historian R. L. Christy, the committee discovered that many local groups were interested in establishing a park in town. Christy completed a lot of planning for the project, but his work was soon shelved because no funding was available.</p> <p>More than a decade later, Christy’s plans were revived when Lamar mayor John Y. Brown asked him to propose a project to the Federal Emergency Relief Administration’s new jobs program, the Civil Works Administration (CWA), which was designed to provide short-term employment to help people through the winter of 1933–34. Having already researched possible park sites in Lamar, Christy suggested that Brown propose a park along Willow Creek that could be used for flood control and recreation. Brown quickly submitted the proposal, which became the first CWA project approved in Colorado.</p> <p>The CWA covered the entire $55,000 cost of building the park. The only local expenses were incurred by a group of locals who bought land for the park—an empty field at the time—and donated it to Lamar. Roughly rectangular in shape, the twenty-eight-acre park stretched nearly half a mile from north to south and about 500 feet from east to west. Willow Creek flowed northwest through the land to cut it diagonally in two. Park construction started on November 27, 1933, with the goal of employing 200 men for three months.</p> <p>Because CWA projects were designed to be short, many of them were relatively simple. Thanks to Christy’s earlier planning work, however, the CWA was able to build something more elaborate at Willow Creek Park. <a href="/article/flooding-colorado"><strong>Flooding</strong></a> on Willow Creek had plagued Lamar since its establishment in the 1880s, so park plans called for a series of three dams along the creek. One was located several miles south of Lamar, the second was at the southern edge of the park, and the third was in the middle of the park, creating a quarter-mile lake at the park’s center. The first lake in the park was destroyed by a flood almost immediately and replaced by a chain of dams and small ponds.</p> <p>The park’s central water features were flanked by several rustic sandstone structures designed for recreation. On the west side of the creek, the CWA built a sandstone shelter house with a Pueblo Revival wood roof containing vigas (rough-hewn heavy rafters) and a semicircular structure of stone benches that Christy called a “colonette.” On the east side of the creek, the CWA added a Boy Scout <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/kivas"><strong><em>kiva</em></strong></a>, or semicircular amphitheater consisting of several rows of stone seating radiating out from a central fireplace. The CWA also built several walkways, bridges, stone fireplaces, and automobile access roads bounded by low stone walls. Local teenagers taking part in the National Youth Administration assisted with landscaping, and local fraternal organizations donated tree plantings.</p> <h2>Works Progress Administration</h2> <p>After the CWA ended in early 1934, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) continued to develop the park through the rest of the year. FERA’s work focused on enhancing the park’s landscaping by cleaning the grounds and improving the creek channel. Already that year, the park’s dams and ponds mitigated the effects of flooding on Willow Creek.</p> <p>FERA was shut down in 1935, but it was replaced by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which became the New Deal’s primary work-relief agency in the late 1930s. Lamar applied for WPA funding to continue work in Willow Creek Park, and the project was approved in January 1936. The WPA contributed $21,500 and Lamar added $8,500 for 100 workers to perform more flood-control work, plant trees and shrubs, and build a caretaker’s house.</p> <p>Designed to house a Lamar employee who would maintain the park, local cemeteries, and the city playground, the caretaker’s house was built on the east edge of Willow Creek Park. Like the rest of the park’s structures, it was a rustic stone building, although its red and brown slab rock was noticeably different from the tan sandstone used in earlier CWA construction. The one-story residence faced northwest and had an irregular plan, with front and rear sections set at a right angle to each other. The front section had a roof deck, and the rear section had a greenhouse attached to its southwest side. As at the CWA’s shelter house, wood vigas lent a hint of Pueblo Revival styling.</p> <p>In 1937 Lamar successfully applied for a second WPA project at Willow Creek Park. In addition to irrigation, landscaping, and masonry walls, the project called for the construction of a large stone tower in the southeast corner of the park. The brainchild of park planner R. L. Christy, the tower was intended to mark the site where Christy believed Zebulon Pike had camped on November 13, 1806, as Pike’s expedition made its way west along the <strong>Arkansas River</strong>. (There is no evidence to back up Christy’s claim for this spot, but Pike would have camped somewhere in the area that night.) Known as Pike’s Tower, the roughly thirty-foot-tall building featured regularly coursed stonework that showed how much skill local laborers had acquired in their years of work in the park. Stairs wrapped around the tower from a patio at the base to a covered observation platform at the top. With the completion of the tower in September 1938, the WPA’s work at Willow Creek Park came to an end.</p> <h2>Later Changes</h2> <p>The biggest change to Willow Creek Park came in June 1965, when a devastating flood washed through the park. The flood destroyed all of the park’s dams, ponds, and bridges as well as several fireplaces near the creek. The park’s larger stone structures—Pike’s Tower, the shelter house, the caretaker’s house, the colonette, and the Boy Scout kiva—survived unharmed.</p> <p>Nearly all other changes to the park have been made to enhance its usability for Lamar residents. Sometime in the 1960s or 1970s, restrooms were added to the east and west sides of the park, and in the 1980s a garage was built near the caretaker’s house. Park caretakers lived in the caretaker’s house until 1986; today the former residence is used for Girl Scout meetings.</p> <p>In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the area near the caretaker’s house on the east side of Willow Creek became a hub of activity as the park added a playground, picnic shelter, and two volleyball courts. Another picnic shelter was built in the far northwest corner of the park. In 2003 a new pedestrian bridge over Willow Creek linked the park’s two halves, which had been separated since the 1965 flood. A nine-hole disc golf course was added in 2005.</p> <p>In 2007 Willow Creek Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park continues to be a popular spot for walks, picnics, disc golf, volleyball, and other activities, including Lamar’s annual Wild West Barbecue Cook-Off.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/lamar" hreflang="en">Lamar</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/new-deal" hreflang="en">New Deal</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/civil-works-administration" hreflang="en">Civil Works Administration</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/federal-emergency-relief-administration" hreflang="en">Federal Emergency Relief Administration</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/works-progress-administration" hreflang="en">Works Progress Administration</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/flooding" hreflang="en">flooding</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Abigail Christman, “Willow Creek Park,” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (November 22, 2006).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Ava Betz, <em>A Prowers County History</em> (Lamar, CO: Prowers County Historical Society, 1986).</p> <p>Abigail D. Christman, <em>The Legacy of the New Deal on Colorado’s Eastern Plains</em> (Denver: Colorado Preservation, 2008).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Fri, 25 Aug 2017 19:58:46 +0000 yongli 2731 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org La Junta City Park http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/la-junta-city-park <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">La Junta City Park</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--881--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--881.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/la-junta-city-park-lake"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/La_Junta%2C_Colorado_city_park_lake_1_0.jpg?itok=0Xsb7UoZ" width="1000" height="386" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/la-junta-city-park-lake" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">La Junta City Park Lake</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New Deal projects carried out between 1933 and 1941 transformed La Junta City Park from a poorly drained park into the city's top outdoor recreation space. The Works Progress Administration originally planned to build four lakes in the park, but a large flood in 1937 caused the WPA to reduce the number of lakes to just one.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--882--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--882.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/rustic-building-la-junta-city-park"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/La_Junta%2C_Colorado_city_park_building_1_0.jpg?itok=lBPpG2ik" width="1000" height="490" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/rustic-building-la-junta-city-park" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Rustic Building in La Junta City Park</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>For the park's walls and buildings, the WPA quarried stone from a site near Higbee, just south of La Junta. In all its work, the WPA emphasized local materials and labor-intensive, handcrafted construction in order to maximize wages and minimize other expenses.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--883--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--883.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/bench-la-junta-city-park"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/La_Junta%2C_Colorado_city_park_bench_1_0.jpg?itok=XdcEm-N_" width="1000" height="666" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/bench-la-junta-city-park" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Bench in La Junta City Park</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>During its two main phases of work, the WPA built new walks, driveways, perimeter walls, tennis courts, restrooms, and benches in La Junta City Park. The basic layout of the park has not changed since the WPA completed its improvements in 1941.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--884--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--884.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/skate-park-la-junta-city-park"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/La_Junta%2C_Colorado_city_park_skateboard_0.jpg?itok=ILk4SKcH" width="1000" height="446" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/skate-park-la-junta-city-park" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Skate park in La Junta City Park</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Recent additions to the park, including the sunken skate park (2003), have generally enhanced the park's functionality without substantially altering the WPA's design.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2015-11-10T11:04:22-07:00" title="Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - 11:04" class="datetime">Tue, 11/10/2015 - 11:04</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/la-junta-city-park" data-a2a-title="La Junta City Park"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fla-junta-city-park&amp;title=La%20Junta%20City%20Park"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>La Junta City Park is a prime example of a <strong><a href="/article/new-deal-colorado">New Deal</a> </strong>project on Colorado’s eastern plains. As a result of work carried out between 1933 and 1941, a poorly drained park became the city’s primary outdoor recreation space, complete with stone walls, benches, and buildings; a new lake; picnic shelters; and tennis courts. The park continues to be a popular place for walking, picnicking, and playing tennis and basketball.</p> <h2>Origins and New Deal Development</h2> <p>In 1905 <strong>La Junta</strong> bought 16.5 acres south of downtown for one dollar and made the land into City Park. The new park was half a mile away from downtown, however, and the land had poor drainage. Few improvements were made, resulting in infrequent use of the park.</p> <p>City Park was reborn in the 1930s, when New Deal projects carried out by the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) transformed the park. The CWA, a temporary work-relief program, began working in the park on November 27, 1933, focusing on improving the park’s drainage system. The CWA completed its project in the spring of 1934.</p> <p>In August 1935 the city submitted a WPA project proposal to renovate the park. The plan called for new walks, driveways, lakes, and landscaping, including stone walls around the park’s perimeter. The WPA approved the proposal, which received more than $40,000 in federal funds in addition to the city’s contribution of more than $5,000. Work began in May 1936 with a forty-man crew. In keeping with the WPA’s emphasis on local materials and labor-intensive, handcrafted construction, stone for the park’s walls was quarried from a site near Higbee, not far south of La Junta.</p> <p>The WPA’s work took longer than expected, in part because a massive flood in May 1937 inundated the park and put the project on hold for eight months. Probably as a result of the flood, the WPA revised its original plan for four lakes and decided to build just one large lake in the northwest corner of the park.</p> <p>After the WPA’s initial work was completed, the city submitted another WPA project proposal in July 1938. This project, which received nearly $33,000 in federal and local funds, called for building tennis courts, a caretaker’s house, restrooms, and a sprinkler system, among other improvements. The construction and landscaping were completed by February 1941.</p> <p>The WPA approved a third City Park project in March 1941. This project was meant to complete improvements in the park and was supposed to receive more than $12,000 in federal and local funds. There is no record of the work in WPA files, however, and it is unclear whether the project went forward.</p> <h2>City Park Today</h2> <p>The basic layout of City Park has not changed since the WPA completed its improvements in 1941. Local Boy Scouts placed a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty in the park in 1951 as part of a nationwide program to celebrate the organization’s fortieth anniversary. More recent additions—including basketball courts (1990), a playground (1999), and a skate park (2003)— have primarily enhanced the park’s functionality without detracting from the historical value of the WPA’s design. Recent grants from the State Historical Fund have allowed for park restoration work.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/la-junta" hreflang="en">La Junta</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/city-park" hreflang="en">City Park</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/new-deal" hreflang="en">New Deal</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/civil-works-administration" hreflang="en">Civil Works Administration</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/cwa" hreflang="en">CWA</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/works-progress-administration" hreflang="en">Works Progress Administration</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/wpa" hreflang="en">WPA</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/parks" hreflang="en">parks</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Abigail Christman, “La Junta City Park,” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (September 2006).</p> <p>Abigail D. Christman, <em>The Legacy of the New Deal on Colorado’s Eastern Plains</em> (Denver: Colorado Preservation, 2008).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Frances Bollacker Keck, <em>Conquistadors to the 21st Century: A History of Otero and Crowley Counties, Colorado</em> (La Junta, CO: Otero Press, 1999).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-4th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-4th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-4th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-4th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-4th-grade"><p>La Junta City Park was built between 1933 and 1941, during America’s Great Depression. The US government hired men who were out of work. The men were paid to complete projects that helped communities. They made La Junta City Park into a beautiful, usable space. Stone walls, benches, and buildings were built. A new lake, picnic area and tennis courts were added. Today the park is a popular place for walking, picnicking, and skate boarding.</p> <h2>Origins and Development</h2> <p>In 1905 La Junta bought sixteen acres of land near downtown for just one dollar. They wanted to make it into a City Park, but the land was a half mile from downtown and had poor drainage. The town never made it into a park.</p> <p>The Great Depression started in 1929. Millions of Americans were unemployed. President Franklin Roosevelt started some government programs that paid workers to work on projects around the country. These were called “New Deal” projects. Two programs helped build La Junta City Park: the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). New Deal projects made the park into a centerpiece of the town.</p> <p>The town of La Junta asked the government to help create a park on the land. The CWA began working on their first project in 1933. This project improved the drainage system. The project was completed in the spring of 1934.</p> <p>A second project was started in 1936. The project cost $45,000. Forty men were on the work crew. This project added walks, lakes, trees, and gardens. Handmade stone walls went around the park. Stone benches were also added. The WPA used local materials in their projects. The stone for the park’s walls and benches were from Higbee, a town near of La Junta.</p> <p>This project took longer than expected. There was a huge flood in May 1937. The project was not able to continue for eight months. After the flood, the WPA changed its plans. The original plan was to create four small lakes. It decided to build one large lake instead.</p> <p>After this work was done, another WPA project began. This project cost $33,000. Tennis courts and a caretaker’s house were built. Restrooms and a sprinkler system were added. This was completed in 1941.</p> <p>One more WPA project was planned in 1941. This project was to improve the park. It was supposed to receive $12,000. But for unknown reasons, this project was never started.</p> <h2>City Park Today</h2> <p>The WPA finished its improvements in 1941. In 1951 the La Junta Boy Scouts added a small Statue of Liberty to the park. These were put into parks all over the country to celebrate the Fortieth Anniversary of the Boy Scouts. Other improvements have been made over the years. These included basketball courts in 1990, a playground in 1999, and a skate park in 2003.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-8th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-8th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-8th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-8th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-8th-grade"><p>La Junta City Park was built between 1933 and 1941, during America’s Great Depression. The US government hired men who were out of work to complete projects that helped communities. They transformed La Junta City Park into a beautiful, usable space with stone walls, benches, and buildings. A new lake, picnic area, and tennis courts were added. Today the park is a popular place for walking, picnicking, and skateboarding.</p> <h2>Origins and New Deal Development</h2> <p>In 1905 La Junta bought sixteen and a half acres south of downtown for one dollar and made the land into City Park. However, the new park was a half mile from downtown and the land had poor drainage. Few improvements were made, and the park was rarely used.</p> <p>The Great Depression started in 1929 and left millions of Americans out of work. President Franklin Roosevelt started government programs that paid workers to do projects around the country. These were called “New Deal” projects. Two programs helped build La Junta’s City Park: the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA.) These New Deal programs made the park into a centerpiece of the town.</p> <p>The city of La Junta asked the government to help improve its park. The CWA began working in the park in November 1933, focusing on improving its drainage system. The CWA completed its project in the spring of 1934.</p> <p>In August 1935, the city submitted a WPA project proposal to renovate the park. The WPA allotted $40,000 in federal funds, and the city of La Junta added $5,000. Work began in May 1936 with a forty-man crew. The plan called for new walks, driveways, lakes, and landscaping. It included stone walls around the park’s perimeter. The WPA used local materials; for instance, stone for the park’s walls was quarried from Higbee, a town near La Junta.</p> <p>The project took longer than expected because of a massive flood in May 1937. The project was put on hold for eight months. Because of the flood, the WPA revised its original plan, which called for the construction of four small lakes. It was decided to build just one large lake in the northwest corner of the park.</p> <p>After the initial work was completed, the city submitted another WPA proposal in 1938. This project was awarded $33,000 in federal and local funds. It called for building tennis courts and a caretaker’s house. Restrooms and a sprinkler system were also included. The construction and landscaping were completed in 1941.</p> <p>The WPA approved another City Park project in March 1941, meant to complete improvements in the park. It was supposed to receive more than $12,000 in federal and local funds. However, there is no record of the work in WPA files and it is unclear whether the project went forward.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>The WPA completed its improvements to La Junta City Park in 1941. In 1951 the La Junta Boy Scouts placed a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty in the park. Recent additions include basketball courts (1990), a playground (1999), and a skate park (2003).</p> <p>These have enhanced the park’s amenities without detracting from the historical elements of the WPA’s design. Recent grants from the State Historical Fund have allowed for additional park restoration work.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-10th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-10th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-10th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-10th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-10th-grade"><p>La Junta City Park is an example of a New Deal project on Colorado’s Eastern Plains. Because of work carried out between 1933 and 1941, a poorly drained park became the city’s primary outdoor recreation space. It features stone walls, benches, and buildings, as well as a lake, picnic shelters, and tennis courts. The park continues to be a popular place for walking, picnicking, and playing tennis and basketball.</p> <h2>Origins and New Deal Development</h2> <p>In 1905 La Junta bought sixteen and a half acres of land south of downtown for one dollar and made it into a city park. However, the new park was half a mile from downtown and the land had poor drainage. Few improvements were made, resulting in infrequent use of the park.</p> <p>City Park was reborn in the 1930s. New Deal projects, carried out by the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA), transformed the park. The CWA and the WPA were work-relief programs designed to reduce massive unemployment during the Great Depression. The CWA began working in the park on November 27, 1933, focusing on improving the park’s drainage system. The project was completed in the spring of 1934.</p> <p>In August 1935, the city submitted a WPA project proposal to renovate the park. The WPA approved the proposal and allotted $40,000 in federal funds. The city of La Junta contributed around $5,000. Work began in May 1936 with a forty-man crew. New walks, driveways, lakes, gardens, and landscaping were added to the park. Handcrafted stone walls were erected around the park’s perimeter. The WPA had an emphasis on using local materials and labor-intensive construction. Stone for the park’s walls and benches was quarried from a local site near Higbee, south of La Junta.</p> <p>The WPA’s work on this project took longer than expected, in part because an enormous flood in May 1937 engulfed the park. The project was put on hold for eight months. Because of the flood, the WPA revised its original plan for four small lakes and decided to build just one large lake in the northwest corner of the park.</p> <p>After the initial work was completed, the city submitted another WPA proposal in July 1938. This project was awarded $33,000 in federal and local funds. The project added tennis courts and a caretaker’s house. Restrooms and a sprinkler system were also included. The construction and landscaping were completed by February 1941.</p> <p>The WPA approved a third City Park project in March 1941. This project was meant to complete improvements in the park. It was supposed to receive more than $12,000 in federal and local funds. There is no record of the work in WPA files, however, and it is unclear whether the project went forward.</p> <h2>City Park Today</h2> <p>The basic layout of City Park has not changed since the WPA completed its improvements in 1941. Local Boy Scouts placed a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty in the park in 1951. Recent additions include basketball courts (1990), a playground (1999), and a skate park (2003). These have enhanced the park without detracting from the historical value of the WPA’s design. Recent grants from the State Historical Fund have allowed for additional park restoration work.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Tue, 10 Nov 2015 18:04:22 +0000 yongli 880 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org